Residents raise concerns with possible hotel and apartment development

Town hall was packed on corcerns over a proposed mixed-use residential-commercial development on Simcoe St.

Residents packed town council chambers and spilled into the lobby at town hall Monday night as they were concerned over a possible hotel and mixed use residential/commercial buildings at the corner of Simcoe St. and Meloche Road.

Pointing out a plan for a possible 100-unit, five-storey hotel and three four-storey apartment buildings with ground floor retail, residents of the neighbouring Meadowview subdivision and surrounding areas expressed concerns to town council at a special planning meeting. The volume of residents in attendance prompted the town to further explain the process, with deputy CAO and director of development services Melissa Osborne explaining that any landowner may request a zoning bylaw amendment and Official Plan amendment, and that’s what was done. Once a process is deemed “complete,” meaning that all relevant documentation is received by the town, it has to go before town council.

Manager of planning services Christopher Aspila said this particular property, located on the northwest side of the Simcoe/Meloche intersection, is unique because approvals are needed from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) and the County of Essex due to the quarry across from the subject property along Simcoe St.

Both Aspila and Mayor Michael Prue cautioned residents that the Town of Amherstburg has limited power due to provincial legislation. Prue accused the province of taking many rights away from municipalities and said much of the correspondence the town received may not be able to be addressed by the town.

“We cannot do a lot of things that have been asked,” he said.

Rachel Haggath, a planner with Stantec Consulting, said Great Lakes Properties and its owners Norbert Bolger and Jason Laframboise have owned the property for over 20 years and it is the third phase of the Meadowview development. The Official Plan amendment would, if approved, see the property change from low density residential to general commercial with a special policy area and the zoning bylaw, if approved, would see the lands rezoned from residential second density to commercial general special provision.

Haggath noted a number of studies have already been submitted and believed the proposal is a fit within the area. She told town council existing infrastructure can support the development, form and character are compatible with surrounding uses, there are no negative impacts anticipated on the quarry run by Walker Aggregates, no negative impacts on natural heritage features and that the proposed development is consistent with the provincial and local planning policy framework.

Her words were of little comfort to many in attendance. Sheryl Dunn Greer, a Meadowview resident, said while some in the neighbourhood have been there since the beginning, others moved in recently She said she moved in last October expecting it to be her family’s “quiet retirement home.” She said there is a sense of betrayal and noted part of that was the meeting being one of the few ways to express their opinions.

If the development is approved as show, something people learned later from the proponents may not necessarily happen, it would be a major change.

“This is a drastic change and will forever change the flavour of this largely senior community,” said Greer. “By no means does it respect the character of the existing neighbourhood where neighbours still sit on their porches and visit up and down the street.”Greer added there is confusion about whether a hotel is coming or whether it is simply to change zoning. She said “all of us want a hotel in this town but this site plan is about more than that. I am not sure anyone really understands that a yes vote does not mean a hotel is coming but rather leaves an open door for a developer to put in whatever will be lucrative, not necessarily this particular plan put forth by Mr. Bolger.”

Among concerns brought forth by Greer were the proximity of where vehicles could park near the rear property line of the homes, the proximity of commercial loading and unloading as well as garbage containers, parking and the possibility “overflow” parking could come to Meadowview and Ironside streets, whether a hotel could jeopardize other proposed hotels, noise, vibrations, and air quality.

Traffic was also a concern Greer voiced, including what she feared could happen at the nearby intersection.

There were questions over whether notification was given that a hotel and commercial development was always planned for the site, with some acknowledging they later learned that was the case while others did not know.

Many of the latter said they bought their homes from original owners and did not know about plans for the plot of land at the corner.

Yvonne Sinasac said she still wanted to voice her concerns, saying she doesn’t oppose development but had issues with the one proposed. She had issues with health risks, flooding, property values, traffic and safety and noise.

Trudy Dempsey, another subdivision resident, also outlined a number of concerns with shadows and lighting joining the list that was shared with town council and administration.

“I care deeply about the town and my neighbourhood,” said Dempsey.

Dempsey shared a series of questions with town officials including many about the studies and feedback received, and whether that can be made public. She said commercial tenants haven’t been identified and requested a prohibition from “high impact uses.”

Margaret Marks added she and her husband moved there in 2018 and did not know about what could go behind them, other than it could be more townhouses. She also wondered if the appropriate infrastructure would be installed to accommodate electric vehicles.

Carl Wilson, another resident of the area, questioned whether Richmond St. and Meadowview Dr. were part of the traffic study. He believed drivers could avoid Simcoe and Meloche and use Richmond and Meadowview instead.

Clerk Kevin Fox read more comments into the record from those who sent in letters, The town’s infrastructure services department and Walker Aggregates submitted letters as part of the process, with the latter outlining concerns over studies and information therein and requested more meetings. Information provided was “inconsistent,” the company claimed, though Haggarth added they are working to update their proposals and plans.

A hotel company is not confirmed at the present time, Laframboise pointed out. He said they can’t get a hotel owner until they have the proper zoning.

“We can’t sell something we don’t have,” he said.

Councillor Molly Allaire recalled the 2018 proposal to bring a Quality Inn & Suites to the site, with Bolger stating the company had interest and the rezoning process was started, but the COVID-19 pandemic would hit and everyone moved on.

Bolger also indicated they put one of the highest densities possible to show what could go on the site, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be what is proposed. He said restaurants could go on the building sites shown, with Laframboise adding a hotel could be 40 or 60 units depending what a hotel chain found feasible.

Councillor Don McArthur said the words “proposed hotel” was listed 26 times in the planning justification report which caused residents to pay attention. Councillor Peter Courtney added what he was hearing was that the most robust plan for the area was shown to see what was possible but believed intensification was scary to residents.

Councillor Linden Crain wondered if the development proceeded, would the recently installed four-way stop at Simcoe and Meloche would be sufficient or whether a stop light or other measures would have to go in.

Osborne said it would take some time for a report to return to town council as a lot of input was provided at the meeting. She said there was a lot to sort out and predicted it could take months before a report came back to council.

Residents raise concerns with possible hotel and apartment development

By Ron Giofu