After three previous failed attempts to pass zoning and Official Community Plan (OCP) changes for a development at 880 Guay Rd., Prince George city council finally approved the third reading of the bylaws at its meeting on Monday, Feb. 24.
However, following passionate appeals from nearby residents, two council members voted against the bylaws, while another councillor stated they would wait for the results of a traffic impact study before casting a final vote at a future meeting.
L&M Engineering, representing Eastway Sand & Gravel, is seeking zoning and OCP changes to facilitate the relocation of Tyrod Industrial to the property near the Prince George Regional Correctional Centre, with plans for future expansion.
The first attempt to hold a public hearing in late 2024 was cancelled after city staff expressed concerns that proper notice had not been issued due to the ongoing Canada Post strike. The second attempt, scheduled for early 2025, was cancelled when city staff determined that the applicant had failed to update signage on the property to reflect the new hearing date.
The public hearing was finally held at the Feb. 3 council meeting but was cut short when Mayor Simon Yu noted a small overlap between a restrictive covenant preventing construction and an area in the OCP designated for future light industrial use. Staff requested the hearing be ended, as amendments cannot be made after a hearing has started. The hearing was rescheduled for the Feb. 24 meeting.
Changes to resolve the overlap were made before the Feb. 25 hearing began.
With those amendments, the zoning changes will reclassify a 22.7-hectare portion of the 48-hectare property from AG (Greenbelt) and P6 (Special Institutional) to M2 (General Industrial). An additional 3.3 hectares of land will be rezoned from AF (Agriculture and Forestry) and P6 (Special Institutional) to AG (Greenbelt) to create a buffer zone of trees to reduce noise from the site.
The OCP land uses were also amended to include 22.6 hectares of rural resource land re-designated to light industrial, 8.7 hectares re-designated from light industrial to rural resource, and 1.7 hectares re-designated from rural resource to utility. With these changes, the OCP and zoning align.
During the first public hearing, Megan Hickey and Terry Fjellstrom of L&M gave a presentation on the project, while nearby resident Sam Broadfoot of 616 Guay Rd. voiced her objections.
Before the second public hearing, council voted to amend the proposed bylaws to correct a mapping error.
At the second hearing, Hickey and Fjellstrom reiterated their presentation, explaining that Tyrod has not generated noise or operational complaints at its current location over the past 10 years due to the indoor nature of its work.
Fjellstrom noted that L&M submitted a traffic summary letter on Dec. 10, 2024, showing that the maximum traffic volume generated by the development during peak hours would not exceed the threshold requiring further traffic analysis.
He also stated that the intersection of Highway 16 and Guay Road meets BC Ministry of Transportation specifications and that the existing water main is sufficient to service the property.
It should be noted that the city’s original report on the bylaws, dated Sept. 24, 2024, mentioned that a traffic impact study, geotechnical report, and servicing review were still in progress and recommended council withhold final approval until these were submitted to the administration’s satisfaction.
According to Fjellstrom, the servicing brief will be submitted “within the next few weeks.”
Broadfoot also spoke again, stating that Mayor Simon Yu had previously told her that her concerns were unrelated to land use but argued that, based on her research, they were pertinent. She reiterated her worries about the road infrastructure and the potential negative effects of added traffic on residents’ quality of life, including noise, dust, and light pollution.
Broadfoot described the intersection of Highway 16 and Guay Road as a “disaster waiting to happen,” citing its narrowness and lack of shoulders, which forces vehicles to drive dangerously close to the edge. She also pointed out that the power lines along Guay Road are too low and could be struck by tall truck loads. In winter, the steep grade and narrow lanes present a risk for accidents.
She concluded by urging council to prioritize safety over personal gain.
Coun. Garth Frizzell asked if the traffic impact study would address Broadfoot’s concerns regarding road infrastructure. Wasnik replied that it would, though it appeared from the L&M presentation that traffic volumes do not warrant improvements.
Broadfoot responded, stating she had submitted a document in November with 70 photos illustrating her concerns and asked that council consider them along with the traffic impact study.
Fjellstrom returned to the microphone, confirming that the traffic impact letter had been submitted on Dec. 10, but they had not received feedback from the city and were unsure if it had been reviewed.
Fjellstrom explained that in preparing the letter, they first calculated the expected traffic volumes. If significant traffic was anticipated, they would have analyzed the intersection further. In this case, the traffic volumes are below the threshold for additional analysis, though the comments from the administration will be considered when reviewing the traffic impact study.
He also addressed Broadfoot’s concerns about sharp turns, noting that while some vehicles may need most of the available asphalt to navigate corners, he wouldn’t describe the turns as “jackknifing.” Regarding the power lines, he explained that one is a communication line and the other is a low-voltage power line for street lights.
Another resident of 616 Guay Road, Greg Heck, voiced similar concerns about the proximity of an industrial facility to residential properties, fearing it would decrease property values over time.
“There isn’t another area in the city with residential properties mixed with a municipal park — L.C. Gunn Park — a very busy snow dump, and a proposed general industrial facility,” Heck said. “I estimate that this continuous interaction will push away any potential buyers for properties on Guay Road.”
He also raised concerns about noise, light pollution, and the road infrastructure, noting that while the west side of Guay Road was built to accommodate traffic to the snow dump, the east side—where traffic to the industrial project would flow — was not.
Heck pointed out that the road outside his property is 4.5 metres wide, below the BC regulation minimum for a single-lane road of 5 metres. Given the potential for future growth of the company, he argued that these issues could worsen over time.
He also criticized the city for not enforcing its bylaws, as the company appeared to have already begun using the property for its intended purpose, despite the zoning and OCP changes not yet being approved.
Citizen columnist James Steidle expressed concern about clearcutting on the property, despite parts of it being zoned as a greenbelt, and called for the city to implement a tree bylaw.
Before the vote on the third readings of the bylaws, Frizzell thanked Broadfoot and Heck for their thorough preparation before presenting at the public hearing.
He expressed support for the third reading, noting that “all eyes” would be on the traffic impact study, and emphasized that important issues had been raised.
Coun. Cori Ramsay agreed with Frizzell about the feedback and the need for the traffic impact study but noted that concerns related to property values were not directly relevant to land use and would not affect her vote.
Coun. Brian Skakun stated that the concerns raised during the hearing were significant enough that he would not support the bylaws.
Skakun and Yu were the only council members to vote against the bylaws.
After the votes, Yu brought forward a motion, which passed, referring the matter of Highway 16 safety and improvements to the Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs.
“Whew, that was intense,” the mayor said before moving on to the next agenda item.
