The Hamilton Spectator
DUNDAS (Mar 12, 2010)
A businessman has lost his bid to build a self-storage warehouse on land the municipality wants to maintain as open space due to its proximity to Cootes Paradise.
The Ontario Municipal Board ruled against J. Douglas Hammond of Ancaster in a 37-page ruling released yesterday. Hammond, the former owner of the Dundas Canadian Tire, appealed a 2009 decision by city council to reject his rezoning application for the two-hectare property on the northwest corner of King Street and Olympic Drive.
The property, under the former town of Dundas, had been rezoned in 1998 as special open space, permitting a number of recreational uses as well as commercial uses including a restaurant. Hammond bought the land after that.
The dispute pitted pro-business people against environmentalists. The OMB held a four-week hearing into the issue and heard from 15 witnesses and received 82 exhibits.
The board said permitting the storage facility would represent "a fundamental shift" in the planning context for the property.
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