A boutique hotel in the Town of Amherstburg will be moving forward following a decision from the Ontario Land Tribunal.
The Ontario Land Tribunal has ruled in favour of the developer, Black Dog Entertainment Inc., to be able to move forward.
The hotel, which will be located at 256 Dalhousie Street, gained approval for demolition of the former property in September 2022, and approval from Amherstburg council on a zoning amendment in May 2023.
Following the approval of the rezoning, a group of individuals decided to appeal the decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal on June 6, 2023, with issues regarding the setback being close to neighbouring buildings, being too close to the street, and the height of the build.
The proposed development would see five-storey's consisting of 15-suites, a ground floor retail store fronting Dalhousie, and a restaurant in the rear of the building facing the Kings Navy Yard and the Detroit River.
Richard Peddie, owner of Black Dog Entertainment Inc., says the hearing was only four days long.
"Consistently the experts that we brought in won the day against the other sides people they brought in, so, to us it seemed to be a slam dunk. The issues raised by the other party we did not think had merit, and the government has confirmed that."
He says a lot needs to be looked over now since this appeal took a year and a half.
"Interest rates are up, we don't know the state of the construction in the street, so we need to step back and have a hard look at the business proposition, re-cost out the construction, redo the financial's, and if at the end of it if it still makes sense there's no doubt that the Town needs a hotel."
Peddie says they will continue to work closely with Amherstburg administration on the project.
"They joined us in the fight and spoke on our behalf, and we've done a number of buildings in Town and have a great relationship with the people who rule on things like this, and we would do it in the normal, cooperative, and sophisticated manner."
In May 2023, Amherstburg Fire said there is no risk to extending the building of the hotel back to the curb, and no issues with the zoning of the build.
Peddie says they won't be diving right into the hotel work for another couple of months as they plan to open a new bar called The Hole in the Wall - which will be above the River Bookshop in Amherstburg - within the next month.
