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+-- Forum: Waterloo Region Life (https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=12)
+--- Forum: Food, Dining and Nightlife (https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=22)
+--- Thread: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News (/showthread.php?tid=20)
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RE: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News - tomh009 - 10-13-2017
(10-13-2017, 08:47 AM)danbrotherston Wrote: The result is, the city had to spend money defending an OMB appeal which they believed they would lose (using our tax dollars) the result of which is the restaurant gets built anyway, but the council gets to appear as if they were doing the thing that a few residents wanted. So our tax dollars were spent on one thing only, and that's making council look good. That to me is frustrating.
This.
RE: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News - Rainrider22 - 10-13-2017
(10-13-2017, 08:47 AM)danbrotherston Wrote:I understand your thoughts however, if I was a resident, I would want my concerns addressed. It is Council's job to make decisions. You are of the opinion that Council ought to have known the outcome and therefore, should have just made the decision. That becomes a slippery slope. It is always easy to make comments and judgement after the fact. Additionally, most of these comments are based solely on our opinion and no known facts..(10-13-2017, 08:31 AM)Rainrider22 Wrote: What would be self serving in respecting the wishes of the community they serve ? To get votes ?
We elect people to make decisions on our behalf.. I don't necessarily always agree with with OMB because they often over rule local leaders who have their finger on the pulse of the community more so than the OMB. However, in this situation, the use of the OMB as a conciliator seems to have been effective and more efficient.
What is self serving is that the council knew that the OMB would rule for the restaurant developer, because there is no good reason not too (IIRC, even staff recommended accepting the development). However, council voted against doing so, because that's what the residents wanted.
The result is, the city had to spend money defending an OMB appeal which they believed they would lose (using our tax dollars) the result of which is the restaurant gets built anyway, but the council gets to appear as if they were doing the thing that a few residents wanted. So our tax dollars were spent on one thing only, and that's making council look good. That to me is frustrating.
Moreover, the residents and council were short sighted. IIRC the developer had offered a number of concessions (bigger fence, maybe some other things) in order to make the restaurant more palatable (ha) for the residents, as they now had to spend money on the OMB appeal, I'm not sure they'd be willing to do these things anymore. In the act of spending our tax dollars to make themselves look good, council may have even made things "worse" for the people they want to look good too.
Whether you agree with the OMB or not, it was a foreseeable result.
It's the worst type of governing, where you make choices you know are bad, but which look good. We elect a government to make good choices for us, and hopefully, they can demonstrate that they are good as well.
Of course, I am not a lawyer, and I am not privy to all the details here, this is only what I've gleaned from reading the news, council reports and shall we say "between the lines", and this is of course all my opinion.
/rant over
I think we have become so jaded that we always seem to think the decisions made are now some how "self-serving" and that is not fair.
Many times on this forum people have tried to make conclusions or guesses as to what the outcome will be on various issues without being privy to all the information, and then when it is a different outcome, they don't acknowledge how wrong they were.
We all like to predict and make guesses, it is kind of fun, however, to label people as self serving is a bit strong.
That's all I will say....
RE: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News - KevinL - 10-13-2017
Well said, Dan, but one clarification.
(10-13-2017, 08:47 AM)danbrotherston Wrote: Moreover, the residents and council were short sighted. IIRC the developer had offered a number of concessions (bigger fence, maybe some other things) in order to make the restaurant more palatable (ha) for the residents, as they now had to spend money on the OMB appeal, I'm not sure they'd be willing to do these things anymore.
Due to the new settlement process they used, the builder HAS agreed to continue with these concessions. So that was something of a win, in the end.
RE: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News - Viewfromthe42 - 10-13-2017
I am a resident and I want to have all services and 0 taxes. There's an appropriate way to address this, through dialogue, but to waste time and money on such a ridiculous request serves no purpose other than to make the inappropriate seem normal. This case is a less extreme version of ridiculous lengths gone to in order to support views that didn't make sense given the context of the case.
RE: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News - neonjoe - 11-16-2017
I don't know if this has been mentioned but there are coming soon signs for St Louis Wings and Ribs and Tim Hortons at the corner of Huron and Fischer Hallman.
RE: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News - Canard - 11-18-2017
There is also a “Coming Soon” song for a Tim Hortons at the South corner of Frederick and Edna, for the Frederick Mall. It’s been there for a very long time (years?).
RE: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News - jamincan - 11-18-2017
I honestly can't remember a time when that sign hasn't been up and I've lived in this region for 15 years or so now. That's not to say that it's been there 15 years, but it certainly seems like forever.
RE: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News - UrbanCanoe - 11-18-2017
Looks like the sign at Frederick St Mall was put up in 2015. I recall the store would be built around the same time as the landmark store at Lancaster/Frederick closes. Apparently there is a redevelopment proposal for that property so it's likely won't be long 'till we see work happening at either location.
RE: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News - TMKM94 - 11-20-2017
(11-16-2017, 05:07 PM)neonjoe Wrote: I don't know if this has been mentioned but there are coming soon signs for St Louis Wings and Ribs and Tim Hortons at the corner of Huron and Fischer Hallman.
Is this the same land that has a sign saying Grocery store anchored plaza coming Soon? I saw a sign around there in the summer but I don't know if it's still there?
RE: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News - highlander - 11-20-2017
The grocery store-anchored plaza "coming in 2018" is at Fischer-Hallman and Bleams. The construction at Huron and F-H is well underway and truly coming soon. (This doesn't belong in this thread, but at the same intersection - the Becker Estates land on the southeast corner of F-H and Huron has some major earthworks going on)
RE: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News - TMKM94 - 11-20-2017
Oh yeah Thanks. I had a feeling I got the intersections messed up. Does it say what Grocery store is opening at Fisher-Hallman and Bleams yet? Or is it still the same sign? It sounds like the area has changed even more since I was there last.
RE: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News - highlander - 11-20-2017
I haven't noticed the sign changing or any activity on the site, I'll be going past this afternoon and will try to remember to look more closely.
RE: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News - highlander - 11-20-2017
No change to the signs at the corner lot. There are a number of zone change application notice signs on the east side of Fischer Hallman between Bleams and the hydro corridor, though.
RE: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News - TMKM94 - 11-20-2017
(11-20-2017, 08:43 PM)highlander Wrote: No change to the signs at the corner lot. There are a number of zone change application notice signs on the east side of Fischer Hallman between Bleams and the hydro corridor, though.Interesting I guess there probably waiting for more residential to be built in the area? Thanks for the info. I'm kind of surprised that commercial is being built out there when Williamsburg still has empty land.
RE: General Food, Dining and Nightlife News - highlander - 11-21-2017
I was curious if there was any info about this site, and found this http://www.coupalmarkou.com/properties/view/239. Looks like a big box development and some residential:
Quote:Discussions currently working towards +/- 350 units and approximately 12 storeys