A group of residents voiced objections to the Municipal District of St. Stephen’s proposed Zoning Bylaw Z-4 during a public hearing at the Garcelon Civic Centre.

The special council meeting was held on the third floor to accommodate the turnout. Council emphasized that the session was a hearing rather than a question-and-answer period. Seven written submissions had been received beforehand, and only a few residents signed up to speak in person.

Ward 3 resident Chandra Best opened with detailed recommendations. She called for stronger restrictions on resource excavation, including doubling the setback from homes to 300 metres and requiring both a noise impact study and discretionary approval with public input for projects within that distance. On blasting and crushing, she urged that consent come from “owners of every lot containing a dwelling within 600 metres,” not just a single lot owner, and asked council to clarify whether such consent would remain valid if property ownership changed.

Best also pressed for a prohibition on large-scale wind energy projects. She asked council to specify that the bylaw’s “utility use” category would not permit utility-scale wind turbines in any zoning district. Household-scale renewables, she said, should be distinguished from grid-connected infrastructure, and if wind farms were ever considered, a binding community vote should be required.

On the bylaw’s process, Best requested a public response matrix showing how each submission was addressed, with rationale, and that any adopted changes be redlined in subsequent readings.

Another resident welcomed the opportunity to submit responses by mail but encouraged broader community participation. He proposed forming a subcommittee of rural residents and councillors to work through concerns between meetings and urged greater consultation with agricultural groups to safeguard rural traditions.

Kristopher Booth, speaking later, criticized Z-4 as regulatory overreach, citing restrictions on heating, off-grid systems, and outbuildings. When his remarks expanded beyond zoning objections, the chair reminded him of the evening’s focus.

Council formally accepted both the written and verbal objections before adjourning. Staff with the Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission will compile questions and provide follow-up contact information. The bylaw will return for further readings once revisions are considered.