New housing is great, but a long-promised grocery store is needed in the east end and a proposed development on the former Loblaws lands falls short.
That’s the message area residents repeatedly delivered to a group of developers behind plans for 115 Watson Pkwy. N. – property previously owned by Loblaws and zoned for 50,000 sq. ft. of commercial space.
As it sits now, prior to any applications being filed with the city, the plan includes 16,000 sq. ft. of commercial area, split evenly between the bases of two apartment buildings. Each of those buildings is to have two towers between six to 10-storeys tall, joined by a shared podium.
In all, the buildings are to contain 582 residential units – largely a mix of one and two-bedroom units, with flex space to potentially accommodate larger units.
“We need a grocery store – plain and simple,” one resident said to applause during a neighbourhood meeting held by the developers Thursday evening at the Victoria Road Recreation Centre. “The community needs the grocery store … and we don’t want to have to drive across town for one.”
The plan, which is at the concept stage, also includes 192 townhouses and a public park, with a mix of underground and surface parking on the 6.43-acre site.
Marketed as ‘Guelph Grange Hill,’ the project is proposed by Toronto-based condominium builder Tercot Group, Greybrook Realty Partners and Cityzen, which together formed Guelph Watson Holdings Inc. to bring the concept forward.
Thursday’s meeting was held to gather community feedback for consideration and potential refinement of the plan before a formal submission is made to the city for review.
Council approval would be needed if any zoning regulations are to be changed in order to accommodate the build.
The units, explained Tercot owner Joe Valela, will be a mix of rentals and ownership.
Though the lack of a grocery store was the biggest obstacle to community support during the meeting, others raised concerns about the cumulative impact of developments in the area on traffic and parking, along with concerns about water flow on the property, school accommodations and destruction of wildlife habitat.
In addition to about 40 residents, the meeting was attended by city planning staff, Mayor Cam Guthrie, Coun. Erin Caton – who represents that ward, Ward 1, along with Dan Gibson – and Coun. Phil Allt.
Gibson was unavailable to attend Thursday’s meeting.
“This isn’t just an issue for the area, it’s an issue for Guelph,” said Allt, who represents Ward 3 and lives in the Exhibition Park area. “This matters a lot.”
Like several of the residents in attendance, Guthrie came prepared with questions focused on the commercial space aspect of the plan. At one point, while referring to an artistic rendering on a display board, he joked about playing the role of Wheel of Fortune co-host Vanna White.
“I’d like to buy a grocery store,” he jested, garnering chuckles from the audience.
“It seems like a pretty drastic drop,” Caton said of building 16,000 sq. ft. of commercial space rather than 50,000, a 68 percent reduction. “Grocery-style food is a big priority for the area.”
Several people said they’re pleased to see the property slated for development after sitting vacant for many years, especially the housing aspect of it, even if a grocery store isn’t part of the plan.
However, the idea of a ground floor grocery store with apartments above was recommended several times, by various attendees.
Council members in attendance noted the developers weren’t required to hold Thursday’s community consultation at this point in the process and thanked them for doing so. A mandatory public meeting will be held after a proposal is formally submitted to the city.
Asked about the project’s timeline, Valela said he hopes that submission is filed within the next couple months and, assuming it receives approval from council, construction would begin soon after.
In the early 2000s, Loblaws planned to build a supercentre on the lot, but backed off after Walmart, originally intended for the same area, opened on Woodlawn, and the lot has sat idle for years, despite the identified need for retail in the east end, particularly a grocery store.
For years council and city staff tried to convince Loblaws to build there, but they have no ability to force any landowner to do so.
