New building planned for Mill St.

A proposal by Mannington Investments to demolish two buildings at 143-145 Mill Street in Creemore and replace them with one two-storey building was the subject of a public meeting Monday.
The plan is to replace the commercial buildings with one building that will have four commercial units on the main floor (4,566 square feet), four apartments on the second floor and a third floor roof top terrace.
A deficiency of seven parking spaces has prompted an application for a zoning bylaw amendment. Although 16 parking spaces are required, the developers have planned enough room for nine, with eight spaces being allocated to second floor tenants.
“While the deficiency in the parking could typically be addressed through cash-in-lieu payment or a minor variance, the township has requested a zoning bylaw amendment,” said Marissa Handley, planner at Skelton Brumwell and Associates Inc. presenting on behalf of the developer.
“Strong consideration has been given towards the architectural design of the proposed development in keeping with the heritage character of the community and the downtown,” said Handley.
The building is proposed to be at a slight angle to the sidewalk, which seemed to raise some eyebrows.
Nolan Bentley, with Dickinson and Hicks Architects, said the idea to angle the building back to create a three metre setback from the sidewalk on the southwest corner was to accommodate something like a café, with a covered patio area.
Members of the Creemore business community – while generally supporting the proposal – expressed concerns about safety and mitigating disruption to their operations during construction.
Creemore BIA president Laurie Severn, speaking on behalf of some members, said she is pleased to see investment in Creemore, to facilitate much needed retail and housing space. The lack of rear parking is a concern.
She and Councillor Thom Paterson are urging the planners to come up with some innovative and creative parking solutions for off-street parking. Severn asked staff to ensure that the hoarding around the building site would be subject to some beautification requirements, similar to the hoarding at the Village Green construction site down the road.