Written by Kieran Delamont, Associate Editor, London Inc.

Sifton moves ahead on 1,100-home subdivision next to Fanshawe Conservation Area

After about six years of talks between Sifton Properties Limited and the City of London, a proposal for a 1,100-home subdivision, just west of the Fanshawe Conservation Area at Clarke and Kilally roads, is officially heading to the city’s planning committee next week. Dubbed Caverhill, the latest iteration of the subdivision proposal would include 719 apartments (in smaller, six-storey buildings), 196 detached homes and 164 townhomes, plus six parks and a lot of greenspace. “Building upon the preservation of the Fanshawe Conservation Area, Caverhill will connect adventurous mixed-use hiking trails, natural wildlife and a river stream, in an outdoor playground perfect for explorers of all ages,” reads a Sifton website teasing the project. “We’ve had success building in beautiful, attractive areas, near rivers and forests but with highway access,” Sifton senior VP Phillip Masschelein told the London Free Press. “This is an area of London that can open new opportunities for residential growth.” 

The upshot: Sifton has been working on this proposal with the city for quite a while, and with the recommendation of city staff (as well as the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority), this project could be close to shovel ready if council approves it (Sifton said it plans to start construction this year), and city councillors seem to be on board. “We have a great builder in Sifton, and I like what they have proposed here,” said Ward 3 Councillor Peter Cuddy. “We’re delighted that the northeast is getting this kind of development.” Chair of the planning committee Steve Lehman gave his support as well, saying that it is a proposal that helps fill in some available land within the urban growth boundary. The city staff report (which includes recommendations to widen both Clarke and Kilally roads near the development) will head to the planning committee next week, and if approved, to council in mid-May. 

Read more: London Free Press | Sifton Properties

City gets a second ‘shroom shop

Sure, there’s been lots of talk of businesses closing downtown, but at least one new business is proudly opening along Dundas Street this week: Shroomyz, London’s second magic mushroom dispensary, which opened its doors on Monday morning at 350 Dundas Street, just east of Waterloo Street. Is it legal? Strictly speaking, no. That’s not deterring store manager Bobbie Richards, who told CTV News London, “We would like to really help people get off opiates,” and claims they are offering a more natural alternative to various harmful medications. It’s the second such store that has opened in the downtown core in the past year or so, with a similar franchise, FunGuyz, having opened a unit at 256 Richmond Street last year. They have managed to keep operating in part because police have deemed it a low priority problem. “We will prioritize enforcement and resources in the context of community safety and harm,” a police spokesperson said.

The upshot: Canadian cities are in the midst of what Bloomberg has dubbed a “shroom boom,” as activists test the limits of police and municipal tolerance by following the playbook set by weed dispensaries of the mid 2010s: simply open stores and see how much you can sell before getting shut down. Lawyers for the stores contend that since Canada has legalized limited access to psilocybin mushrooms for medical patients, that a tiny legal toehold has effectively been opened for retailers (the rationale has not been tested in court, mind you). For the time being, it remains a relatively booming business ― dozens of stores have opened in major Canadian cities over the past year, and more seem to pop up all the time. “I’m kind of hoping that [the cops] just kind of leave us alone,” said Richards. “We are not pushing anything. We’re not out there peddling it in the streets.” 

Read more: CTV News London | Bloomberg

Western to build eight-storey residence bordering Richmond Street gates

Western University’s promise last year to build two new residence buildings is getting closer to reality, with a proposal for the first (and largest) of those two heading to city hall’s planning committee in June. Western wants to build a 259-suite, 772-bedroom dorm on Richmond Street, right by the university gates. Ward 6 Councillor Sam Trosow told CBC News London that the proposal was “long overdue,” and said that “the university’s failure to provide adequate housing for students creates hardships, both for the tenants who have to go out into a very predatory rental market, and for the residents of the area.” The plan will head to council’s Planning and Environment Committee on June 11th.

The upshot: Were this plot of land entirely within the interior of the university, it would be a slam dunk. The location, though ― located along Richmond and backing onto Tower Lane ― might prove to be a minor speed bump. Trosow expressed concern that the limited setbacks would make it harder to expand Richmond Street in the future, as well as some concerns around service vehicles turning on and off Richmond Street. Still, he likes the proposed building as it would take some pressure off the off-campus housing stock. “To have the university build a dormitory really helps absorb some of the housing demand that would otherwise have to be taken up by these houses,” he said. 

Read more: CBC News London | London Free Press

Carfax partners with Copart Canada

Carfax Canada announced this week it is partnering with Copart Canada, an online vehicle auction company, on a collaboration that will provide Copart buyers with Carfax’s data on used vehicles. “Copart Canada customers can access any available vehicle history report without limits or restrictions, paying only when they decide to purchase the vehicle,” reads a press release from the company. “This enhancement provides Copart Canada customers with a better understanding of the vehicle’s history and helps round out an already prominent buyer experience for Copart vehicle buyers,” said Carfax Canada’s director of strategic partners, Richard Pasta.

The upshot: Good timing for Carfax ― getting verified info about used cars is only getting more valuable as the country experiences a spike in auto theft. Just this week a CBC report found that more and more stolen cars are being resold domestically, with fraudulent vehicle information. “It’s costing drivers, banks, insurance companies big money,” said one Peel Region police officer. “It’s a massive problem.” Experts working on the auto theft beat right now advise getting something like a Carfax report when buying a used vehicle, so this just makes that process easier if you’re a Copart Canada buyer.

Read more: Businesswire

From the magazine: High demand

The number of tall buildings in London has shot up over the past few years. And all those windows need washing.

Read more: London Inc.

Contentious 25-storey York Developments tower gets green light

Things got a little feisty at council, but in the end the York Developments application for a 25-storey, 219-unit building at 735 Wonderland Road was approved this week, despite concerns around traffic congestion and transit. The tower will be located just north of Costco, on the site of a current Swiss Chalet across from Angelo’s Italian Bakery. There’s been pushback from residents and some politicians, including Councillor Sam Trosow, who suggested that the city isn’t considering some of the wider impacts of traffic and congestion in the area. “We can’t make these cumulative traffic and transit issues go away,” Trosow said. “In my view, it is not a good development. Yes, we want infill, but the infill has to be appropriate.” In the end, the application passed by a 14-2 margin at council, clearing the way for the project.

The upshot: At the heart of the dispute is the designation of the area as a “transit village” ― a holdover from the days when there was a planned bus rapid transit (BRT) route to the area (the western leg of the BRT plan was cut in 2019, which would have seen dedicated lanes on Oxford Street, a block away from the proposed project). That designation allows for more intensification ― but of course, there’s no BRT planned for the area anymore, just a somewhat vaguely defined transit village. The subjective question is which should take priority, approving much-needed housing or solving the anticipated traffic problems; reasonable minds can disagree on the answer to this. In the end, the need for housing approvals won the day. “I recognize that councillors are concerned about challenges, and there are challenges this area and every other area of the city that is growing from congestion are facing, from congestion, livability services in the area ― all the challenges that a growing city has,” said mayor Josh Morgan. “We’re going to work through this together.” 

Read more: CBC News London | London Free Press

Dispatch: April 26, 2024

A summary of recent business appointments and announcements, plus event listings for the upcoming week.

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