Developer for controversial Kitchener condo project withdraws OLT appeal

The developer behind a controversial project in Kitchener is withdrawing its Ontario Land Tribunal appeal. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte explains

The developer behind what became a controversial two-tower condo project in Kitchener has withdrawn its Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) appeal.

The plan was to build two tall mixed-use buildings at 4611 King Street East, near Sportsworld Drive. Originally, the goal was for the buildings to be 30-storeys and 26-storeys tall.

In an email to CTV News, a spokesperson for the OLT wrote: “I can confirm that the Tribunal received a request by the developer to withdraw the appeal.”

It signals another win for nearby residents who were in opposition of it, and city councillors who shot down the developer’s final pitch earlier this year.

“The big [issue] was the wells from the residents that live on Limerick Drive. In the past, they’ve had issues with their wells going dry,” said Ward 3 councillor Jason Deneault. “And I can’t remember the exact numbers of parking, but it wasn’t nearly enough. You would also have had to turn right on King Street, go all the way down to Shantz Hill pull a U-turn and come back up to get into the city.”

Deneault was among the councillors who heard from Burlington-based LJM Developments on several occasions to plead their case for the project.

In the final proposal to council, the mixed-use towers were reduced by several storeys and the number of condo units were whittled down from more than 700 units to 545. Still, it wasn’t enough.

“If you build 57 storeys between two buildings, are we going to find in four or five years that half of the buildings are vacant because people realize it’s not a good location,” said Deneault, referring to one of the questions he asked throughout the process. “We’re trying to focus a lot of our increase in density on the other side where Sportsworld is, where Costco is, where the old cinema was.”

Deneault maintains that he, and his fellow councillors who voted against the development, are not anti-development.

“What I am is anti-development in places where it just doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

CTV News reached out to the developer to find out when and why the appeal was withdrawn, and whether neighbourhood pushback had anything to do with it. The developer did not respond as of Wednesday evening.

But with the land up for sale once again, and perhaps another application to build there on the horizon, Deneault hopes any new developer will learn from past mistakes.

“Submitting a new application for this parcel land, the problems aren’t going to go away,” he said.