A planned light industrial park in Hammond could have a new look after a new partner became involved with the 41-acre property bordered by the Golden Ears Bridge, Hazelwood and Ospring streets.
Pitt Meadows Plumbing is now partnering with Aquilini Investment Group to develop the site at 11055 Hazelwood St. for construction-related businesses and buildings.
Aquilini Investment Group re-acquired the property in 2012 from TransLink which originally had planned to put a bus-maintenance yard on the site.
Originally, the plan was to develop the entire site as light industrial. But now the focus is on building structures that would serve the construction business.
To do that though requires rescinding second reading that had previously been given on the earlier application which dates back to 2012.
Maple Ridge council on Tuesday agreed to the new timeline which will result in another development meeting and a public hearing to allow neighbours to give their thoughts on the revised project. Staff however attached some time limits to the approval, requiring the companies to submit the entire application by the end of March. As well, the companies would have only seven months after a public hearing to meet all the conditions of the application process, or risk having the city close the file.
The project will improve the area by giving another access road to the industrial area on Wharf Street, sparing trucks from having to go through the residential areas, said Coun. Craig Speirs.
He wants that road from Wharf Street to 113B Avenue, connecting to Golden Ears Way, and part of the project, built as soon as possible.
With a planned off-leash dog area nearby, the area has the potential of creating an “amazing neighbourhood node,” Speirs said.
“I think the neighbourhood expects industrial to happen there,” they just want it done respectfully and with the preservation of their privacy, he added.
Recently, the City of Maple Ridge put a stop-work order on the site, barring any more gravel from being deposited for an access road that was needed in order to do geotechnical and environmental studies of the site.
The city said no damage has occurred but Pitt Meadows Plumbing has to get a soil-deposit permit from the city to do that work.
During work on the site last week a wire fence was accidentally torn down by equipment. That left Deb Hart with a back yard and no fence to separate her property from the development.
But crews arrived Tuesday to replace the barbed wire fence with a wooden one. “I’m happy,” she said.
Sara Searle with Pitt Meadows Plumbing said the company was doing its due diligence on the site prior to development.
Under the previous application for the property, there was to be a buffer area on the northern end of the property and a meandering stream lined with native vegetation to encourage fish production and pathways.
