I took some time to write to the Mayor and members of the Planning & Environment Committee today. Why? Because the PenEquity proposal is… well… not great the way it stands. It’s massive, practically in the middle of nowhere, and threatens to eliminate thousands of strong, mature trees that do us a lot of good, no doubt. Unfortunately I forgot to mention downtown in my list of concerns, but hopefully others will/have (and the committee members will have it top of mind as soon as the effects on other areas are pointed out).
We’ll see what happens this afternoon! Until then, here’s what I sent to the Planning & Environment Committee (Bud Polhill, Joe Fontana, Phil Hubert, Sandy White, Dale Henderson, and Nancy Branscombe). If you like it, feel free to copy & paste and send it to them again. Citizen Corps has a list of councillors and their email addresses.
Good afternoon Mayor Fontana and Councillors,
I am writing to express my concern over the proposed retail and hospitality development on Dingman Drive that will be reviewed by the Planning & Environment Committee today. I have a number of concerns, including but not limited to:
- The negative impact it is likely to have on existing retail and hospitality developments further north on Wellington Rd, Westmount Mall on Wonderland Rd S, and the proposed Southwest Area Plan (SWAP) for Wonderland Rd S.
- The environmental impact it will certainly have on the rather large (4.2 hectares) woodlot currently on the land. Based on average statistics, this represents roughly 4,200 mature trees that the proposed development would eliminate. I consider that to be too large a number to lose, and the positive environmental impact that woodlot has on our air quality, preventing erosion, and the pleasant view it provides while driving down the 401 consider it a “must keep” for me.
- In addition to that, here is a link to the Criteria for Identification of Significant Woodlots (PDF, page 2). I think you’ll find, especially if you consult employees in the planning department, that the woodlot meets at least one of those criteria. I would hope you’ll take that into consideration moving forward and as leaders of the Forest City. [UPDATE: Link to report provided to committee by City staff on environmental significance of this woodlot]
- Also, there is a large body of water on that property. I must admit I’m not certain what purpose it serves, but I cannot remember a time when it wasn’t there. Has the purpose and future of this body of water been addressed by PenEquity or the planning department? As it stands it appears as though the development would eliminate this potentially important body of water.
- That is a huge parking lot. There is really no other way to put it. If this moves forward, is it within the City’s power to request that a parking garage be constructed instead? It would use less space, allow for the protection of a significant portion of the woodlot as is, and only increase PenEquity’s costs slightly when compared to the amount of expense they’re looking at currently. If White Oaks Mall can do it, surely PenEquity can as well.
- Lastly, correct me if I’m wrong, but the average hotel tenancy rate hovers around the 60% mark last I heard. This sounds rather decent, and hopefully is enough to maintain a profit for all of the hotel and motel operators in the area. As such, is another hotel (or two) really necessary at this point? I’m all for a free market, but given the gravity of this decision and the impact it could have, have existing hotel operators been approached by the committee and/or plannign department (or approached the same) regarding this development? I’d be interested to hear whether they’re prepared for additional competition given the fairly new hotels that went up only a short time ago near Exeter Road.
Thank you for your time, and I’ll be paying close attention to the PEC meeting today. I also look forward to any responses should you find the time.
Derek E. Silva
UPDATE June 25, 2013: I received a response from Sandy White’s office thanking me for sharing my thoughts on this matter.