The company buying the former Toyota cold weather testing property has made some written guarantees to comfort nearby residents.
Tuesday, Timmins council approved selling the Highway 655 property to Amen Holdings Inc., a holding company with Milman Industries Inc., for $1.15 million.
While the sale was brought up at the June meeting, council had concerns about what the intended use of the property is, and if it would be used as a waste storage site.
This week, director of Community and Development Services Mark Jensen said environmental services company Roztek Environmental will initially use the property under the Amen Holding Name. He said it will be followed by additional companies under the Milman umbrella. It's expected that growth could bring 100 new jobs.
Staff has also reviewed the Official Plan and zoning bylaw for the property, and he said the current usages don't allow for waste storage.
As a condition of sale, he said the owner has agreed to put in writing that they wouldn't entertain creating that type of facility on the site.
Should a future owner want to change what the property is used for, they would have to ask council for the amendments.
“There would also be extensive approvals required from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks as well,” said Jensen.
People in the nearby subdivision will be comforted by having the condition in writing, said Coun. Noella Rinaldo.
“We did have concerns about the possibility of waste management disposal being put in that, it is near a subdivision,” she said.
In a news release, Timmins Mayor George Pirie said the sale is great news for the city.
"Milman Industries Inc. has the potential to bring additional employment to the community, and has an excellent reputation of growing and evolving to meet the diverse needs of its customers, as well as the needs of the Northern Ontario mining and international industrial sectors," he said.
