CARP – An indoor, dirtless marijuana production facility is being proposed for the Carp Airport area.

On Sept. 17 the City of Ottawa received Official Plan and Bylaw Zoning Amendment applications to permit a non airport-related use within the Carp Airport designation – namely a cannabis production facility.

The subject lands are located at 200 Russ Bradley Road, just off Carp Road in the WestKan Business Park, within the lands designated as the Carp Airport in the City of Ottawa’s Official Plan. The property is located at the north-east corner of Russ Bradley and Huisson roads and has a lot area of approximately 42,150 m2 with approximately 201 and 215 metres of frontage on Russ Bradley Road and Huisson Road, respectively.

The owner of the land is identified as CannaGenetics Premium Cannabis Products Incorporated.

CannaGenetics says the proposed 3,995-square-metre (43,000-square-foot) plant would use “precision aeroponics” to grow what it refers to as “premium, pesticide-free” pot.

According to its website, the company is awaiting Health Canada approval for cultivation, processing and sales licences.

The application states the facility would not use soil or pesticides and would require 90 per cent less water and 70 per cent fewer nutrients than traditional production plants to produce an equivalent amount of pot, according to planning documents. It would also operate with high-efficiency LED lights rather than high-pressure sodium lamps often used in cannabis greenhouses, requiring 50 per cent less power.

While the proposal initially calls for a single one-storey industrial building on the southeast corner of the property, the facility could expand to include multiple greenhouses, the documents say. According to the company’s website, plans call for an additional 400,000 square feet of cultivation space.

The property was chosen for its proximity to the Carp Airport while noting the business park is also close to a major highway.

The application says o outdoor greenhouses are proposed on the property adding it is “understood plants will be processed and packaged within the facility.”

Current zoning does not permit a cannabis production facility on the site. The proponents argue the proposal is “compatible” with surrounding uses, noting the nearby airport will provide a buffer between the plant and future residential developments.

“The proposed facility will be serviced by private services including a septic system and a well and will not compromise the ability of Carp Road to act as a major arterial road,” the application reads.

The current timeline states the application will be considered by the city’s Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee on Dec. 3.

If a person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the City of Ottawa before approval on the amendment is given, the person or public body is not entitled to appeal the decision of the council of the City of Ottawa to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.

Comments on the application are due by Oct. 15 and can be made to City of Ottawa Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Department development review planner Sarah McCormick at sarah.mccormick@hottawa.ca or at 613-580-2424 ext. 24487.