The developers behind Monaco - a six-storey commercial/residential building proposed for Collingwood’s downtown - have two weeks to get their ducks in a row if they want necessary approvals from the town to allow construction to begin.
At a council meeting last night, the town’s planning director, Adam Farr, said town staff require proof of an easement agreement between Monaco’s developers and the adjacent property owners to allow for the planned access to the building off Hume Street.
Farr also said the town’s treasurer requires a different format for proof of insurance than the one submitted.
Additionally, staff suggested council require a certified cheque for $10,000 to cover the extra costs associated with additional legal review, and inspection of the project design.
Council supported all of staff’s conditions with a vote.
Farr said if the conditions are not met by Aug. 6, the site plan will not be approved and Monaco’s developers will have to re-apply for site plan approval and the application will go back to the Development and Operations Services Standing Committee before it goes to council again. Site plan approval is required before a building permit can be issued.
The building on Hume and Hurontario at the site of the former Admiral school is being proposed by Monaco Development GP Partners Ltd. The site plan application is for a six storey building, with a partial seventh storey for amenity space, which includes 127 residential dwelling units on floors two through six, and 11,517 square feet of commercial space occupying the entire first floor.
The application includes a proposed underground parking lot with 177 spaces and an additional 83 parking spaces at grade.
At the development and operations meeting earlier this month, the developer stated they would like to begin construction by August and expect it to take 1.5 to two years to complete.
Currently there is a vacant parcel of land stretching from Hurontario to Ste. Marie Street, and it has been vacant for more than a decade. The former Admiral school was demolished in the early 2000s. Previous applications for development on the site have never made it to construction phase.
Council, and previously the development and operations committee, expressed concern about the adjacent property bordered by Hume and Ste. Marie Street, particularly the property standards on the vacant land.
Monaco partners said the property is owned by another group. A representative of the developer told council the building’s facade facing Ste. Marie Street would match the rest of the building design (red brick with stone accents as per the Heritage District specifications) and the developer planned to build a fence separating the two properties.
The town currently has a site remediation agreement for the entire vacant area, and council voted to keep the agreement in place for the portion of the lot not included in Monaco’s current plans.
The town’s property standards bylaw states all yards and vacant land “shall be maintained in a neat and tidy condition so as not to present a hazard to any person.”
The bylaw further states vacant land must be kept clean from noxious weeds, long grass (exceeding six inches), rubbish or debris, derelict vehicles, dead shrubs, pests, unsafe or unsecured structures, and objects or conditions that may create a health hazard.
