Tecumseh residents concerned over hotel development proposal

Tecumseh Town Council has not come to a decision on a proposed five-storey hotel in a two-storey commercial plaza.

It’s a ‘no’ from Tecumseh residents for a new development in the town.

Multiple residents attended a special meeting on Tuesday evening to express concerns over shadows from the development, noise, excessive lights, lack of privacy, garbage, and more.

The town is being asked to approve a re-zoning application for a two-storey commercial plaza, a five-storey hotel, and four restaurants and/or financial institutions with drive-throughs on the northwest corner of the Manning Road and County Road 42 intersection.

Currently, the proposed area is zoned as agricultural, commercial, and residential, with the proposed rezoning to be General Commercial Zoning.

The special meeting was held to hear from residents who abut the development for administration to gather their feedback and present it to council at a later date.

Tecumseh resident Franca Rezler said her home backs onto the proposed development, and she’s pleading to council to not approve it.

“Would you feel comfortable knowing strangers could watch your children play in what should be the privacy, and safety of your own home?” she asked.

“Can you imagine losing sleep night after night due to bright lights, drive through noise, ‘good evening, can I take your order please?’, the stench of garbage just beyond our fence, and the addition of rodents in our backyard?”

Resident Scott Miller said this would drastically change the feel of the neighbourhood.

“The scale of the five-storey hotel would be an immense and jarring presence, casting shadows over homes, towering over backyards with proximity to private viewership from strangers, and fundamentally changing the aesthetic and feel of the community that we’ve built,” he said.

Resident Caroline Pearcey said this is not the area to put up a hotel.

“This is a family, residential neighbourhood,” she said.

“I know people who walk their dogs, who we play with their kids, this would be a horrible, horrible way to impact our quality of life. I would urge you to reject the proposal and maintain the wonderful community that we’ve built.”

Tecumseh resident Elizabeth Lalonde said this would alter the neighbourhood they love.

“This is not simply about one property, what’s being proposed would dramatically alter the landscape and identity of our community,” Lalonde said.

“It threatens the rural character that defines Tecumseh. What’s being proposed doesn’t just change a parcel of land, it risks changing the entire fabric of the town and the neighbourhood that we live and love in.”

No decision was made by council during Tuesday’s special meeting.

All feedback will be gathered and provided to council in an upcoming meeting, with a final recommendation from administration.

This development would consist of a five-storey hotel with 82 rooms and a building footprint of nearly 13,000 square feet.

The development would also see a two-storey commercial office building north of the hotel, with the hopes of it being used for medical offices. A total of 288 parking spots will be available.

- Written by Meagan Delaurier/AM800 News.