Council in Prince Edward County has approved a site plan agreement for a property along Loyalist Parkway that has been derelict for a decade.
At their regular council meeting on Tuesday night at Shire Hall, council took another step forward in the development of 13300 Highway 33, known as the former Hydro One property.
The shopping plaza would be located on a former brownfield site located west of the Picton downtown core and across from Canadian Tire, No Frills, the Mobil 1 gas bar and Prince Edward Fitness and Aquatic Centre.
There were two major concerns to those around the horseshoe, the first being what a Foodland in Picton would do to the Foodland in Wellington.
Phil Busby, Director of Development at Sobeys, said in response they do not want to put any other store of theirs in jeopardy.
The second concern was environmental impact because the County has declared a climate emergency, and councillors wanted to know if there were any climate change mitigation measures in place.
Jamie Chisholm, of Picton Properties Inc. said they’ve gone above and beyond what is required.
He said there is more landscaping on site than required, landscaping off-site at the Millennium Trail and they are also extending the sidewalks from the downtown on both sides of Highway 33 to the trail.
If all goes well, Chisholm is hoping they can have some of the underground services in place before the snow flies this year, but that is dependent on discussions with the Ministry of Transportation regarding the intersection at Highway 33 and a new collector street that would be constructed specifically for this shopping plaza.
He said the are hoping to have construction begin in the spring and Foodland and other tenants open in the fall.
Jamie Yeo, owner of the Picton Foodland. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)
Jamie Yeo, owner of the current Foodland, says this new store will be three times the size of their current operation and is thrilled they are moving ahead.
Chisholm told councillors the expansion has the ability to provide up to an additional 100 jobs locally.
He also told council through Director of Development Services Peter Moyer, the construction value of the first phase is approximately $10 million.
Councillor Jamie Forrester and one county resident were concerned about how the shopping plaza would look. Jennifer Ronan said from looking at the picture, the plaza reminds her of Brampton, Kingston and Belleville and she doesn’t want that for Picton.
Chisholm told Quinte News, the image shown in their presentation doesn’t do the store justice.
The site, a 7.3 acre property divided into two parcels of land, would be home to six stores. The first parcel is proposed to contain two new single storey retail buildings including a new grocery store, restaurant and other complementary retail uses. The second parcel would contain two new single storey retail buildings intended to include a wide variety of retail uses including a new drive-through restaurant.
There would also be a new collector road developed from Highway 33 through to Talbot Street.
Chisholm said the only two confirmed retailers are Sobeys and Dollarama.
Jamie Chisholm of Picton Properties Inc. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)
The report from staff stated the development of the new food store and shopping centre will alter the landscape and provide more of an urban form along Loyalist Parkway than what exists today.
Mayor Steve Ferguson said the current site as is, is “no way a terrific entrance to Picton” and this project is a long time coming, referencing this has been in the works since 2016.
