Bayside Residents For Responsible Development
Don De Dieu Drive Saint Andrews, NB, Canada

CBC News, Gail Harding Bayside residents are happy their fight to keep a lobster distribution centre from being built on the St. Croix waterfront has ended in a victory. Members of Bayside Residents for Responsible Development learned Thursday the application by Little Bay Lobster of New Hampshire to rezone a piece of property from rural to light industrial had been denied by Environment and Local Government Minister Daniel Allain. [ 129 more words ] https://baysidenb.wordpress.com//cbc-news-bayside-residen/

K- Bayside residents applaud minister’s decision Bayside residents are breathing a collective sigh of relief today after hearing that a lobster distribution cen...tre will not be allowed to locate next to residential subdivisions. Little Bay Lobster (LBL) of New Hampshire had applied to rezone a parcel of land on the waterfront of this rural community just outside St. Andrews. The LBL proposal would change the zoning from Rural to Light Industrial in order to accommodate a 2,300-square-metre building. Upwards of 300,000 lobsters would have been trucked in and out of the centre on a regular basis, according to LBL Canada President Amy Shafmaster. The centre would have been located next to two residential subdivisions and a 205-site campground. It would have overlooked St. Croix Island, an international historic site. There are also two organic farms in the neighbourhood. Local residents objected to the rezoning, based on concerns over the impact it could have on their way of life. A committee of concerned residents was formed and informational fliers were sent out to other residents on the St. Andrews peninsula. We were surprised by the response, said Gary MacDougall of the Bayside Residents for Responsible Development. First by how many people didn’t know this was being proposed, and second, by how strongly people felt about preserving our current rural plan which protects our way of life here. Residents were concerned about the unsightliness of a steel building the size of a hockey arena next to their homes and on a beach where hundreds of tourists and residents walk. They also cited the noise of the machinery, security and street lights spoiling the night sky, the amount of truck traffic, discharge into the St. Croix estuary and possible odors. Realtors warned of drops in property values and two new homes, which were planned for the subdivision, were put on hold until after a decision on the rezoning was made. A public hearing of objections to the rezoning was held in August when 74 people participated in Zoom meeting. All speakers except three LBL officials were opposed to the rezoning. Residents also sent letters of objection to the provincial planning branch. Under provincial law decisions on rezoning in unincorporated areas are made by Daniel Allain, the Minister of Local Government and Local Governance Reform. Once the provincial election was over, members of BRRD met with newly elected St. Croix MLA Kathy Bockus and a line of communication was opened with Allain. Allain and Bockus announced Thursday that the rezoning application was denied. We’re all very grateful that our concerns were heard, MacDougall said. There were a lot of sleepless nights for a lot of area residents but I guess democracy still works. We welcome economic development but not at the cost of other area land users. There’s room in the nearby industrial park for projects like this.

We are against the rezoning of this area, to let an industry that would destroy basically the environment here, said Bartlett.

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