BAYVIEW, P.E.I. — Raspberry Point Oyster Co. is looking to wash more oysters and start growing apples.
James Power, the company's manager, spoke during a public meeting at the Visitor Information Centre in Cavendish on July 2. The company's existing facility is in Bayview, and it needs the approval of the Resort Municipality's council to start building a second one along Cavendish Road.
"Just down the road from where we are," he said.
The proposed facility would occupy about 32,000 square feet in a building that is 46 feet, three inches tall. That's about 11 feet higher than the property's zoning allows for, so council would have to approve a major variance as well as the building itself.
"That's primarily to keep a traditional architecture style," Mayor Matthew Jelley said. "With a building that large, in order to put a roof on it, it needs to go up."
The facility would be used for washing, grading, storing and packaging the oysters, while the harvesting and handling equipment would remain in the current facility. If approved, Power wants to start construction next month so it could be finished by October 2021, he said.
As well, because the property runs down to the Hope River, the company partnered with Red Shore Orchards to plant a commercial apple orchard along the southern portion of the property.
Don Maynard, a consultant with Granville Ridge Consulting, said about 1,000 trees were already planted in May.
"The first year of harvest is projected to be 2023," he said.
Maynard helped put together the project's environmental assessment, which states the project budget to be about three million dollars. One topic discussed at the meeting was the company's plan for wastewater management.
Andrea MacDonald, a resident attending the meeting, expressed concern over the plan. The facility would discharge the wash water through a trenched pipeline down the property, so the outfall can be released in the river.
"Which I know you have to do," she said. "(But) water is a very precious resource."
Maynard's assessment indicates this will not affect the river, based on the salinity and turbidity of Raspberry Point's existing pipe. Power also said the company has been doing this already at its existing facility, and its wastewater system would be heavily regulated by the provincial government.
Excessive odours and noises would not be an issue at the proposed facility, and it would have two trailer trucks visiting each day to transport oysters, with potential for more as Powers hopes this development will help the company grow, he said.
Residents unable to attend the meeting have until July 14 to share their thoughts with the Resort Municipality. Council will make a decision on the proposal at a future meeting.
Daniel Brown is a local journalism initiative reporter, a position funded by the federal government.
