Council for the Municipality of the County of Antigonish voted 7-2 in favour of a rezoning application made by the owner of a property on Walsh Post Road in Fairmont, changing the property from Rural General to Tourist Commercial. The owner made the request to allow for the building of five tourist cabins on the property.
With both staff and the planning advisory committee recommending approval of the proposed rezoning, council discussed what would happen if they were to deny the request and were told it would leave them open to an appeal. Warden Nicholas MacInnis said based on council’s policy, the development met all of the necessary criteria. MacInnis said he sympathizes with the residents in the area who spoke against the rezoning, noting he himself lives in a very rural spot in the county.
Council hosted a public hearing on the matter last month but decided to table the decision until gathering more information. During both hearings, council heard from residents in the nearby area who expressed concerns with the rezoning.