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Six-Five
Posted By MICHAEL-ALLAN MARION, EXPOSITOR STAFF
Updated 6 hours ago


A bare majority of city councillors has swung behind a controversial move to expropriate a stretch of 41 mostly dilapidated properties on the south side of downtown Colborne Street to clear a logjam blocking redevelopment projects.

Council voted 6-5 after an hourlong debate Monday to push through all three readings of a bylaw directing the city solicitor and other staff to begin expropriation proceedings on a stretch running from a vacant property at 23 Colborne and Icomm Drive all the way to 151 Colborne, just before Laurier Brantford's Grand River Hall, along with two properties on Water Street.

The value of all the properties is estimated at $11.5 million, but could eventually cost the city about $16 million, according to a proposed financing schedule.

Supporting the bylaw were Mayor Mike Hancock and councillors Mark Littell, Jennifer Kinneman, Richard Carpenter, John Bradford and Marguerite Ceschi-Smith.

In opposition were councillors John Sless, Vince Bucci, Greg Martin, Dan McCreary and James Calnan.

"I am happy a majority has supported this important step," Littell, who spearheaded the move as chairman of the South Side of Colborne Task Force, said after the meeting.

"We have invested $20 million in the downtown (in the past few years) and seen a lot of benefit from it. But the job must be finished. We've waited for the private sector. It hasn't happened, so we must step in and show leadership."

Several councillors recounted their frustrations over the city's lack of progress in revitalizing the south side of Colborne, which council had made a top priority this term.

Even though Laurier Brantford, Nipissing University, Mohawk College and the YMCA have all expressed an interest in building along Colborne, councillors expressed concern over the apparent inability of businessman Jack Lechcier- Kimel of Toronto-based Summit Glen Developments to carry forward projects on properties owned by Steve Kun, which he had tied up through conditional purchases and options.

They decided it was time to move when Lechcier-Kimel failed to meet some deadlines and the options expired.

"It became clear to me that we could still be sitting here two years from now and the south side of Colborne would still be the same," Hancock told council.

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Sless and Bucci argued the process could take longer and be more expensive if some of the owners choose to fight the expropriation in the hope of getting a higher price for their properties.

Under questioning, city solicitor Larry Tansley said that usually transactions that begin as expropriation proceedings end up in consensus agreements.

"We've been debating this over and over for 20 years," said Ceschi-Smith. "We're finally in a position where there is the political will to move forward. I'm confident that we will have developers ready as soon as we have the properties assembled."

McCreary failed in a bid to get a deferral for more information on the properties.

"I'm not in favour of going over the cliff one buffalo at a time," he said. "I just don't have faith this process will work," he said.

In the corridors later, many of the supporters said they were certain a proposal by the Y to build a sports and recreation facility that would also serve Laurier students would move forward.

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South side of Colborne

City councillors voted 6-5 Monday night to begin expropriation of 41 properties along the south side of downtown Colborne Street.

In favour:

Mayor Mike Hancock Coun. John Bradford Coun. Richard Carpenter Coun. Marguerite Ceschi-Smith Coun. Jennifer Kinneman Coun. Mark Littell

Opposed:

Coun. Vince Bucci Coun. James Calnan Coun. Greg Martin Coun. Dan McCreary Coun. John Sless
Article ID# 1459009