When it comes to warehouse MZO, 'ball is in Cambridge council's court,' province says

Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs Steve Clark says he's prepared to revoke a ministerial zoning order in Cambridge for a large warehouse project in Blair.

Cambridge city council approved the ministerial zoning order, also known as an MZO, for the project in April 2021. An MZO allows the provincial minister of municipal affairs to bypass local planning rules to spur development.

In a letter dated March 18, Clark asked Mayor Kathryn McGarry and council "to make a decision on whether they want to revoke this MZO."

"The minister is prepared to immediately begin the process of revoking the MZO if that is what city council chooses. The ball is in Cambridge council's court," the spokesperson added.

On Monday night, the project was halted after councillors voted not to accept two reports necessary to start construction.

Council needed to sign off on a heritage impact assessment and a transportation impact study before construction could begin at the Old Mill Road site, but council voted five to four against approving the reports. 

The project has seen significant pushback from residents and Indigenous communities, who said they weren't properly consulted. 

McGarry told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition on Tuesday that council's decision doesn't mean the project is entirely off the table.

She said the minister and the property owner have different options to move the project ahead, but that will be up to them to decide. The land is zoned as M1 industrial, which means other projects could be built on the site, she added.

In response to Clark's comment, a spokesperson for McGarry's office said in an email that, "staff will meet in the coming days to review" next steps.

CBC K-W has reached out to Broccolini, the real estate developer behind the warehouse project, to ask what it will do with the project now. The company has not yet responded to a request for comment.