I am a devoted second generation Guelphite, a very happy NEW resident of Ward 5 and a reliable taxpayer. With this letter I would like to address some of the concerns about the projected redevelopment of the Best Western Hotel on the corner of Stone and Gordon Street.
From an environmental standpoint, the Best Western building has just recently been renovated. It would be a shame to put all of that work and materials to waste. If student housing is needed in the community, rent the rooms to students by the month with a meal plan provided by the kitchen staff. Or, if required, convert it to a medical centre, or government offices. I’m sure there are many other options for this location without demolishing the existing building.
The increased traffic density is a major concern for us. I’m sure you’re aware that the traffic in Guelph as a whole has increased. The concentration of vehicles in highway 6 (Gordon St.) and Stone Road is not an exception. In fact, there are moments during the day when we have to wait for more than 3 green traffic lights before turning left in that intersection. The proposed parking lot of the developer will make this intersection even more of a nightmare!
Finally, we were under the impression that Guelph wants to keep the Church of Our Lady as the main focus of the city. (I even thought all building heights have to be less than that of the church.) Having a 16 story building would go against this thought and would interfere with architectural balance of the well established neighbourhood. Besides, being one of the highest taxed neighbourhoods, we did not move here (5 months ago) to have a high rise building in our back yard.CZ