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Response to the Committee of the Whole meeting June 11 2024.
I want to acknowledge and applaud the delegations from the residents regarding the rezoning of King Street to accommodate the Solmar Hotel and Conference Centre. Their arguments were detailed, reasonable, well presented and above all, pertinent to the proposal.
Unfortunately a majority of council members chose to disregard these pleas as well as a large number of objections submitted at a previous meeting and also via email. They did however pay rapt attention to the delegation from Solmar. This delegation included the lawyer, the planner, the owners, the architect and several other related individuals.
As is routine for this group they addressed the residents and council as if we were a bunch of country bumpkins in need of enlightenment. The architect pontificated for a lengthy period explaining how the included architectural features would so effectively disguise the building that the 20 metre edifice comprising 129 hotel rooms would be barely noticeable. The sumptuous landscaping will totally disguise the service driveways - no mention of how they would disguise the trucks using residential streets for access. We were informed that a 129-room hotel with dining for 700 patrons requires very few delivery trucks so this concern was just dismissed. The architect informed us that this was going to be a “grand” hotel for high-end visitors who would be happy to linger for 4 or 5 days enjoying their hedonistic surroundings. Apparently the missing piece in our tourism is a high-end, 5-star hotel which Solmar is happy to provide.
Prior to casting their votes there was some discussion among the councillors. Coun. Erwin Weins was strongly in favour as the town needs more people with money to stay longer to drink our wine. Coun. Wendy Cheropita was pleased to learn that the town’s missing piece would be dealt with as this will be a 5-star hotel. The motion was carried 5 to 4.
Thank you to the four councillors who put the interest of the residents ahead of the demands of this developer. We can only hope that one more councillor can think of the people who elected them and refuse to rezone 325 King Street. The real contentious areas were neatly dismissed as unimportant. Those include potential flooding of surrounding residences, parking concerns and greatly increased noise. The residents around the Two Sisters Winery experience considerable noise from the outdoor patio music and the frequent arrival and departure of helicopters. This will be the likely outcome for the Parliament Oak property.
Council please think again about this amendment. Many residents are fearful that the future development of Niagara-on-the-Lake is under the control of Mr. Marotta/Solmar/Two Sisters and are not happy about that.
Footnote
Two Sisters states the following in the introductory webpage:
“As seen in the Landscape Master Plan, green space is central and foundational to the hotel design.”
This greenspace will be fully enclosed by a boundary with access only to hotel residents and guests dining in the hotel. In direct contrast, 500 metres further along King Street the Pillar and Post Event Gardens (which are beautiful) offer free and easy access to local residents and visitors when not being used for an event. They are enjoyed throughout the year and the people of Niagara-on-the-Lake appreciate the generosity of the Pillar and Post.
Heather Harvey
NOTL
