Newmarket Ward 5 byelection: Candidate wants clock tower redevelopment moved to nearby tennis court land

YorkRegion.com
Sept. 14, 2016
By Chris Simon

Peter Geibel is trying to think differently on the Main Street clock tower project.

Perhaps you can’t blame the Ward 5 councillor candidate for attempting to come up with a unique solution to one of the most controversial redevelopment projects in Newmarket. While most of the eight byelection candidates discuss the validity of the proposal on its current site along Main, Geibel may stand out by proposing a full-scale move to the tennis court land north of the Newmarket Community Centre and Lions Hall on Doug Duncan Drive.

“This would offer a viable site for the developer, increased density for Main, encompass the much needed additional public parking, revitalization of a generally overlooked area and through a straight land swap for the clock tower property, could likely be cost neutral,” he said. “I know this idea will be open to plenty of questions and speculation, but, in short, there is nothing currently which says this could not happen.”

Geibel said he will unveil his platform, which includes a detailed plan for the project, later this week.

Most of the other candidates oppose the Forrest Group’s current seven-storey proposal. The draft proposal, which was initially introduced as a condominium development several years ago, had been amended into a rental apartment project recently. However, Forrest Group president Bob Forrest, who is overseeing the project, confirms the development may revert back to condos.

The new design appears to include 156 units.

Candidate and realtor Wasim Jarrah, who publicly supported the clock tower proposal earlier this year, now says any downtown development must be respectful of the surrounding neighbourhood. He believes the municipality’s planning process will ultimately find the best solution to the matter.

“We need to ensure Main continues to be revitalized and any development needs to be respectful of… the heritage character of the neighbourhood,” he said. “I trust the planning process is a means to ensure all interests are heard and that a sensible solution can be reached with buy-in from all concerned. There is a way to satisfy residents’ legitimate concerns and I believe following the process can get us to that sensible solution. I know my approach is the one that will allow us to reconcile those currently on differing sides.”

The clock tower is one of the town’s most controversial redevelopment projects and it has already drawn the ire of one of the Main Street District Business Improvement Area’s board of management, which passed a resolution opposing the redevelopment plans late last year. Newmarket’s heritage advisory committee also asked council to deny the application.

Filmmaker Tom Pearson says the issue will eventually be settled in the courts.

“It's interesting we're being asked a question about an opinion on something that, in the end, will be decided by an adjudicator and not on any council vote,” he said. “A tremendous amount of time and expertise go into making official plans and so who are councils to just change them without a due process? Why have an Official Plan if we're not going to use it or change it when we want? Why ask the public and experts' input and their time if we can just disregard it when a developer asks us too?”

The municipality should establish a committee tasked with closing loopholes in town heritage and planning bylaws and consider penalizing downtown property owners who allow storefronts to sit vacant and fall into disrepair.

However, council does have significant input on the matter, especially since the project requires a small portion of town property to proceed. More than 1,200 people supported a change.org petition against the current proposal earlier this year, which called on the town to respect its own three-storey height limits within the heritage district and avoid entering into a "land swap" deal with the developer.

Candidates Darryl Wolk and Ron Eibel signed that petition.

“I am 100 (per cent) opposed to seven storeys of rental or condos in our historic downtown,” Wolk said. “There is a heritage bylaw capping buildings at three storeys so that nothing exceeds our Old Town Hall, former post office and churches. I will not be voting for any land swap or making any deal with the developer that does not respect our bylaw. This will open the floodgates for other high-rises downtown and reverse gains we have made on Main in recent years. I support rental, condos and affordable housing on Yonge (Street) and Davis (Drive) where we have invested hundreds of millions in bus lanes.”

Eibel, a member of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, called the current proposal “ungainly” and says it would “loom” over Main if constructed as planned.

“People have worked hard now for many years to breathe life back into Main, in a continuing effort to make it a fantastic place to visit,” he said. “By trying to shoehorn a massive seven storey construct into such a small and fragile footprint their efforts would be lost. That’s simply not right.”

Tracee Chambers, who owns a century home in the area, says the current proposal would be “detrimental to the historical ambiance” of the area.

“Main Street has a uniqueness of its own and is a popular destination spot for residents and visitors alike,” she said. “In addition, approving a plan for upward expansion of the clock tower would create a domino effect with other building owners in the area. I am interested in finding creative and inspirational solutions that do not compromise business interests and heritage authenticity.”

While traffic safety advocate Bob Kwapis opposes the project as it stands, any redevelopment at the site should include condos.

“While I support redevelopment of the site, it must not add to parking challenges on our Main Street and negatively impact traffic in our downtown core,” he said. “I'm confident we will find a height solution to provide housing that benefits a variety of businesses on Main. An ownership model that offers condos better meets our needs in the downtown core. It allows ownership for many young and older residents, while, at the same time, (it) can accommodate those who want to provide their units for rent. Purpose-built rental units will find greater success when placed on our high-order transit corridors of Davis and Yonge.”

Fellow traffic safety advocate Ian Johnston did not submit a response.