Town not to proceed with Amico-Loop Belle Vue proposal

Amherstburg town council has announced it will not proceed with the Amico/Loop proposal regarding the redevelopment of Belle Vue.

During the opening moments of Monday night’s meeting, the report out from an in-camera meeting earlier this month saw council decide not to go forward with the proposal. Town council voted on a 4-1 vote in September 2024 to enter into the next steps of possibly having the development group proceed with plans for the historic Dalhousie St. property. 

“Council decided in its wisdom to ask that the Amico/Loop proposal be rescinded,” said Mayor Michael Prue.

Prue claimed the town was still awaiting reports and information and ultimately decided to move in a different direction.

“We just said ‘OK, we’ll find someone else,” he said.

As for the future of the site, that will not be decided by the current council. Town council has said it will be up to the next council on what the next steps will be. The municipal election is Oct. 26.

“We no longer have an agreement,” said Prue. “The new council is going to look elsewhere. It is up to the next council what to do.”

Councillor Diane Pouget declared conflict due to her property’s proximity to the Belle Vue lands.

The Amico/Loop proposal, presented at the Oct. 10, 2023 meeting, called for renovation of the 200-year-old Belle Vue manor into six hotel rooms, a spa, restaurant and public gallery/event space. There would also be another building constructed on the site to accommodate a 24-unit hotel as well as a pool house, outdoor pavilion, green space and 52 semi-detached homes. 

Belle Vue is one of only two buildings in Canada with Palladian-style architecture. It was purchased by the Town of Amherstburg in 2016.

Cindy Prince, vice president of development with Amico, said the company was accepting of council’s decision. She noted the town had put out an expression of interest (EOI), the company put in a bid and it was selected.

Negotiations began and Prince claimed the town wanted to change what is in the proposal “for the municipality to ensure it was getting the best possible deal.”

Prince said Amico “put its best foot forward” in the proposal and when negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding, the company would have been required to do other things not in the original proposal.

“This particular project did not warrant additional funding,” she said.

The project no longer was financially viable for the company, Prince added.

“It’s not an unusual situation, she said. “Once someone shows interest in something, everyone thinks it is more valuable. I think that’s what happened here.”

The restoration of Belle Vue remains important to the town, she added, but noted there are risks involved.

“It is very complicated and very risky,” said Prince. “There are many unknowns when restoring a building that old and vacant for an extended period of time.”

Prince added “it’s important for a responsible development company to manage those risks. I believe that is what was happening here.”

Due to the previous decision by the Town of Amherstburg to divest itself of the property, the Belle Vue Conservancy went public a few months ago with their decision to dissolve. In an article in the Feb. 18 issue of the River Town Times, the conservancy representatives confirmed they had folded and disbursed its money to other charities according to the rules put forth by Revenue Canada.

According to the National Trust for Canada website, Belle Vue “is one of the few remaining examples of domestic Georgian architecture in Ontario. It was built in 1816-1819 by Robert Reynolds, the Commissary to the nearby British garrison at Fort Malden, after he returned from serving in the War of 1812. He lived there with his family, and his sister Catherine Reynolds, the renowned artist whose landscape paintings provide an invaluable record of early 19th-century life in Upper Canada. Belle Vue House was declared a National Historic Site in 1959, and three years later was selected for an Ontario Heritage Trust plaque. It was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act by the Town of Amherstburg in 1982. The house consists of a central core with symmetrical front flanked by imposing chimneys and side wings. Facing the Detroit River, the spacious villa and grounds offer expansive views. Both Robert Reynolds and his sister Catherine lived at Belle Vue until their deaths. Over the years, it has served as a private residence, a hospital administered by Veterans Affairs Canada and a Ukrainian Catholic Church.” 

Town not to proceed with Amico-Loop Belle Vue proposal

By Ron Giofu