MAPLETON – A farm near Drayton is seeking permission from the township to build an outdoor skating rink with change rooms for a growing Mennonite youth hockey league.
A planning report as part of Mapleton council’s Tuesday meeting shows an application from Webton Farms Inc. to build an outdoor skating rink at its farm at 7937 Wellington Rd. 8, a large property bordering and partly inside the Drayton urban boundary.
The zone amendment, applied for by Mervin Weber, is to allow a 200’ by 85’ outdoor rink to be used by a local Mennonite church youth hockey league and potential change rooms within a farm shop.
“We have too many youth for our current outdoor rink and are proposing another site,” Collin Martin wrote in a letter of support for Weber.
“We continue to look for ways to keep our youth occupied in a way that is socially healthy and not a detriment to the community, and this would definitely be an asset,” Dale Weber wrote in a letter of support.
“Also in endorsing Weber's proposal, I will put my full support to have him managing and overseeing it. He is a responsible individual that will do his best to keep the property safe and not a burden to the municipality.”
The location of the proposed use is designated as prime agriculture and typically recreational use is limited and associated with lakes, reservoirs, ponds, rivers and scenic resources.
“This use is generally not a permitted use within the agriculture area,” said planner Linda Redmond in a report.
“However, the Official Plan does permit limited recreational uses within the rural area subject to certain criteria. In this instance there are some compelling reasons to consider this use at this location. The farm is located directly adjacent to the urban boundary of Drayton and the eastern portion of the farm is located within the urban boundary.”
The rezoning request is for a temporary period of time but council is allowed to consider approving its use permanently with conditions.
No objections were received from commenting agencies or the public were included in the planning report.
A recommendation report will come to council at a later date.
Full report can be found here.
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