Council sells former Hastings arena site
Developer plans commercial space and affordable apartments
Trent Hills council has sold the site of the former Hastings Memorial Arena for $650,000 to a developer who plans to have ground-floor commercial space with apartments above, says Mayor Bob Crate.
The decision was made without discussion during the Nov. 12 council meeting. Council has been in discussions with developers since the spring over sale of the prime Hastings real estate.
Crate noted that input received from residents about the desire for affordable housing had shaped the discussions with the winning bidder.
“You want to do it as best you can because it’s going to be the main focus of downtown,” he added.
Crate said he expects work to begin as soon as possible.
The arena, built in 1950, ceased operations in 2013 and was demolished in 2021 at a cost of $170,000.
The land was officially declared surplus to municipal needs in April and the municipality sought interest from potential developers. It held several closed sessions during council meeting this spring and early summer to discuss potential deals.
Decade long battle over Island Park RV Resort draws to a close
More than a decade ago the owners of Island Park RV Resort on Wilson Island in the Trent River near Glen Ross sought permission from Trent Hills to expand.
That led to complaints from neighbours about how the trailer park had been operating for years. At a meeting in September, 2014, then mayor Hector Macmillan expressed amazement at all the dredging and other work that had been done without any oversight, in a Northumberland News report by John Campbell.
Macmillan called it an “obscene, deliberate destruction of an environmentally sensitive wetland.”
Lower Trent Conservation said no approvals had been given for any work in provincially significant wetlands.
It said the proposal “has the potential to increase risk of life and property, including the creation and/or aggravation of existing flooding hazards on neighbouring properties, as well as costs to the public.” Campbell wrote.
After several lengthy legal battles and a failed attempt to establish a site plan to oversee installation of a sewage treatment plant, it seems that the latest deal with a tougher site plan has worked.
Jim Peters, Director of Planning and Development, presented a report to council that led to some sighs of relief given how long the expensive legal battle had been going on.
“The agreement is in place to implement a number of requirements to bring the property into compliance with a Zoning Bylaw Amendment approved by the Ontario Municipal Board,” Peters wrote. “One of the last elements to be implemented is an on-site sanitary treatment system to comply with Environmental Compliance Approval from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.”
Peters said that system had now complied with requirements.
“The remaining step is the naturalization of the waste pond which is no longer in use,’ he wrote. “It is anticipated that if the pond and area around it are left alone, it will be reclaimed into the wetland.”
The owner of the park, a numbered company, had been forced to provide $388,000 in security to cover the work, if it wasn’t carried out. That money will now be returned to the owner.
Councillor Daniel Giddings asked Peters who would monitor the trailer park to ensure it continues to comply with environmental laws. Peters said the environment ministry will handle monitoring.
Council gets update on Homewood Ave. paving, or lack-thereof
Construction continues by McDonald Homes on houses on the south side of Homewood Ave. in Hastings.
Residents in existing homes on the north side of the road have complained about the rough road and asked how it will be maintained this winter.
Peters said he and Neil Allanson, the municipality’s Manager of Roads and Urban Services, met with the developer and the contractor on Oct. 7 to discuss the need to pave the road.
“One of the issues was the installation of gas services to the proposed lots,” he said in a report to council. “The services in question are coming from an existing gas line on the north side of the street. These services are brought across Homewood Avenue, as the building permits and civic addresses are issued.
“As a result, since all the housing units will not be competed until 2025, the paving of the road will not be completed until all services are in place.”
Peters said he and Allanson told the developer what needed to be done to prepare it for winter maintenance.
Deputy Mayor Mike Metcalf asked whether Peters was convinced the work will be done by this time next year.
Peters responded yes, “depending on the market.” He said the municipality hopes the paving can be done during the summer next year.
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