City staff advising Cambridge council to reject Hindu temple plans

CAMBRIDGE — Plans to build a two-storey Hindu temple in the shadow of the Cambridge Toyota plant have taken another hit.

A report by senior city planner Matthew Blevins recommends the rezoning proposal for the empty one-hectare site north of Highway 401 be refused as a sensitive land use, incompatible with surrounding industrial lands.

“We are ... disappointed with the recommendation,” Cambridge Hindu Society president Dwarka Persaud said on Friday.

“He’s making some very, I think, in our opinion, inappropriate conclusions. We are presenting our rebuttal on Tuesday.” The proposal for the Royal Oak Road property, which involves a 46foot-tall temple and 102 parking spaces, goes to the city planning committee on Tuesday night.

Persaud says he has a mandate from 400 Hindu families from Waterloo Region and Guelph. They are eager for a new temple to rise so they can leave the old digs the society has outgrown in the village of Blair.

“We have looked far and wide trying to find a place,” he said. The Hindu society may have to look further, depending on how Tuesday goes. One more hurdle has been added with the staff recommendation.

A group of residents, representing 37 nearby homes, opposed the temple plans at city council in January. Some saw the empty high-ground lot as a cherished buffer from nearby industry, and they didn’t want to lose it to any kind of church. Those residents are surrounded by industry to the north and west, the 401 to the south and 2,400 new homes being built to the east.

“I’m just following it along ourselves, our family,” David Bulten, a Cherry Blossom Road resident, said on Friday. “We’ll be there Tuesday and see that happens.”

Toyota’s intimidating presence in the debate may be the most daunting for temple proponents. The automotive giant, which is pumping $1.4 billion into upgrades to its Cambridge and Woodstock plants, has 5,600 workers in Cambridge.

Earlier this year, a planning consultant speaking on behalf of the Toyota plant asked the city to deny the rezoning request to allow the temple on lands tagged for agriculture or aggregate extraction.

The property, owned by the Hindu society for 18 years, is about 60 metres from the southern tip of the Toyota property. Provincial rules discourage such “sensitive land uses” within 300 metres of big industry.

The idea is to avoid future noise, dust and odour complaints, which Toyota has told the city it regularly receives from area residences. Already, 32 dwellings are within 300 metres of Toyota.

Adding one more sensitive use to the mix — a Hindu temple — is not justified, the city report says.

“Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada has no opinion on where the Cambridge Hindu Society builds their temple,” reads a company statement emailed to The Record on Friday.

“It’s our understanding that locating in the proposed area is not permitted according to city bylaws and zoning, but that is not in our jurisdiction and is a topic for discussion with city planners.”

Now, city staff has weighed in. Persaud says his society has done noise studies and spent $100,000 meeting city requests for the proposal, which he says the city deemed satisfactory last August. Now, if council wants to pursue allowing the temple, an odour study would be required.

“We realize that Toyota has issues with the neighbours,” Persaud said. “But we’re willing to sign a waiver of those issues because we know that Toyota is going to do whatever they do to satisfy those neighbours.” And Persaud believes those steps would also be satisfactory to the temple.

“Those neighbours are living there 24 hours a day,” he said. “We’re only going to be there on Sunday most times and occasionally on other days. I cannot see how us being there makes it worse for Toyota. That’s disappointing.”

Persaud is optimistic about Tuesday’s outcome. He says the society’s planner, former City of Cambridge planning director Hans Madan, believes the Hindu Society has a “just cause” in the face of difficult obstacles.

“Deep down, I don’t believe that anybody means any ill will. I think everybody would like to see a temple built,” Persaud said. “It’s just that I can’t find another location anywhere.”