Grimsby Lincoln News
By Luke Edwards
Eight-storey building will be mixed use commercial and residential.
A proposal to build two eight-storey buildings on the vacant land behind Sobeys is generating “mixed sentiment” from neighbours, says Lincoln’s chief administrative officer.Mike Kirkopoulos said the proposal from developer Ron Ticchiarelli — the same developer moving forward with the development at the old Mr. Convenience location in downtown Beamsville — has generated some concerns among neighbours. Chief among them, he said, are worries over infrastructure in the area should the proposal go through.“We need to make sure that everything’s in place to accommodate the traffic and flow of people,” he said.The proposal would see two, eight-storey buildings constructed on the land. It would include mixed-use, with commercial space on the first floor and residential unit above. All told there would be 238 apartments.Kirkopoulos said the proposal is in line with provincial policy, and aligns with the GO Mobility Hub Site, in which the land is located.“We’ve always identified it as an area that would see change and growth,” he said. With the GO bus stop nearby, and a potential future GO train stop as well, the province is encouraging increased density in the area.But it’s not sitting well with some nearby residents. A Facebook group has generated mixed responses. Many have posted concerns about the number of people who would be moving into the area, a loss of Beamsville’s “small-town feel,” along with the aforementioned infrastructure concerns.“The developer has asked for a number of bylaw variance changes, the most concerning of which is increasing the height from the current 12.5-metre limit up to 27 metres,” said Adam Russell, one such concerned resident. “We feel that this is an unacceptable request as it would cast a formidable shadow on the neighbourhood south of the development and infringe upon their privacy.” Russell said he accepts development will happen, but that doesn’t mean it can’t at least be tempered or controlled.“We know we cannot stop development and growth, but we can ask our council to respect the wishes of those who elected them and control our growth, and do their utmost to maintain our small town niche,” he said.
A change.org petition created by Kerie Raymond also opposed the plan, again saying the buildings would change the small-town feel of the area and make it too busy.“We, the residents of the Town of Lincoln, want to keep our town as a rural community and having eight-storey buildings doesn’t support that goal,” the petition reads. As of Friday, it had received 93 signatures.Kirkopoulos said the town and staff welcomes input from the community, and the town wants to make sure they get it right.“It’s early in the process to know the impacts, but not too early to have the conversations (with residents),” he said.
Rob Foster and Dianne Rintjema, councillors for the ward where the land is located, both say it’s very early in the process.
“Is it appropriate? I think the jury is out for both of us (Foster and Rintjema) on this at this time. We both live in the community right next to the development, so we are quite aware of impacts,” said Foster.“While not the only issue, traffic has to be clearly thought through. We have been pushing for improvements to Lincoln and Greenlane for years — if this goes forward, this will need to be accounted for.”Rintjema said with development happening at such a rapid pace in the area, it’s important for council to make sure they get things right.“It is a challenge of this council and the next few councils to plan for and manage this growth demand and see it through to its best outcome for all sorts of Lincoln residents, now and in the future,” she said.
There are already some plans to minimize the impact, the chief administrative officer added. Among those is a plan to stagger the building so it’s only a few storeys high closer to Greenlane and increases in size as it gets closer to the railroad tracks. There would also need to be improvements to the road and traffic-calming measures to ensure walkability and safety.One thing the proposal already addresses, he said, was parking. The development would have 340 parking spaces, including a mix of surface and underground parking.The chief administrative officer called Greenlane a “critical street” for the future of the town.“(The proposal) has generated a lot of resident feedback, which is always a good thing,” he said.
In an effort to ensure residents get a chance to have their say, the town will be holding two more public meetings, on March 13 and April 10, to discuss the proposal. Both meetings begin at 7 p.m. and take place in council chambers. Anyone wishing to speak at the meeting is asked to call 905-563-8205 or email dcampbell@lincoln.ca.
The Escarpment Communities are faced with increased pressure from developers but Greenlane project seemes to be well suited for the area with minimal impact on its future use . The real danger is to allow building too close to the lake and go too high to interfere with the Escarpment in the background.
Mark Pniewski-REALTOR -Re/Max Escarpment
Mark Pniewski- REALTOR®
