A major new development in the Town of Tecumseh is a step closer to reality.
Earlier this week, Tecumseh council approved a rezoning application for a proposed commercial plaza and a new hotel on the northwest corner of the Manning Road and County Road 42 intersection.
This development would consist of a five-storey hotel with 82 rooms and a building footprint of nearly 13,000-square-feet. It would also include four, one-storey restaurants with drive-thru's where two restaurants would be placed on either side of the hotel.
The development would also see a one-storey commercial office building north of the hotel. A total of 288 parking spots will be available.
Tecumseh mayor Gary McNamara says despite the number of amenities on Manning Road between Tecumseh Road and County Road 22 - this development is needed to accommodate growth.
McNamara says despite uncertainty due to tariffs it's great to see investments being made.
"It's really a breath of fresh air when you see investors from out of town who still have a lot of confidence about our region to come in, and invest multi-millions of dollars in a project like this. And the beauty of adding another hotel close by, that's three, it gives us a bit of a leg up."
He says the need for a hotel has grown as the hotel in Lakeshore on Manning Road is incredibly busy.
"The harsh reality is if you look at the Holiday Inn Express in the Amy Croft area, it's at 100 per cent capacity everyday. There isn't a hotel in the region that can really boast the fact that they are full at any given time."
McNamara says this new development will be a great spot for sports teams and events being held locally.
"They have clear access from the [Highway] 401 where they can come in quickly and leave quickly. They've done their homework, and obviously they don't invest in areas where they haven't done their due diligence and it is needed in certainly the region because we've seen it, we've seen the high demands for hotels in the area."
There will be two access points to the developments, one on County Road 42 and one on Manning Road.
A traffic impact study and a sanitary sewer study showed no negative impacts.
A public meeting to discuss the zoning by-law amendment application is scheduled for August 12.