Latest news with #rezoning
ABC News
a day ago
- Business
- ABC News
A waterfront mini city in Liverpool, a campaigning council and a Sydney developer with a colourful past
Minutes after the Rosehill Gardens Racecourse mini city plan was scuttled, one council spruiked a solution. Half an hour south-west of the racecourse lies a large swathe of industrial land, ripe for rezoning, Liverpool City Council declared. A planning proposal for a $9 billion waterfront mini city was well advanced. It could be signed off 'with the stroke of the Premier's pen', the council's timely press release suggested. Mayor Ned Mannoun called for an urgent meeting with the NSW premier and followed up with a direct text to Chris Minns. He hasn't heard back. If the 31.4-hectare site is rezoned from light industrial to mixed use, major landholders Coronation Property and Leamac Property Group stand to make a windfall. The developers have been advocating for rezoning for a decade and are currently locked in final negotiations with the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI). If you have any information about a story, contact Amy Greenbank. They are proposing to build 11,000 apartments over 30 to 40 years, a large retail hub, a primary school, pedestrian bridges, and an 8-kilometre foreshore walk "Moore Point", as it will be known, is a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver Australia's next Great Riverfront City", according to exhibited planning documents. But the proposed high-rises will be built on a floodplain, as the site sits on a peninsula between the Georges River and Lake Moore. A 2022 flood study found that if the development went ahead it would likely generate 25,000 vehicles, but the roads only had capacity for 5,500 evacuating cars in a "probable maximum flood". "Noah's flood is not a planning benchmark," Mr Mannoun said, arguing the flood level criteria was unnecessarily restrictive and holding back housing. The DPHI has asked the developers to conduct further flood modelling. It's not the first time Mr Mannoun has publicly advocated for a Coronation project. While in office in 2016, he featured in two promotional videos for the developer, supporting an earlier Liverpool project called the 'Paper Mill'. "It's wonderful and it's so exciting, and it's great to be part of the project… Let's embrace it," he told viewers. The high-rise was later hit with a building work rectification order, including for "uncontrolled cracking" in four basements. Owners sued Coronation's building arm, MN Builders, and a subsidiary in the Supreme Court over alleged defects on common property. In 2021, the council took legal action against Coronation over unpaid rates at the Shepherd Street site. The matter was resolved out of court. Coronation also failed to deliver a promised boardwalk allowing direct access to the Georges River, which was a requirement under its 2017 voluntary planning agreement (VPA) with the council. "We don't have an issue with them [Coronation]," Mr Mannoun said, adding he was unaware of the alleged defects in the Paper Mill. A spokesperson for Coronation said it had largely fulfilled its VPA, and the "final portion" of the riverwalk works would be completed within three months, adding the rectification works on the Paper Mill site had been finished. Liverpool City Council said the boardwalk would be delivered in six months and Coronation "had not failed to meet its obligations", as it was a complex project. The VPA required the riverwalk to be completed before the Occupation Certificate was signed off, which was several years ago. Mr Mannoun said he "pitches and promotes" a range of developers who had "good quality" projects in his council area. He is not overly concerned about the optics of maintaining close proximity to developers, even with a looming inquiry into his council, which begins public hearings on July 14. "Define too close. What's too close? If people want to meet with the mayor, they meet the mayor," he said. In 2024 an interim investigation into Liverpool City Council by the Office of Local Government NSW alleged elected officials, "in particular the mayor", were intervening in the development assessment process. "Every mayor and councillor makes representations … no-one can produce where I've done something inappropriate," Mr Mannoun told the ABC. A spokesperson for Coronation said it maintained a "good working relationship" with local councillors and state and federal MPs. Australian-owned and operated Coronation Property has been plagued by controversy in recent years. The company currently has nine high-rise projects in the pipeline, which it estimates to be worth $5.7 billion. However, in 2022 its building arm, MN Builders, narrowly avoided being stripped of its building registration. After a brief Supreme Court battle, the company struck an enforceable undertaking with the Department of Customer Service and agreed to conduct an independent audit of its practices. The company was also named in the former NSW building commissioner's resignation letter in 2022. David Chandler briefly quit shortly after issuing MN Builders a stop work order over Coronation's Merrylands project 'Mason and Main'. In his resignation letter, which was sent to the anti-corruption watchdog, Mr Chandler raised concerns about an alleged relationship between then-minister Eleni Petinos' office and Coronation. He also stated he received a message from the former deputy premier John Barilaro, who had joined the Coronation board, shortly after issuing the order. A spokesperson for Coronation said its Moore Point project would be the "jewel in the crown" for south-western Sydney, where there is a dire shortage of housing. Coronation is represented by Premier Communications Group, where former NSW premier Morris Iemma is senior counsel.
CBC
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
South end space for arts and community groups in Saint John could become housing
Social Sharing Saint John council has taken steps toward approving a B.C. developer's plan to turn a former church that became home to arts and community groups into a residential and commercial building. The south end building in the Trinity Royal Heritage Conservation Area includes the former Germain Street United-Baptist church, built 200 years ago, at Germain and Queen streets. Council gave first and second reading Monday night to the proposed rezoning of the property from neighbourhood community facility to urban centre residential. Community organizations, including the InterAction School of Performing Arts and Chroma NB, which provides services and resources to 2SLGBTQ+ residents, will vacate the space. Young people's arts group sold building InterAction, which provides arts programs for children, bought the building in 2013, according to the group's website. The group sold the building to B.C. architect Bruce Wilkin last October for $150,000, about a quarter of its assessed value. Bruce Wilkin, of Victoria-based contracting company Bruce Wilkin Inc., attended the meeting virtually. He told council he wants to create 25 new housing units on the site. The sizes would range from bachelor to two-bedroom units. Staff reports say part of the ground floor of the building could be used for commercial purposes such as a business office, bakery, restaurant or art studio. Sale a shock to community groups Community groups were blindsided when they learned of the sale of the property, according to Chuck Teed, the former executive director of InterAction School of Performing Arts, who spoke against the proposed rezoning at a hearing Monday. "The community did not get an adequate chance to weigh in on this until very recently," Teed told council. "It was [sold] so quietly, quickly and privately. … Despite the fact that it should have fetched the highest price on the market I feel like the community would have stepped in to save the building had they had any inclination that it was going up for sale." Service New Brunswick's property assessment information page shows the site sold for $450,000 in 2013. When the site was sold again in October, it was for $150,000. The assessed value of the property last year was $597,700. Housing beats community space No current representatives of InterAction, the previous owners of the building, attended the public hearing on the rezoning, and none sent a letter in support or opposition. Two councillors, Gary Sullivan and Brent Harris, voted against the proposal, saying the community space was a loss and could have been saved. Wilkin said the site has two buildings. One is the old church, which Wilkin called "the Institute," and a smaller building next to it housing the theatre space, which he called "the Sanctuary Theatre." Teed said the property sale led some groups to vacate the building immediately. ArtsLink New Brunswick, a non-profit that promotes arts and culture in the province, announced on its Faebook page after the sale that it was moving out. Monopolized Records, an independent studio, was on the property until November, when it announced, also on Facebook, it was moving to Market Square. ArtsLink NB now operates on Prince William Street. Teed said these groups were not consulted about the sale until it was too late. He said the city needs housing, but it also needs spaces for the arts. Responding to Teed's comments, Wilkin said he gave Chroma NB and InterAction free rent until June 30, and he wanted to include community spaces in the zoning to accommodate the two groups. "But both InterAction and Chroma have decided to leave," Wilkin said. "They made that decision on their own. I offered other space in the building to both groups if they wanted to carry on but because of the financial condition that InterAction was in, I don't think they were able to continue." Wilkin said the cost of heating was a factor in the group's decision. Coun. Joanna Killen praised Wilkin for trying to rehabilitate the space, saying the city "desperately needs housing." But Harris suggested council needed more information and he found it perplexing that no one from InterAction's board expressed said anything to council. "It's difficult for me without InterAction here to vote in favour of this," Harris said. "For an organization that's been here for 13 years and has had various board members, why there wasn't an effort to continue the use of that building in its state is beyond me. And why don't we have a letter from the board, a comment, nothing — it's suspicious." Harris said he agreed with Teed that if there had been a public call to the community, the space could have been saved for continued community use. "Yes, we need housing," Harris said. "But there's more to this application because of that legacy organization and its failure to be here. So, I am not going to approve of this application. I'm going to reject it." Housing would make sense as a use for the church building, Sullivan said, but the cultural space with the theatre should be preserved.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cornelius commissioners unanimously deny Bailey Road business park
CORNELIUS, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Residents of a prominent Cornelius neighborhood came out in force Monday night to express concerns over a proposed business park, and their voices were heard. In a project on its second life from 2023, GGW Flex Holdings LLC was seeking a rezoning on 36 acres along Bailey Road for near 200,000 square feet of commercial space across four buildings. The site is across from Bailey Road Park and less than a mile from Bailey Road Middle School and Hough High School. It's also just down road from the main entrance to the Bailey's Glen 55+ community. The community's denizens packed Cornelius Town Hall, explaining the long backups created by the schools' pickup and drop-off times. Many students walk or bike to school, and have to cross Bailey Road. First-ever four-year medical school opening in Charlotte This wasn't just a not-in-my-backyard case by residents, though. The town's planning staff also recommended denial of the project. And the Board of Commissioners followed suit in unanimous fashion. In summarizing the project's drawbacks, Mayor Woody Washam said the conditional rezoning would create an unprecedented combination of uses along Bailey Road. It's currently zoned Rural Preservation but town's land-use plan encourages business campus there. 'We heard this project doesn't incorporate a business campus, a vision that staff and board members expected on this site,' he said. 'Instead, this project is an industrial park. We heard from Commissioner (Robert) Carney that nowhere in Mecklenburg County does an industry park, schools, residential developments and public park exist on a two-lane road. That's a fact.' In recent years the town has been working to find ways to have more people who both live and work there, instead of doing either in Charlotte. Creating affordable housing is one of those solutions, but commercial development is another. The GGW project initially promised 'high-end' tenants when introduced to the board in 2023. But the finalized proposal was not what town leaders had in mind. 'Our staff has recommended against this project because the site would be more appropriate for corporate offices or research park that would be more internally oriented with limited service and vehicle traffic as well,' he said. The developers planned to build a roundabout at the site's entrance and an internal road, and incorporate a greenway on the edge of the property. Support came from the Lake Norman business community and representatives of the Hunter family attempting to sell the former farmland. Also at Monday's meeting, commissioners unanimously approved the purchase of a 0.066-acre lot near Town Hall — for $500,000. It's along Main Street between lots that area already town-owned, including the veterans' memorial. The parcel was sold to Cornelius business Legacy Pointe Residential, LLC for $447,500 in 2017. Town manager Andrew Grant said the purchase was necessary so they could 'facilitate future development' in conjunction with nearby properties. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Residents upset as former Sault church turned into illegal rooming house
Staff recommends deferring a decision on the rezoning because the owner of the 99 Melville Rd. property didn't give proper notice to the neighbourhood about a public input meeting. City council in Sault Ste. Marie is expected to defer a decision on whether to legalize a rooming house that was built without the proper zoning and permits. Staff recommends deferring a decision at tonight's council meeting because the owner of the 99 Melville Rd. property didn't give proper notice to the neighbourhood about a public meeting to hear concerns about the rezoning application. 'It was brought to staff's attention that public notices for the applicant's neighbourhood meeting may not have been received in a timely manner,' said a staff report on the application. Notices sent day before meeting 'In fact, there is evidence that the applicant may not have circulated certain notices until the day before the meeting.' Planning staff attended the April 24 meeting and found that no neighbours showed up. The report recommends delaying a decision, scheduling another meeting with city staff mailing out notices themselves informing residents in the area. Several people have since written to the city to complain about the 12-unit rooming house. The former East Side Church of Christ building is zoned to permit a single-family residence, one letter said, but the developer turned it into a rooming house, advertising it as short-term rental space on places such as Airbnb and Kijiji. 'The City of Sault Ste. Marie has extensive records from visits and building inspections noting concerns with the building and the use of it,' the letter said. 'This was not an established rooming house or had improvements allowing for it. The improvements were made by the applicant post-2023 and after (the) acquisition of the property.' Developers are supposed to apply for zoning changes and permits before they proceed, the letter said, not ignore the rules and then try to legalize what they have done afterwards. 'The applicant knowingly developed the rooming house despite the lack of zoning,' the letter said. 'Neighbours revealed that workers told them of what the project was, and the zoning would be changed later.' Since it became a rooming house, large piles of garbage and recycling have become common since the residence is only supposed to be a single-family home. Parking issues, fire pits In addition, there are issues with parking, multiple fire pits and police visits. 'They do not maintain their parking area during the winter and the owner instructs the occupants to park in my driveway,' another Melville Road resident said. 'This has cost me hundreds in additional plowing fees as I have to call the company back that maintains my driveway once I have these people remove their vehicles from my property.' Another person wrote that police and security companies are called to the residence at all hours of the day and night because of problems. 'There is often garbage and refuse on the property … on the street in front of that address,' the letter said. 'There have been several gatherings with fires in the back and many people in attendance. The voices are loud as well as profanity being used that can be heard on the street.' Read the letters here and the staff report on page 242 of tonight's city council agenda here.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Locals push back against rezoning and development in rural Bulloch
STATESBORO, Ga. (WSAV) – With dozens of acres of land in Bulloch County at risk of being rezoned to build single family homes, the county's Planning and Zoning Commission made a major decision Tuesday. The Bulloch County Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend to the county's Board of Commissioners that they vote no to rezone 60 acres of land on the Highway 119 Connector in Brooklet. The land is currently zoned as AG-5, meaning at most, a developer could put one house per every five acres. Under the new permitting that the owner is applying for, one house per every acre would be allowed. 'Just in my front yard, to my side, it'll be eight houses. Along my friends and community, they'll be another 51 houses back there. So, we're just trying to protect what we have,' Clint Proudfoot who lives next to the proposed development said. At the meeting, Proudfoot said he spoke for not just himself but all his neighbors as well. WSAV took a tour of the land in question with Proudfoot and his neighbor to learn more about the close-knit group. 'We would've all went in together, even if we didn't have the money. We would've bought this land so it wouldn't be developed,' he said. 'We're trying to stop it. That's why we all moved here, to get away from the Bloomingdale growth, and the Pooler and the Savannah so to speak.' However, those at the meeting said maintaining their rural community wasn't the only reason they opposed the rezoning. 'Anybody who travels that area knows there's an accident it seems like once a week there,' Proudfoot said. 'Adding a potential 174 vehicles coming out right there on that curve.' Families were also concerned with their children's education. 'The school system at Stilson is already at max capacity. So, if these houses are like starter family homes, which is what they're proposing, it means they'll be kids who have to go to Stilson elementary,' Proudfoot said. Although the Planning and Zoning committee voted not to recommend the rezoning be approved, the board of commissioners can still vote yes. They'll make that decision at a meeting on June 3 at 115 N Main St. in Statesboro. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
