LAURENTIAN VALLEY - The township must begin a process of answering to the Ontario Municipal Board following an appeal to a recent zoning bylaw amendment.

On May 11, Laurentian Valley Township was notified of an appeal to the OMB, a tribunal which hears applications and appeals on municipal and planning issues. Appealing council's recent zoning bylaw amendment pertaining to the use of storage trailers, seacans and shipping containers as storage within commercial zones of the municipality is Margaret Moore, vice-president of Rossow Home Hardware.

Ms. Moore attended the initial meeting about seacans, storage trailers and shipping containers in June 2011, where she expressed concerns about the proposed changes to the bylaw.

As a result of the appeal, the township must now provide a number of documents to the board. On Tuesday night, council reaffirmed it's position and is still supportive of the decision to approve the comprehensive zoning bylaw amendment as it conforms to Laurentian Valley's official plan and is in compliance with the provincial policy statement.

Council authorized township planner Lauree Armstrong and municipal solicitor Roy Reiche to participate in any meetings or pre-hearing conferences necessary as part of the OMB appeal process.

The township has until May 29 to provide the required information to the board.

Tina Peplinskie is a Daily Observer multimedia journalist