So Robert Walters resigned from city hall planning because (I quote directly from the report he leaked) Guelph has “a highly educated, sophisticated and affluent population that understands how best to influence process,” and “Guelph could seek to emulate . . . the ‘leaders’ in . . . Hamilton, Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, Milton, Burlington and Mississauga” (Tribune, […]
Category: Growth
Guelph planning officials better than the others
From an architect’s point of view, my experience says that approval processes in Guelph are quite straightforward and responses to inquiries are very prompt. Lines of communication and service from the city’s planning and building staff are courteous and their comments are clear and consistent. I have worked in Guelph for over 37 years in this capacity […]
proposed by-law amendment
I just don’t know how else to say it. I implore you to decide against allowing high-rise development in the downtown core. Even one 18-storey building will detract from downtown’s charm, but this decision will have an even greater impact in the future. The precedent will be set and it will become very difficult, if […]
HCBP Phase 1 – Land Sale
HCBP announcement from staff. I am pleased to advise that the sale of 12.70 acres of land to Wurth Canada Ltd. closed yesterday. The value of this sale to the City is $ 3,238,500.00 I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was involved in this transaction. They include staff from Economic […]
City must act on old farm property
THe following editorial appeared in the November 17 edition of the Guelph Mercury: A hearing is set for January with the Conservation Review Board to assess the heritage value of an old farmhouse on Guelph’s north side. If the board finds the structure is an important one from a heritage perspective, the City of Guelph should act with haste to […]
Old farmhouse owned by city needs more than a touch of paint
The following article appeared in the November 16 edition of the Guelph Mercury: There is a home in the north end of the city that’s in clear violation of Guelph’s property standards bylaw. The porch is crumbling, shingles have blown off the roof onto the surrounding grass, there are cracks in exterior walls and missing fascia has allowed critters to take […]
Annual State of the City explores themes of collaboration, innovation
In her annual State of the City address this morning, Mayor Karen Farbridge asserted that Guelph is a “charismatic city” because of its capacity for collaboration and innovation. The mayor told two stories to illustrate this capacity. The first involves a local company called Enpar, which is developing new technologies to treat water and waste […]
downtown building restrictions
I read in Tuesday’s Mercury about the controversial topic of height restrictions in the downtown core. My opinion is that the height restrictions should be adhered to. The issue that the provincial government has density quotas for downtown grow is probably only a guideline. I have not read the legislation, but I can not conceive […]
Height of future downtown hot topic at Guelph council meeting
The following article appeared in the Novemnber 7 edition of the Guelph Mercury: The height of downtown Guelph’s future was a hot topic at Monday night’s city council meeting. More than a dozen delegations spoke about the proposed Downtown Guelph Secondary Plan, with a staff recommendation to abandon a six-storey height limit — and allow buildings up to 18 […]
Downtown Guelph Secondary Plan
Re the Downtown Guelph Secondary Plan, I am very much in favour of the idea of creating unbroken green space along the Speed River. However, I am very much against high-rise buildings in the downtown area. I think the tallest building should be no more than 12 stories, even in low areas. But the emphasis […]