These improvised facilities on improperly zoned land has ruined the peace and quiet that comes with living in rural Ontario.

He added that the remaining 200 acres of residential land would probably be sold to developers as "zoned buildable land."

The commercially zoned land is "an extremely valuable asset," said Brad Berger.

"Increasing the industrially zoned land could open the site to more extensive aviation," he said.

Community interests are lobbying for the red zoned land to be turned into a park that links the central city with the estuary.

The parcels lay idle while new single-family homes sprang up around them and residentially zoned land began to command higher prices.

By 2000, almost all of the residentially zoned land in the city was developed, and the population grew to over 35,000.

The city has been holding the industrially zoned land in the hope that manufacturing and other industrial activities would rebound.

SOME of the new projects are rising on once commercially zoned land.

He added that of the 250 acres of vacant industrially zoned land that was available, 75 are currently in contract.