Admiral Collingwood
Agreement?
OMB Hearing Scheduled For July 9, 2007
Mayor & Council To Review Latest Development
A deal may be in place that will bring closure to the ongoing Admiral Collingwood Place Development disagreement.
Admiral Collingwood developer Steve Assaff said that meetings were held on Friday May 25th with the developers and Town of Collingwood representatives at the Ontario Municipal Board offices in Toronto. No details of the meeting can be announced until the proposed deal is presented to Collingwood Council on June 11th.
Mayor Carrier And Council To Review Latest Discussions
Mayor Chris Carrier and Council will be meeting with Town of Collingwood legal staff to review the discussions and recommendations from Friday's meeting at an in-camera session prior to the issue appearing before Collingwood Council. Mayor Carrier says the next step should be a meeting on Monday June 11th at which time decisions and/or direction will be expected regarding the proposed Admiral Collingwood Place development.
The previous council had approved the proposed development, but the decision was overturned by the new council. A major stumbling block preventing the development to move forward is the fact that the proposed height of the new building exceeds the town's heritage guidelines.
"We're committed to making ourselves as available
as possible for this process"
-- Collingwood Mayor Chris Carrier
Last month, Collingwood Mayor Chris Carrier said council was unanimous in wanting to see development at the former Admiral Collingwood School property at the corner of Hurontario and Hume Streets. Council recently held an in-camera meeting to discuss the ongoing Admiral Collingwood Place development issue. Council agreed to split the costs of hiring a consultant with the Admiral Collingwood Place developers, in the hopes of coming to some sort of agreement prior to the scheduled July 9th Ontario Municipal Board Hearing.
Mayor Carrier said both developments (Admiral Collingwood Place - Steve Assaff, and Strand Retirement Condominiums - Scott Strandholt) along with their legal representatives have met with Collingwood Town officials and legal representatives to discuss how stalled talks can move forward. Carrier said all parties were running into problems with timelines, adding that discussions began two weeks ago with Paul Bonwick, followed by a meeting with all parties on Monday April 30th. Carrier said the parties have agreed to a process with the hope of announcing a settlement by the end of May or beginning of June. Meetings will be held with the developers, planners and heritage consultants. Council and Mayor Carrier will be brought into the process for clarification when needed. Mayor Carrier said if required, special mid-week meetings will be called with 24 hours notice given to councilors to resolve any issues that may come forth in discussions. "We're committed to making ourselves as available as possible for this process" Carrier said.
An agreement between the Town and Developers would eliminate the need for the ten day scheduled OMB Hearing on July 9th.