Concerns, kudos part of lengthy meeting discussing GAHS proposal
- Ron Giofu
- 22 hours ago
- 9 min read
The proposal for the former General Amherst High School site drew both kudos and concerns at a recent planning meeting.
The special planning meeting at town hall dealt with requests to both amend the town’s Official Plan and zoning bylaw, but the public was told it was not to make a decision on whether to move town hall into the site, located at 130 Sandwich St. S.
The meeting also had nothing to do with Bill Wigle Park, with Valente Development Corporation president Peter Valente apologizing for the park appearing in renderings at a recent open house the proponents held.
“We fully recognize the park is owned by the Town of Amherstburg,” said Valente.
Parking, traffic, construction vehicles, the fit along the town’s main street and the development’s proximity to nearby Fort Malden National Historic Site of Canada were among the concerns.
Valente pointed out this is the third school redevelopment he and his company want to undertake, with a school redevelopment at the former St. Genevieve School in Windsor winning them an award. They also redeveloped part of the former St. Anne High School in Tecumseh into townhomes.
“When (General Amherst) become available, I knew I wanted to acquire it,” said Valente.
Valente noted the 800-feet of frontage along Sandwich St. S. and the ability for people to walk to stores, parks and the waterfront from there.
"The views from the third floor and above will be exceptional," he said.
Valente said what they are showing is the maximum development for the site is.
Noting his family’s ties to both the town and the school, Valente said he and his wife hope to move into one of the residential units. An eight-storey tower and an 11-storey tower are planned as part of the school re-development, with the proponents stating 60 per cent of the current building including historic facades would be maintained.
There would also be retail and restaurant components to the site, including a possible gym.
The former high school has been attended to by police 12 times due to break-ins since 2023, Valente added.
“We’re eager to transform this site into something positive and meaningful for the town,” he said.
Dan Soleski, design principal from Architecttura, told town council the tower along Sandwich St. S would have 79 units though some could be hotel rooms. The town proposed to run east-west would have 68 units. He said there would be an effort made to set residential blocks to the northeast corner of the site away from existing residential areas to mitigate shadow impact and to reconstruct historic facades at both the south and north portions.
Tracey Pillon-Abbs, principal planner with Pillon Abbs Inc., pointed out buffering and landscaping would be utilized to minimize impacts to neighbouring property owners. Aaron Blata from RC Spencer and Associates spoke of traffic impacts from their own research and measurements, stating there were 335 trips daily from the site when it was a high school, predicting there would be 271-294 trips if it were redeveloped.
Councillor Linden Crain asked if the project was still feasible if the towers were lowered to five to eight storeys. Valente stated they are trying to achieve 140 units to make it feasible and that they would have to make the buildings wider and not as attractive if they were to lower them.
Councillor Diane Pouget addressed the parking issue and was told there would be 262 spots on site. She also questioned where construction workers would park and what the staging area would be during demolition.
Valente said it was too soon to tell where the staging area would be, noting that would come up during the site plan process. He added it would be an approximately three-year process before people could move in.
Pouget said she recognized the fact the meeting was to discuss proposed Official Plan and zoning bylaw amendments but said it was important for all questions to be answered due to provincial legislation that results in site plans no longer going before town council.
“We want you to be successful but we want the residents to be OK with it too,” Pouget told the proponents.
Councillor Peter Courtney questioned the traffic study, noting counts were done on a Tuesday in November. He suggested doing one on a busier day, such as when a festival or event is being presented. Courtney indicated he liked a lot of what he saw but “height is scary to people.” One of the things he liked was the proposed residential towers were brought in closer to the centre of the property.
Blata said traffic data is not usually gathered on a worst-case scenario day. He added there should be a “healthy” split of people using various different modes of transportation from vehicles to cycling to walking.
Parking was also brought up by Courtney, wondering where overflow parking would end up. He also wondered if they could go one level further down in a parking garage.
Valente said their proposal exceeds town parking requirements at 1.5 spaces per unit, adding such a development would likely attract empty-nesters, retirees and first-time home buyers.
“We’ve done multiple condominium developments across Essex County and 1.5 is more than sufficient parking,” said Valente.
There is some parking for commercial units, added Soleski.
“Those 40 spots should satisfy those entities,” he said.
Councillor Don McArthur wanted to know about visitor parking, wondering if was rolled into the 1.5 space equation. Valente confirmed it was rolled in.
Councillor Molly Allaire asked about the fire department’s capability to deal with an 11-storey building. Deputy Fire Chief Dan Monk said the department is prepared to deal with a fire at an eight-storey building and it would be the same for an 11-storey building.
Residents were allowed to address the special planning meeting to voice their questions, concerns or comments pro or con.
Phil Kasurak said it is recognized the school site requires redevelopment and that the province encourages “building up instead of building out.” His issue was what shape and form that would take.
Kasurak noted sections of the Official Plan about height restrictions, stating the streetscape of Sandwich St. S. has been a long-standing issue. Council is also required to get input of the heritage committee and is subject to public consultation.
Sandwich St. S. is considered “a gateway” and should reflect “historic architecture” with uses not impacting the neighbouring residential area, he said, based on previous efforts he was part of.
Traffic and parking were addressed, with traffic on Laird Ave. adding concerns regarding safety and parking. Parking spots “are already at a premium” in the area, he said, adding there are events at nearby Fort Malden National Historic Site that include noise and vibration such as musket firing and cannon firings.
“We need assurances and agreements with the developers and the new residents that they are aware of these activities and will not object, simply like we have on Simcoe St. surrounding the active quarry land,” said Kasurak. “That needs to be part of this.”
Daryll Fogal, another Laird Ave. resident, said the development process has been “really good” and liked the “increase in transparency.” Fogal said the proposed structures are “quite large” and planning is needed for both peak and daily use regarding traffic and parking.
Fogal said many events are hosted in the area of Laird Ave. and there are “a lot of moving parts” to the proposal that need to be addressed. That part of town is also “a mecca for children” such as River Lights, the splash pad, parks and other amenities. He suggested turning the ramp to the proposed parking garage and primary ingress and egress to the site to go off of Sandwich St. S., with a traffic light being placed at Fort St.
Traffic calming measures on Laird Ave. such as bollards were suggested by Fogall.
Ed Debevc, another Laird Ave. resident, said he has been waiting the redevelopment of the former General Amherst High School site and said Valente showed what is possible at the site. Debevc said he was overwhelmed by the size and breadth of the proposal. It may be possible, he said, but it doesn’t show “community common sense” to reflect long-standing desires.
“It doesn’t say ‘historic town’ on the entrance,” he said.
The 262 parking sites were of concern for Debevc, believing that there is a shortage.
“The square footage for the proposed town hall, whether it is a town hall or other, requires 93 parking spaces, not provided for on this property. A town theatre square footage would most likely require 200 spaces, not provided for on this property,” he said.
Residents would likely bring two cars or more to the site, he believed, believing the height and size of the proposal should be scaled back.
“Simple math and community common sense says it’s not workable,” Debevc contended.
Planning officials should apply “community common sense” and their planning rationale to arrive at a decision, he added.
Elm St. resident Jack Ziriada was concerned over having a “dump truck city” if construction were allowed to begin. He said Laird Ave. wasn’t built for construction vehicles and also asked where construction vehicles would park.
Ziriada also wanted to know if some residential didn’t sell, would they become rental units. He said his concern is what would occur in case of the latter.
Ingrid Heugh addressed town council in favour of the development. General Amherst High School was “the heart and centre of Amherstburg for decades.”
“Today, the building sits empty without purpose. I think we need to bring this beautiful building back to life,” she said.
Heugh added she trusts the Valente team to create a vibrant building in the core of town.
“This beautiful building is conveniently located for future residents to shop and increase sales in our town,” she said. “I believe new businesses will look at it to open their doors. It will add more vitality to our downtown since it is walking distance to many of the shops.”
Heugh added Valente “really cares about this building because of his family connection.” She said an opportunity exists to “bring this building back to life and make it a home for many.”
“The importance of the building’s past is the inspiration for its future. I believe it will become a source of pride in our community if we allow Valente Corporation to develop it,” she added.
Alex Dale, interpretive officer at Fort Malden National Historic Site, said he had similar comments in relation to parking issues. He said the last time there was major construction in the Laird Ave. area, visitation to the site “plummeted” and wanted to know about mitigation to traffic, parking and construction issues.
Dale added “we do like to blow stuff up and make loud noises,” and that is part of their programming. He believed it needs to be made clear to future residents.
Fort Malden is a treasure and one of the most important site within the Parks Canada system, Dale told town council.
Laura Dejersey said she supports thoughtful development and that growth is vital but must respect the character of the community and the liveability of the residents. She said the town and its heritage means a great deal to her.
Dejersey said active transportation is important to her, with traffic and parking issues also being a concern for her. She also was concerned about the scale of the development, stating a town hall debate could create issues over conflict of interest.
Mackenzie James, also a Laird Ave. resident, said while traffic is an issue, so is noise pollution from added vehicles to the area. He added traffic on Sandwich St. S. will increase as well.
“If you try and go down Sandwich on a Saturday, good luck,” he said. “Now we’re going to increase it by another 200 cars.”
James said he is not opposed to development, but the size of the buildings raises other questions such as the ability for them to look into back yards.
A letter from Sandwich St. S. resident Pat Palumbo was read into the record, noting he was against to all traffic diverted onto an already busy Sandwich St. He believed multiple ways should be used to allow traffic on and off the site.
“Dilution is the solution, so to speak,” he wrote.
Palumbo said he would rather have town hall owned by the town, saying the “mere optics of getting town hall into this development baffles me.”
“Why rent when we can own?” he asked.
Wanda King, who also lives near the school site on Laird Ave., said she spoke with project officials to get concerns addressed. She believed it would be a huge adjustment and adjoining properties were being respected. She believed the project offers many uses, provides housing and jobs and saves the façade. She endorsed having the town hall there.
“All in all, I’m happy with this type of development that is being proposed compared to other possible solutions,” said King.
Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb wondered if the town could hire a third party planner to review a possible town hall move, so the residents could see “there is no undue influence within town hall.” Deputy CAO/director of development services Melissa Osborne said administration could obtain costs associated with that if directed by council.
Mayor Michael Prue suggested offering the town-owned lot across Sandwich St. S. as a rental opportunity for construction worker parking. He added a question on whether the overall proposal would go back through the heritage committee, with heritage planner Adam Coates saying it is currently a property of interest with designation expected in the future. Coates added the development application would then be worked on. He noted the façade is an item on the property of interest list and is being taken into consideration by the developers.
The feedback will be received and summarized into a future report to town council.
By Ron Giofu