Amherstburg hears feedback on proposed residential towers at former high school site

The Town of Amherstburg is considering a proposal for two towering buildings at the former General Amherst High School Site. (Source: Town of Amherstburg)

A proposal for a historically large residential development in Amherstburg was met with mixed feelings on Tuesday evening.

Developer Peter Valente brought his proposal for the former General Amherst High School site to a special planning meeting. The plans for 130 Sandwich Street South require the town to approve a by-law and official plan amendment.

Council sought feedback from residents on the proposal, which would see 8-storey and 11-storey towers with a combined 144 residential units, commercial space, and institutional uses.

Inside town hall, residents left no seat unused, with some left peering into council chambers from the hallway.

While there was support for an effort to use the former school grounds without entirely destroying the façade, there are fears about its impact on the neighbourhood.

Ed, a resident in the area, told council the buildings “don’t fit” the community.

“The height and size of the proposal must be scaled back,” he said.

Council heard the town does not currently have any 11-storey residential buildings.

Questions were raised about plans to provide an adequate amount of parking for residents and guests, as well as for workers during the build.

According to a planning report, construction will include the creation of a total of 262 on-site and underground parking spaces, which exceeds the town’s requirements.

As a representative for nearby Fort Malden, Alex Dale said their visitation levels “plummeted” during the last major development in the area.

“So when you consider these kind of large construction projects, I would like to know of course if there’s going to be any kind of mitigation to the amount of traffic, amount of construction workers,” he asked.

In his remarks, Valente acknowledged residents’ parking concerns, and ensured they would not be worse than levels previously created by school traffic.

For Valente, the development marks the “most ambitious” plan they’ve undertaken.

“Since 2023, Windsor Police Services have responded to the property 12 times due to break-and-enters and vandalism. We’re eager to transform this site into something positive and meaningful for the entire town,” Valente told council.

Council has now directed staff to generate a report with answers to the many questions posed by councillors and residents. They are expected to return in the coming months along with a recommendation.

If approved, Valente said the construction phase would take approximately three years.