Posted Mar 27, 2018, 2:22 AM
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Grimsby condo development proves unpopular
Building height, design, parking issues among concerns expressed by residents at open house
Mar 21, 2018 | by Richard Hutton
A proposed mixed-use condominium development on Windward Drive in Grimsby has proven to be unpopular not only with residents, but members of the town’s planning and development committee as well.
“Please don’t come back here with the exact same plan,” said Ald. Nick DiFlavio, who is also chair of the committee. “It’s not something we want to have in there.”
DiFlavio made the comments at the end of an open house Tuesday night to get feedback from residents on the proposed development, which consists of two multistory condominium towers, one 19 storeys and a second larger 22-storey building. The development would feature 3,159 square metres of retail space at ground level. It also includes 496 parking spaces spread over five levels with 288 set aside for condominium residents while 199 would replace spaces lost by the adjacent Casablanca Winery Inn. The 78-room hotel was purchased by the Rousseau Development Corp. last December. The company also purchased lands adjacent to the hotel for the purposes of the condo project. It also has plans to expand the eight-storey boutique hotel in the future.
The developer has made applications seeking amendments to the town’s Official Plan, which only allows for buildings up to 12 storeys in height, and the zoning bylaw. The land is currently zoned mixed use development and the developer seeks a change in designation to mixed high-use density.
Architect Dave Moore called the design of the towers “an iconic piece of architecture for Grimsby” when he discussed it with the committee. He said that the flowing waves of the design were inspired by water, waves and the shoreline of the lake.
Martin Quarcoopome, an associate with Weston Consulting, presented the details of the project to the committee. He said part of the reason for the extra height is to provide for the parking spaces lost by the hotel.
“Part of the issue we have to deal with is how to accommodate the parking. There is a need for parking in Grimsby and we’ve done our best to accommodate that,” he said, adding that the building footprint removed 100 spaces from the hotel parking. Coupled with the future of the expansion of the hotel, 200 spaces would be needed.
“That’s about 45 per cent of the parking that is part of this project,” he said.
Residents packed council chambers to hear details of the development and not one of them spoke out in support. Many took issue with the height of the buildings as well as what they felt was not enough parking, meaning more cars being parked on streets in the area.
Grimsby Beach resident Bob Friesen said that he appreciated that the developer was trying to make the project “more organic,” he had concerns over its height.
“Landmarks in Grimsby are the Niagara Escarpment, which is a living breathing thing,” he said. “If I was standing on the escarpment looking at the lake, I would see your organic shaped building but it’s really a wall of glass. And if I’m standing at the lake looking for the escarpment I would be looking at a wall of glass.”
“People want responsible development,” said resident Randy Vaine. “We all understand the town has got to grow. We understand the province has put restrictions on you, and said they want you to go up and not out.”
He added that the town has taken on its fair share of condo developments and that it is time for the rest of Niagara to do its part.
“Grimsby does not have the infrastructure nor the services to deal with what we have now,” he said.
Resident Shawn Geddes expressed concerns over height, particularly what it would mean in the case of emergency.
“If you go over eight storeys, I don’t think our fire department can handle anything over that,” he said. “They had a tough time fighting the fire on Main Street.”
He also expressed concerns over what he saw was a lack of parking as the proposal has dedicated 1.15 spaces per unit.
“Most people have two cars, I’ve got four, plus a motorcycle plus a boat,” Geddes said. “A lot of people are going to be moving in to that area. This is a going to be a substantial amount of people.”
Tuesday’s open house was the first step in the planning process. Once the input from residents and the various provincial and municipal agencies has been taken into consideration, a public meeting will be scheduled.
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