‘There’s noise, and then there’s noise,’ Bonita Drive residents say racket from local landscaping company is constant

Larry Farrell has lived on Bonita Drive in Dartmouth for 25 years, but he says the last few have been challenging.

Two or three years ago, he says a new business moved into the area.

“We thought, 'Landscaping company, they fertilize, they mow your lawn, great,' and I guess as their business grew, so did their need to have large equipment,” explained Farrell.

He claims the Waverley Road company operates bulldozers, industrial gear, trucks and large equipment around the clock, keeping Farrell and his neighbours awake at all hours.

He told NEWS 95.7's The Rick Howe Show, they're not the only business in the area making loud noise, they're just the only one that never seems to stop.

Farrell said this isn't a case of “not-in-my-backyard,” because nobody should have this going on near their home.

“They should not be allowed to be in a residential area, they should be in an industrial area where they can make all the noise they want, they can come and go as they please, and they don't have to worry about disturbing residents who are just trying to have a normal life,” he said.

Tony Mancini, the councillor for the area, said he's well aware of the issue.

He's sat down with neighbours and the company's owner.

“The owner has claimed he's moved soil and other materials around, so the trucks that are picking up and dropping off aren't backing up as much,” said Mancini. “The problem is, because they're half-ton trucks and backhoes, when they back up, the trucks beep.”

Mancini said he's also been to Farrell's home to hear the noise for himself, he understands the frustration, but says the small business has a right to be operating where they are.

'We need a zoning change,' says Farrell

Farrell feels the municipality could change the zoning of that area to solve the problem, but Mancini said the company has rights too.

The District 6 councillor said, right now, that area is a C-1B zone, which allows the company to operate from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekdays and between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends.

He said if they're moving equipment, picking up soil or conducting other operations outside of those hours, they could be violating noise bylaws.

Changing the zoning to C-1A would be a little more restrictive, but that wouldn't solve another issue.

Farrell said it would seem the situation would temporarily improve over the next several months as the weather turns cold, but that's not the case.

“It's worse in the wintertime because this landscaping company goes over to snow clearing,” he said. “They're down there at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning to load up with salt or sand.”

Mancini said when removing snow, because it's a safety-related business, the rules change and the company is allowed to operate outside of those regulated hours.

He said the municipality is doing what they can to find a compromise.

“Nobody can claim that we're not doing anything, we truly are,” said the councillor. “We have rules and guidelines we have to go by, I've spent a lot of time on it, staff has spent a lot of time on it.”

Mancini said there isn't an easy solution, but they're still trying to come up with a way to resolve the issue.