November 14, 2022
If you haven’t heard so far about Bill 23, you should know that the Provincial Government is preparing a raft of amendments to the Planning Act, Ontario Heritage Act, Development Charges Act, Conservation Authorities Act and the Ontario Land Tribunal Act. These will result in profound changes to...
October 14, 2022
Tuesday, October 18th marks the beginning of the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) hearing regarding the proposed 5 storey application at 133-137 Main Street East (Grout-Nelles house). The Tribunal has put aside 14 days to hear arguments brought by the appellant, Burgess Heritage Group/DeSantis Homes...
September 10, 2022
After a two week hearing this past July, yesterday the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) issued the much awaited decision on the proposed development at 141 - 149 Main Street East (Cole’s Florist).
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There were two major...
February 12, 2022
On Monday February 7th, Council upheld the concession given to the developer for a reduced setback at 133 Main Street East by adopting adopting the Committee of the Whole on January 19th minutes (COTW). This concession was part of the much-debated heritage permit due to Planning Staff’s inclusion...
February 1, 2022
What’s been happening at Town Hall since the beginning of 2022 continues a three-year drama, reaching new heights. Among the flurry of controversies created from the lack of transparency and accountability during this administration, there is a new decision being made with major consequences...
January 10, 2022
The Town Planning staff’s decision to extend the Main Street East Heritage Conservation Study map into the downtown area was met with criticism after the first Public Information Centre (PIC). It was fueled by concerns over the lack of notice regarding this decision without prior consultation...
October 28, 2021
The much awaited Main Street East Heritage Conservation District (HCD) Study has finally started with the first Public Information Centre (PIC) being held on October 20th, by Town’s Planning staff and consultants for the study from Stantec.
This session was light in information and public...
October 6, 2021
CORRECTION
In our recent accounting of our achieving Participant status in the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) challenge of the proposed development at 133-137 Main Street East, we reported the revelation that the Town’s Planning Department was in support of this development application. We reached...
September 22, 2021
Claims that the former Main Street East “Hospital Corridor” Study was created for “things related to the hospital” and to “protect the area”, have been recently resurrected on social media by members of the former Town of Grimsby Council. Some of these comments have been deleted after...
September 8, 2021
What a couple of weeks!
We completed our rebuttal to the Losani application for this Case Management Conference, organized our first community gathering, raised awareness, received over 450 signatures from residents who support representation by SaveMainStreet, and Friday, we were granted...
August 31, 2021
The start of the legal dispute for the seven storey proposal at Cole’s is approaching fast, with the first Case Management Conference set for this Friday, September 3rd.
Over one hundred residents sent letters to Council and Town’s Planning opposing this seven storey proposal. Our supporters...
August 21, 2021
We had a great turnout at our first neighbourhood gathering. Thank you to all residents who showed up, and to all helping hands that made this event possible!
Residents had plenty of questions for the Ward 2 Councillors, Lianne Vardy and Dave Kadwell, which shared their views and some good...
July 22, 2021
In the series of “confusion created by Planning Staff”, here is another head scratcher that we discovered digging deeper into a Planning recommendation report from the marathon COTW agenda Monday night. This report was to recommend the site plan application at 3 Slessor Blvd.
In 2018, a zoning...
July 7, 2021
The development at 314 Main Street East will get a second public meeting on July 12th, after residents and some Councillors did not agree with Planning’s recommendation to approve additional zoning by-law amendments for the Branthaven subdivision without public consultation. The issue came to...
June 29, 2021
Monday, June 21st, important steps were made by Grimsby and Lincoln Councils in the realm of heritage and character protection of both towns.
Lincoln is making big leaps by unanimously voting to initiate a formal study for the adoption of multiple Heritage Conservation Districts town-wide.
To...
June 1, 2021
It looks like Losani Homes turned a deaf ear to the numerous concerns expressed by residents regarding the development of the seven storey building on Cole’s property. On April 27 the Town received a notice of appeal at LPAT from this developer for his requested Zoning By-law and Official Plan...
March 31, 2021
Monday’s Open House for the Cole’s site redevelopment saw an overflowing “Zoom room” from resident delegations, leading to a reset of the Town’s live-streaming system. Frustrations ran high, with many delegates not being able to get heard or leaving the meeting. Clearly, the Town needs to...
March 18, 2021
We’ve heard many concerns from the community about this application, residents are not happy with this proposed development on Main Street East.
If you are asking what can be done about it, you now have your first opportunity to act! A Public Open House for the proposed development has been...
January 9, 2021
What’s next for the future of Grimsby’s Main Street East? Not a Heritage Conservation District, but another high density condominium on the site of the (soon former) Cole’s store.
The application completely disregards the heritage context and character of the area, and proposes a massive...
January 8, 2021
The Main Street East HCD study will not proceed, with Councillors Kadwell, Ritchie, Dunstall and Vaine voting it down at the last council meeting of the year on December 21.
Instead, Council voted for a Land Use Study, and consider a Heritage Conservation District only if paired with this study...
December 15, 2020
For those who lost track of the twisted path of this heritage study, here is a short summary of how things got here.
Concerned about development and intensification of Main Street East, residents and citizen groups asked Councillors for a study to evaluate the Heritage merits of the area to see if...
November 2, 2020
It should come as no surprise that the string of attempts to block a study that doesn’t sit well with some developers continues. A letter to Town Council, full of misinformation and inaccurate statements was sent by the Niagara Home Builders’ Association & West End Home Builders’ Association...
October 28, 2020
Residents of Main Street East got a rare visit from Councillor Ritchie yesterday. He brought them an early Halloween scare-off gift in form of a flyer, in an effort to discourage any attempts to protect this vulnerable neighbourhood from large redevelopment.
It is unfortunate that Councillor...
October 21, 2020
Finally, some good news! Monday night, the motion to start the Main Street East Heritage District Study has been approved by the Committee of the Whole. In order to take effect, the by-law will receive a final vote at the November 2nd Council meeting under approval of the minutes, along with other...
October 14, 2020
What was planned to be a regular Grimsby Heritage Advisory Committee (GHAC) meeting on October 6th, turned into another nail-bitting show, prompted by a notice of motion advanced by Councillor Bothwell for starting the Heritage Conservation District Study (HCD) on Main Street East.
An HCD is a tool...
September 29, 2020
From issues with Planning staff and the Heritage Committee Chair, to zero heritage protection and developer-sided planning policies, this cautionary tale from Ancaster sounds awfully close to what's going on in Grimsby.
39 Significant Cultural Heritage Landscapes were identified throughout Grimsby...
July 8, 2020
Have you lived in Grimsby for a while? Then you must have noticed historic Nixon Hall at 262 Main Street West. Behind the white picket fence and once tall trees, still stands one of the oldest and most significant houses in our town.
The remnant of a 1200 acre parcel that stretched from the Lake...
March 9, 2020
If you read the latest local newspaper edition, you’re likely up to date with all the commotion surrounding the second round of the budget discussions at Grimsby’s Town Hall last Monday.
More than 100 residents filled the Council Chambers for a meeting that lasted over six hours and many stayed...
February 24, 2020
The budget debate brings us to the second highlight of the Council meetings from Tuesday last week - the Main Street East Heritage Study.
This study was requested by a joint delegation of SaveMainStreet and the Grimsby Historical Society, at both Planning and Council meetings, and it was referred...
February 21, 2020
What a Tuesday night! Two events that promise a major impact on the road ahead for Grimsby’s heritage and especially that of Main Street occurred during the marathon Council meetings.
Let’s start with the good news: The Heritage Study for Main Street East was approved by Council in this...
February 16, 2020
This article has been published in "Niagara This Week" on February 16, 2020. Image source: Niagara This Week
Two like-minded organizations have teamed up to advocate for the heritage protection in Grimsby amid development pressure.
SaveMainStreet cofounders Ruxandra Bucataru and Ron Schroder...
January 27, 2020
If you haven’t heard from us in a while, it wasn’t because we’re feeling cozy. In the past few weeks, we doubled down on our efforts to save Main Street from being torn apart by redevelopment, through a new project in partnership with the Grimsby Historical Society.
This project stemmed from...
December 16, 2019
There was a great turnout at the Town’s Open House last Tuesday December 10th. 160 Residents filled the room to full capacity, causing Town Staff to close the doors to those who didn’t make it there on time to get a seat.
For those and others who couldn’t attend the meeting, here are some...
December 9, 2019
Our efforts to preserve the character of Main Street are being noticed beyond Grimsby’s borders.
This letter was sent last week to our Planning Department and Council by Greg Woodruff, an Aldershot resident who witnessed first hand the negative changes brought by similar mixed-use developments in...
November 5, 2019
A wake up call. That is how some residents present at last week’s developer open house for the proposed five storey mix-use condominium at 133 Main St East, described the event.
The presentation was led by the IBI group, who brought their specialists and hired consultants in heritage, traffic and...
October 21, 2019
Residents who live in close proximity to 133 Main St East, received notices for a developer’s open house, just a few days ago. The event will be held Monday, October 28 at 6:30 pm, at the Nelles School (118 Main St. East).
It is important to note that this event is NOT a Town’s official meeting...
September 24, 2019
If you’re one of the many residents who think that Century Condominiums proposed downtown are not a good fit on our Main St., get ready for its twin just down the road, at 133 Main St. East.
This massive 5 storey mixed-use proposed development, recently published on the Town’s website, wants to...
March 7, 2019
A letter to Town Council from the Region’s Planning Department sparked one more discussion about The Hospital Corridor Study at last Monday’s biweekly Council meeting.
Arguments for its continuance were provided by the Region’s Planning Department, this time admitting that they were...
February 8, 2019
The Council Meeting on February 4th brought the Hospital Corridor Study back into spotlight. After discussing if and how to continue it, and the possibility of changing its outcome, the Council decided to stop the study, in a 7:1 vote.
Council’s decision was met with joy and relief by many...
January 28, 2019
After a long pause, the Planning and Development Committee will hold their first meeting of this new term, on Tuesday, January 29. With the recent departure of Mr. Michael Seaman, the Town’s most recent Planning Director, it’s understandable that some loose ends needed to be tied, along with...
October 19, 2018
We said it all along: the motives behind this Secondary Plan had nothing to do with our hospital. Just another “Designed in Grimsby” intensification project by our Planning Department, this time at the core of our town, and packaged as a “must-have”.
Intrigued by the constant and skillful...
October 10, 2018
The winds of change are blowing throughout Grimsby. People are waking up. You hear the sound of their discontent growing louder whenever “intensification” is mentioned in any conversation.
The talk about intensification of Main St. East (the so called “Hospital Corridor”) has brought even...
September 18, 2018
If you’re raising a family in Grimsby, you must have spent some quality time with your kids at Centennial Park. After school hours, parents come here and exchange experiences while kids learn to climb, slide and play with each other. This is one of the most cherished green spaces in the area...
August 14, 2018
(Updated September 13)
Still standing tall at the corner of Main St. East and Nelles Road North, the James Willison Grout Nelles House is slowly crumbling down. Now just a faint memory of what once was, you can still get a glimpse of its former glory in Queen Anne’s style architecture. The cherry...
August 8, 2018
A new article about the Main Street East intensification plan (or “The Hospital Corridor”) was published in Grimsby Lincoln News on August 7.
The Town is trying to address growing concerns from residents regarding the amount of intensification that may occur as the result of this plan and also...
July 24, 2018
Published with permission of Grimsby Citizens For Responsible Growth
Agenda: https://grimsby.civicweb.net/filepro/documents?expanded=542,543,90113&preview=96192
Official Town Minutes: https://grimsby.civicweb.net/filepro/documents?expanded=1127,1965,90198&preview=96209Hospital Corridor Study
The...
July 23, 2018
Discussions around the Intensification Project of Main Street East - or “the Hospital Corridor”, as the Town likes to call it, were on the agenda of the latest Council Meeting on Monday, July 16.
Many people are concerned about the outcome of this project and the aldermen were under pressure to...
July 20, 2018
In case you missed it or you’d like a refresher on what was shown during the Visioning Workshop, the Town made their presentation publicly available on their website.
Participants were asked for input in different ways through polling, direct questions and group sessions.
Heritage buildings and...
Send us your thoughts and we’ll publish them right here for everyone to see: