Town council passes setback request for hotel by 4-3 vote

There is a parking study underway, the mayor continued, and he suggested that could include more parking spaces if such things are done including more one-way streets and having angle parking. Traffic can be busy, he acknowledged, but didn’t think there are any traffic jams in Amherstburg.

“Anyone who thinks there are traffic jams in this town have never been to a bigger town,” said Prue. “There are no traffic jams in this town.”

Prue added it all comes down to economic development, and that was his priority in the last municipal election. He believed the town needs more commercial and industrial uses so taxes remain low and the town remains prosperous. He said if the town’s economy grows, youth can get jobs locally and stay in Amherstburg.

The proposed hotel will allow for accessible places to stay, he added.

“That’s very, very important,” he said.

Prue acknowledged it was a difficult decision and believed it will end up in front of the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT), which takes it out of the town’s hands anyway. He said he has never seen such an emotional issue dropped without appeal and if this issue does end up at the OLT, the town would have to hire a lawyer and planner to explain the planning rationale if it had been turned down.

“I can understand the emotion on my colleague’s faces when they listened to the people from the Salmoni building and others and their pleas but it is not a planning rationale,” said Prue.

Gibb believed when it is all said and done, council will have little say in the matter as he predicted the matter will end up before the OLT. He said he was sympathetic to the residents’ concerns but didn’t believe it would be an issue for the OLT. He added the town has to be in the best legal position possible in case of an appeal.

The deputy mayor added “this is going to be decided by an upper level of government and we will have to accept their decision.” Having a third party review it would be “a good thing,” he said, adding the cost to defend their decision will be high but it will be higher if it is overturned. He didn’t believe reasons for rejecting the request would stand up at an OLT hearing.

The request satisfies the Official Plans of the county and town, downtown revitalization plan and the Ontario Building Code, he said, adding “we live in a province with a provincial government that is very development friendly.” He added other businesses in the area don’t provide parking so didn’t see that as a reason to turn down the request.

Crain said the town wants a hotel “and has waited far too long for it.” If the request would be turned down, Crain believed that would send a negative message to other developers who would take their money and go elsewhere. Crain said Black Dog Entertainment invests their own money into Amherstburg by choice and cited other projects that he believed have benefitted the town.

Crain also hoped this hotel would “spark” Amico in getting started with their hotel, which is proposed for the corner of Gore St. and Dalhousie St. He added the request is in line with the Official Plan and other documents, said the fire chief stated it would not cause any additional impacts to exiting the Salmoni Condos to the south. Garbage and traffic issues were either resolved or not that big of an issue, he added, believing “it’s time to move forward on a hotel and the many more that may come from this.”

“The town needs a hotel,” said McArthur, and he believed it will broaden the tax base and provide local jobs.

McArthur said Amherstburg would “catch up” to other municipalities who have hotels, and the only thing not being done in the downtown core is having a place to stay. He said shops are opening and activity is picking up, while town council spent three hours talking about why a hotel shouldn’t be built rather than why it should. He said a vacant building is being turned into a 15-suite hotel with a bike shop and restaurant.

“I don’t think there is a higher and better use of the land, to be honest,” said McArthur.

The town is winning tourism awards and is doing that “with one arm tied behind their backs” due to not having a hotel. He said the Peddies “get it done and do it right,” pointing out other business ventures and projects.

Looking at the positive side of the issue is that the town is growing and development is creating jobs, new businesses and bringing in more services. He said the Salmoni Condominium owners are losing something and that is “unfortunate” but noted “it’s not a perfect world.”

Pouget said she was not voting against a hotel but the request to make it a zero setback.

“We have variances and setbacks in place and that is so we don’t pit one neighbour against another. That is what is happening with this setback,” said Pouget. “That fact it is 24-feet, eightinches and zero land left – I can’t vote for that.”

Pouget argued that safety was still an issue and believed council could not take a chance of having someone “getting stuck” in the Salmoni Condominiums for fire or other reasons. She added the traffic study didn’t take everything under consideration.

“I can’t vote for a zero setback. I just can’t,” said Pouget.

Pouget predicted the staging area during construction would be “a disaster for many weeks” though the proponents say they would try and move quickly and put the hotel up as efficiently as possible.

Allaire also said she was not against a hotel but believed it was “a common sense decision” for the residents.

Continued on Page 9

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