Residential rezoning? Future of Horses in Hantsport?

Do residents want 50% of #31 Main Street rezoned residential?
Do residents want horses in town?

The Planning Advisory Committee (PAC) wanted the public to ansnwer these questions on July 16. It will inform town council of its decision later. Members of PAC: Councillors  Rob Frederick, Faye Hill, Margot Bureaux, Deputy Mayor Bulger, Mayor Zwicker. Citizen reps are Jamie Simpson, and Bertina Evers

REZONING

The owner asked to have part of the building zoned residential so he and his family can move from Halifax to Hantsport. The town has two options: to change the bylaw to allow residences on the first story of commercial building or to rezone one building. It was suggested that part of a building could be rezoned as in Kentville.

The former Ship's Landing building will soon come before the PAC for rezoning.

HORSES

 Two horses are stabled and pastured at 7 William Street and 58 Main Street. The old bylaw permits horses but the new land use bylaw does not permit farm animals. After town council received a few letters complaining about the horses, the PAC organized a public meeting.

It was a lively meeting with good humour and positive feelings about the issue. Mike Sanford, owner of one of the horses, had a petition with 40 signatures in favour,  Everyone who spoke was in favour of the horses but a few suggested guidelines for the amount of land for each horse. No one spoke against horse wehn encouraged to speak.

The discussion soon included other animals. One man with a hardboiled egg sat in the front row.Fromo one woman," I would love to have chickens but she already had racoons." "The sounds of the horses are like music.""How can we not have roosters? Remember how much noise came from Fundy Gypsum." " I chose horses over motorcyles." "Until a few years ago there were horses on  Holmes Hill, Prince Stsreet, Tannery Road, and Oak Street." "When the current bylaws were written, there were horses in town".