Site plan approval for Loyalist Parkway plaza before council
Administrator | Sep 24, 2019 | Comments 14
UPDATE: Motion to approve site plan control agreement carried.
Approval of a site plan control agreement at tonight’s council meeting will be the next step forward for Sobeys to move to a plaza on Loyalist Parkway. In addition to the new grocery store, various retail uses are proposed – including two new restaurants (one drive-through). A Dollarama store is shown in the planning photographs.
Jamie Chisholm, Picton Properties Inc. and Phil Busby, on behalf of Sobeys, are scheduled to address council seeking support of the agreement.
Their deputation notes the property has been derelict for a decade and that Picton Properties started working on the area for tenants in the fall of 2015. The planning committee approved the concept in July 2017. Approval for the Official Plan and rezoning was in October 2017.
“PEC requested that we front-end EA commitments for the new road and Hwy. 33 for values in excess of $700,000,” they state, also noting several consultations and studies completed over the last four years have totalled more than $1 million.
A formal, full-site plan was submitted in December 2018.
“Jamie Yeo and Sobeys have been great corporate citizens over several years but have not been able to grow their business in their current location,” the deputation states. “Sobeys and Jamie need to open next year, after almost four years of patient waiting. This new development and site plan approval will finally allow them to do so.”
The project expects to create more than 100 jobs, with the new food store adding 30-40 new jobs.
Controlled traffic, it points out, will also eliminate “scary left-hand turns for vehicles”.
Once completed, the deputation states, the new site will add several hundred thousand dollars in new commercial assessment, compared with barely $10,000 now.
The two note the landscaping requirements discussed with the Picton BIA and County staff are augmented with voluntary “significant dollars” to supplement off-site landscaping to the rear of the site on a proposed pedestrian trail on the Rollins lands. “Further we are making the first ever commercial developer contribution to wayfinding and gateway features at the Millennium Trail and Loyalist Parkway.”
Municipal staff is recommending approval of the site plan agreement for the development creating two commercial retail properties and a new collector street terminating at a controlled intersection at Loyalist Parkway.
The street is to be developed as a collector road connecting Loyalist Parkway through Talbot Street.
Existing buildings are located west and central to the site and are associated with the former commercial use (Hydro One) on the property. The northern portion is vacant, and bound to the north by the future subdivision proposed by Rollins Investments.
The surrounding community is a mix of residential uses and highway commercial uses, and is across from Canadian Tire, No Frills and the Mobile 1 gas bar.
Parking is planned for between the southern entrance of the site and the new food store, and adjacent retail units. Smaller parking lots are proposed for the restaurant and to the west of the Sobeys. Pedestrian access is to be provided on sidewalks.
Council meets at 7 p.m. at Shire Hall.
Filed Under: Local News
Please, please consider something a little different: bring the shops right up to the road, with pedestrian access, bike racks, trees, sidewalk, etc and put the parking lots at the back.
There is nothing uglier than seeing a parking lot right at the road and the eyesore it creates. It can be done.
This road is so needed.
Pretty difficult to build a huge sub division which is planned without a road. This road will relieve some gridlock elsewhere. In hindsight it is too bad the liquor and beer stores were not located in the planned plaza.
I think this a great idea to free congestion in the downtown core. However this new road from Loyalist Parkway to Talbot St. The County can’t afford to maintain the roads it has now and they want to build a new one.
So 100 new low paying jobs will be created. I’m wondering where these people will live? Are we hoping to attract local people to work there? More affordable housing is desperately needed and pronto!
If the proposed new store is a Foodland is that not a scaled down version of Sobey’s. Will they keep the original store too, which seems unlikely. If Foodland is another No Frills then we have lost all the perks of Sobey’s.
…..provided the driveway construction is not a repeat of the LCBO – the disaster on the new parking lot curbs was never in the original plans; the county made them change it to the absolute mess it is now…
I look forward to a new Sobeys. Then maybe I’ll go back to shopping in Picton. Currently we prefer driving to Brighton as that parking lot has better parking with myself currently needing the use of accessible parking. I’m sure the current sobeys store after it moves won’t be vacant long.
Put a footlocker store in picton or Eb games.
People who are involved with the County with easements for water pipes or right-away,go to Service Canada and make sure they are registered. I have property at the end of Agnes street and an easement was reached between Picton now the County and the owners of lot’s 628 and 631 around the year 1998 and it did not get registered . I went to Service Canada in 2017 and have tried to get the County to register the easement . Make sure the agreements are fulfilled .
Wonderful to hear that this development might move ahead soon. A Dollarama would be a welcome addition. The parking lot at Sobey’s is a hazard. Much as I like to shop there I tend to opt for No Frills or Metro because there is ample parking.
I am happy to see this kind of new development on Hwy 33 – I hope that special attention is given to the parking areas of the commercial sites – the lot art Sobey’s is a disaster!
What will replace the current Sobeys? it would be a shame to have such a large empty commercial spot. That plaza will suffer greatly without an anchor store.
It would be great if this project could include extending the sidewalk to the new location.