Wilmot council considers new safety report for Schneider land donation

A report on types of safe parking options to potentially build around land owned by the Schneider family in Wilmot Township that the family wishes to donate will go to council next Monday.

The Schneider family, known locally for its major food-processing company, wants to donate about 95 hectares (235 acres) of ecologically significant land they've owned in Wilmot for more than 40 years.

But the township wants to make sure there is enough space to safely park in the area before the land is donated to Rare Charitable Research Reserve and rezoned for conservation.

Once a land is protected by environmental zoning, there are land use restrictions that would prevent any future development that involves cutting down trees or building structures in the area.

When the township proposed paving part of the land to build a parking lot, ecological concerns were raised by the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA). The Schneider family has also said they are not in favour of building a parking lot anywhere on the land.

Kris Wilkinson, a councillor for the Township of Wilmot, said a new report to council will help them consider alternative plans.

"We have to look at options and we're partnering with the City of Waterloo to try and reach an agreement on actions that could be taken on Wilmot Line and surrounding areas and that may involve stopping roadside parking but providing an alternative solution," he said.

The township hopes to work with the City of Waterloo because it borders the Schneider land and has shared responsibilities over Wilmot Line, the road that the township is worried will put drivers and pedestrians at risk if people try to park along the rural road.

Bob Henderson, director of transportation services for the City of Waterloo, said the city supports Wilmot's proposal going to township council next Monday.

"If Wilmot council approves their staff's proposal, the city intends to cost share these improvements 50/50 with the township," Henderson said in an email to CBC News.

The back-and-forth discussion over parking safety has been ongoing for over four years between the Schneiders and the township. Wilkinson hopes this report will help put an end to that.

"We're not trying to actively roadblock this or delay it. We've been working to try and address the liability concerns. We have to work to find a solution that's agreeable," Wilkinson said.

Stephanie Sobek-Swant, executive director of Rare Charitable Research Reserve, said time is ticking for the land donation as the Schneider family's matriarch is older and the donation would become more complicated if she dies before it was handed over.

"You do not find a lot of property owners who would be willing to forgo selling a piece of property that they probably could make upwards of $2 million off if they sold it," she said.

"There's also very few people who have done similar excellent stewardship of land like the Schneider family has shown they're such passionate conservationists."