In spite of the city’s planning department signing off on the project, Thorold City Council has decided to send the Evertrust Development Group back to the drawing board.
As ThoroldToday reported, Evertrust wants to build a 15-storey condominium building at 75 Ormond Street South in downtown Thorold.
The project was first presented to city council back in February, when councillors voiced their concern that the project was too big for the area.
During Tuesday’s city council meeting, councillors decided not to sign off on the project, despite the city’s planning department approving it.
“I respect what staff is doing,” said Councillor Anthony Longo. “They’re doing what the province is telling us to do. This is just too big and too dense for my liking.”
In response to the feedback received in February, the developer decided to reduce the number of residential units from 275 to 273, while adding two commercial units on the ground floor.
They also added eight parking spaces to the project, on top of the 297 already provided in the previous proposal. The project is targeting a price range for units between $400,000 and $700,000.
During a question round, Councillor Mike De Divitiis pointed to other Evertrust developments, such as a condo project in Welland, which partly collapsed during construction back in 2023.
“How can you assure us this is not going to happen in Thorold?,” he asked.
Dayna Edwards, planner with Q9 Planning + Design, who presented the project on behalf of Evertrust, said that while she couldn't speak to other Evertrust projects, all the necessary studies for the Thorold project have been completed.
“My client is hoping to get started as soon as possible,” she said. “We have already made applications to the city for site plan approval and that application has been deemed complete.”
To get started on the project, the developer is requesting the city to allow for a zoning density increase from 120 units per hectare to 400 units per hectare.
“You’re asking for three times the density of the original development,” said Councillor Carmen DeRose. “I have a problem with that.”
Edwards was asked why Evertrust did nothing about council’s concerns regarding the height of the building and what this could mean for the neighbouring houses.
“We did look at the possibility of shifting the mass but, right now as it stands, any option that we would be looking at changing the form of the building would lose us units,” answered Edwards.
Because the building site is contaminated and needs to be cleaned up, the costs of the project are quite high and there’s no way to reduce the number of units, added Edwards.
But councillors feel that the size of the project just doesn't fit the neighbourhood.
“This thing is going to stick out like a sore thumb,” said Councillor DeRose. “It’s going to have over 1000 people there. I just think this is over and above anything that is necessary in that area. I know we need intensification, I know we need housing, but at what cost?”
Still, there’s a fear that if council denies the project, the developer will go to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT).
“The problem is if we turn this down then we know what’s going to happen,” said Councillor Ken Sentance.
In the end, Councillor Tim O’Hare asked for the project to be sent back to City Hall staff for a second look. Only time will tell if the developer will make the necessary adjustments or take their case to the OLT.
