Union Street is no place for a subdivision.
This is something that should be abundantly clear to all involved — even to Hawk Ridge Homes, the developers who are proposing the subdivision.
This is simply because industry and residential development do not mix.
While the building of homes next to industry has its place in history, we have enough knowledge now to suggest it is far from wise.
Even when industrial operations run exactly as they ought, there will be numerous issues regarding noise and odour, just from the day-to-day workings of Chemtura and Sulco, let alone the potential for other industries.
Even now, Chemtura is routinely dealing with odour complaints — although with less frequency in the past — coming from homes that are not necessarily in close proximity to the plant. Add an additional 40-odd homes, and those complaints are likely to increase.
Those, however, are minor issues.
What is of more concern is the potential for things to go wrong.
We have seen our share of fires and spills from Chemtura in recent years — incidents that have been alarming to all residents.
We think of the most recent spill, of BLE25 on Sept. 27, 2010, which affected properties within 600 metres of the plant, with traces at least a kilometre away from the plant. The public report on the spill is still pending.
At this week’s council meeting, Ken Driedger — a former member of the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee and current member of the APT/Chemtura committee — made a valid point. Given the financial pressures Chemtura is currently facing, there is an increased likelihood that something could go wrong on the property.
Heaven help us if it is the company’s worst-case scenario, a spill of anhydrous ammonia that could wreak havoc on the lungs of anyone who breathes in the noxious fumes. We already have many residences in Elmira that are located in the area most likely to be affected by a spill. Why would we want to add any more?
When we think of the addition of Sulco, another chemical company that has the same potential for disaster, it seems foolhardy to even think of putting more homes close to these businesses.
We know the likelihood of either of these scenarios is extremely low, but the potential fallout is huge.
While the township has a Community Alert Network, a strong volunteer firefighter department, along with trained firefighters at the Chemtura facility, we are still talking about placing homes in an area that does not make sense.
While Woolwich Township may ultimately be forced to approve the application, we fully support the current position of rejecting the plan, due to compatibility concerns.
We hope nothing will change that position, regardless of what the OMB might ultimately decide.