Dear editor:

Development charges by the region and the municipality are required to provide the roads, walkways, and services to the proposed Marotta Hotel (“Council backs developer’s fight against regional fees — with dissent,” July 24).

There will have to be road widening of King Street for the additional left turn lanes onto Centre Street, into the hotel driveway, and onto Gage Street.

Also, service trucks will soon discover that the easiest route from Mississagua Street to the hotel service areas is on Centre Street, Regent Street, and Gage Street.

This will require the widening of these streets by about 12 feet and their reconstruction to allow for the weight of the food, beverage and garbage trucks required to service this huge commercial property.

Council should be requesting more development charges by the region and the town, not less, to pay for all of the necessary changes to the streets and services in the old town.

As to parking, the hotel has to provide only 248 spaces according to the site plan agreement, which is less than half of the number experts have determined are required for staff, hotel rooms and dining facilities for about 1000 people.

Considering any reduction to the already inadequate parking spaces would be irresponsible.

Clearly, council shouldn’t have approved such a colossal commercial development on a property surrounded on four sides by single-family houses on quiet, narrow laneways.

But having done so, they must now ensure that the parking be contained on-site and not spill out onto the residential streets, and that the costs to make land usable as a large commercial hotel continue to be charged and collected in an amount even higher than previously requested, certainly not less.

Wayne Murray
NOTL