The Regional District of East Kootenay’s (RDEK) Board of Directors has deferred its decision on a proposed Temporary Use Permit allowing for a gravel pit on a rural property near Cranbrook.
The application centres around a proposed subdivision in the Wilson Road area.
RDEK officials said a long list of requirements must be met before the property is split, such as a road built to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s (MOTI) standards.
“The applicant said he would like to extract some rock and crush it to build a road that he’s required to do by the MOTI,” said Board Chair Rob Gay.
“The other part is that he would want to sell some of the rock to offset some of the cost of the development.”
Gay said there is a lot of uncertainty about the mountain’s stability, so the board is requesting more information from the applicant.
“There are two adjacent residents who were told by an engineer many years ago, that they weren’t allowed to quarry rock on that mountain,” explained Gay.
“So, this is one of the requirements the board would like to see before a new application is made: that work is done by a professional who can help understand the geotechnical conditions of the property.”
The proposal received a significant public response, including 56 letters and a petition with 195 signatures.
“When you’re crushing rock, there’s a possibility of dust and some noise,” said Gay.
“Part of the application is also for blasting. We were told they won’t be large blasts, but blasting is blasting. So, does that fit the neighbourhood? My thinking is that it’s not really compatible.”
The applicant has been given more time to provide additional information regarding requirements from the MOTI and more specifics about the application itself.
“We will be informing the public again, so there will be another st of notices going out regarding the new application,” said Gay.
“This is basically asking them to start over to get all the data we need.”
There is no date set for when this proposal will return, and nearby residents will be notified when opportunities for public feedback are available.
Be the first to know! Don’t miss out on breaking news and daily updates in your area. Sign up to MyEastKootenayNow News Alerts.
