Eight large silos have been set up in a rail yard in River Heights and some residents are voicing their displeasure, calling them eyesores.
"I was planning on cleaning up my yard and taking a few trees down, to try to help beautify things but I think I'll leave them up to block the view. You can see (the silos) right out my main window,” said Colin Jones.
"If I was a home buyer looking to buy a house along this stretch I would take a look out the front window and see what's there so it's a concern,” said Jones.
Alain Vermette is another resident upset by the installation of the silos in a Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail yard in River Heights near Mathers Avenue and Lindsay Street.
“My initial thought was, ‘What’s going on here? This looks like a big eyesore,’” said Vermette.
He said he’s worried about the potential effect on property values on the street, along with what might come next.
“The city should have some jurisdiction in terms of what's built within city limits, even though it's railway property - doesn't mean you can just go up and do anything you want,” said Vermette.
The city said it’s seeking a legal opinion on the jurisdiction of the land. A spokesperson for BNSF said the silos were erected by a local shipper leasing the property.
But the city councillor for the area said it doesn’t matter who the railway is leasing land to, it should still be up to the city to decide how land is used within city limits.
Coun. John Orlikow (RiverHeights- Fort Garry Ward) said the site is currently designated as residential.
“You see here - there's a little transfer station, however, industrialization of this line here, to me, is not acceptable,” said Orlikow.
The company that owns the silos did not return CTV News’ calls on Monday.
Orlikow said the next step is finding out for certain what’s inside the silos.
"I need to get an official document that says what's in them so I can tell the neighbourhood that it is benign or there are some concerns,” said Orlikow.
He said so far he’s heard the silos contain sea water, used for gravel roads to control the dust.
He said the next step is clearing up the legalities on the issue and finding out who has jurisdiction over the land to make sure it stays a residential area.
