ROCKWOOD – Guelph/Eramosa council has paved the way for a Rockwood church to put up a parking lot.
At a Monday afternoon meeting, council supported the approval in principle of the site plan application for Rockwood Unit Church who are looking to build a parking lot, which requires demolishing an existing building at what is legally known as 107 Harris St.
Joanna Salsberg, township planning consultant, said the township’s solicitor has confirmed the church parcel, legally 119 Harris St., has been merged with the 107 Harris St. parcel.
Salsberg told council the parking lot is intended to serve the church with 17 parking stalls and two accessible spaces. Also in the site plan is a concrete pad for a relocated generator, a utility shed and updated landscaping on the property.
Municipal services going to the house at 107 Harris St. are proposed to be removed and capped.
Salsberg noted two permits required from the County of Wellington’s roads department and from the Ministry of Transportation have been met and all commenting agencies have signed off on the proposal.
Without much discussion, council supported the proposal in principle and delegated authority for final approval of the plans to the CAO.
Sherol Steinberg, chair of the church council, said in a phone interview the church has an existing parking lot across the street but the church needed to sell one of its properties.
“It made sense in terms of future expansion to keep our property on the same side of the road,” Steinberg said. “Harris Street is getting more and more busy and it’s dangerous to cross the road. There’s no crosswalk but at times there’s a lot of traffic.”
Steinberg clarified COVID has hit the church’s income and it is not in the place to expand at this point but this leaves that option open.
The church has primarily met on Zoom and has largely lost many of the groups and events that would come through but Steinberg hoped that would change shortly.
“We’re looking forward to having our doors open and a new parking lot, woo hoo!” Steinberg said.