I love Guelph and have been here for about 25 years.
My family is here. My friends are here. I will retire here!
I am all for Guelph growing in a controlled and focused fashion, which has been the trend for the most part, until now. It is the very reason there is such a large influx of people moving into Guelph.
However, now I fear someone may be asleep at the wheel regarding the development on the corner of Gordon Street and Arkell Road.
I also fear very few people realize what is about to happen.
There are current plans for a sizeable new development at the Arkell and Gordon Street intersection. At the site of the former Volvo garage.The current plan calls for an eight-story building with 88 apartment units, commercial shops and a gas station at the already congested intersection!
In addition, there are also 662 new condo, townhouse or single dwellings units and four to be determined developments also planned within a five-block radius of the Arkell Road/Gordon Street intersection and the new development.
In my opinion this a logistical traffic disaster in the making!
The list of new developments, which is listed on the City of Guelph website, are:
1354 - (the development in question) 8 stories, commercial businesses, gas station 88 units
1300 - Gordon Street 32 apartment units
1242 - Gordon Street 2 - 12 story apartment buildings - 377 apartment units
1657 – Gordon Street - 53 townhouses
1871 Gordon Street - 43 apartment units
190 Arkell Road - 32 stacked townhouses - 34 cluster townhouses
220 Arkell Road - 31 single family homes - 60 townhouses
1131 - Gordon Street to be determined
33 - Arkell Road to be determined
132 Clair Road W – subdivision to be determined
388 Arkell Road – to be determined
In addition to these new dwellings and traffic, we already have two GO bus stops, the 1280-1284 apartment building, the 1291 Solstice apartment building, the Salvation Army Guelph Citadel complex with daycare, as well as school bus stops, all within a one-block radius of Arkell Road and Gordon Street. Plus, university students, high school, and grade school students as well as older adults all using those high use cross walks.
Based on this pivotal location on Gordon and Arkell, putting a gas station and commercial businesses on the corner plus all the new developments being launched, is very poor planning and just wrong. Most importantly, once the mistake is made, there is no room to widen Gordon or create a bypass.
I am 99 per cent sure that when the traffic study was completed, the study did not take any of the currently planned 662 new dwellings and an undisclosed number of new to be determined dwellings in the 4 additional new developments. Again, all planned for a 5-block radius of Arkell Road and Gordon Street intersection!
I have a feeling very few residents in that area, and Guelph in general, realize the magnitude of what is planned for the Gordon Street and Arkell Road intersection!
Can you imagine what Gordon will be like during a normal school year when people are traveling to and from work at the university with school in session in good or bad weather? Snow, rain or glaring sun.
Once this development is in, it’s too late!
Can you please inform the great and caring citizens of Guelph about the looming logistical nightmare?
Regards,
Walter Urban
