Flood risk too great to allow fast-food joint in northeast London: Upper Thames officials

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The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority will meet on Tuesday to decide the fate of a proposed strip mall and McDonald’s in one of the most flood-prone areas of the city. LFP’s Jack Moulton breaks down why officials are warning against the development.

WHAT IS ON THE TABLE?

Up for discussion by Upper Thames is a Section 28 permit application for 1310 Adelaide St. N. and 795 Windermere Rd. in northeast London by Royal Premier Homes, which would allow development on what is a floodplain regulated by the conservation authority.

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The proposed development calls for a strip mall with two tenants, and a McDonald’s complete with a drive-thru. The land previously housed tennis courts and a GoodLife fitness centre, as well as a vacant home that was damaged by fire and demolished in 2021.

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

Staff with the authority are recommending the application at the southeast corner of Adelaide and Windermere be rejected, saying that the development along a flood plain of the Thames River “might jeopardize the health and safety of persons or result in damage or destruction of the property.”

“The proposed development activity is an intensification of use to the property as a whole where safe access cannot be achieved during a regulatory storm event,” a staff report reads.

The development area is pitched to be raised above the regulatory flood elevation standard and includes drainage channels around the perimeter that would direct water over lands to the south, which are owned by Upper Thames and managed by the City of London under the flood plain acquisition program.

“Staff do not support such proposed activities upon its lands for the purpose of facilitating private development on abutting properties,” the report adds, saying that despite the efforts by the developer to mitigate flooding, the risk is still too high.

HAS THIS AREA FLOODED BEFORE?

Upper Thames notes within its report that the area has flooded numerous times, showing photos of the area around the intersection being completely submerged in water in 1963, in 2008, and most recently in 2018.

“The area is a high flood risk area within a floodway of the North Thames River that is routinely subject to flooding causing overtopping of roads and/or damage to private properties,” a staff report reads.

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HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT?

The application was ultimately approved by city council in a 10-5 vote in February despite calls from city hall staff to reject it. An amendment was made to only allow two commercial units plus the fast food restaurant, down from four previously. Upper Thames staff note that political approval in their report, along with their previous objections.

The application to the city for the commercially zoned land had been in the works since 2016 and even changed ownership in the process, but some city councillors raised concerns of the possibility for more frequent and severe flooding amid climate change.

“I do think our job as council is to approve development applications that make good sense,” Coun. Skylar Franke said at the time. “I personally can’t say with a straight face that approving a McDonald’s drive-thru in a flood plain is a good planning decision.”

WHAT DO THE DEVELOPER & NEIGHBOURS THINK?

When the application went before council’s planning committee, a representative of the developer said the site could be essentially “flood proof,” able to be “high and dry” during a one-in-200-year flood event.

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Farhad Noory, the chief executive of Royal Premier Homes, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The developer maintains the right to appeal any rejection or approval with conditions to the Ontario Land Tribunal within 90 days.

Dan Windsor, the owner of Tin Cup Golf and landlord for the Waltzing Weasel restaurant on the north side of Windermere across from the development site, opposed the development at the Jan. 30 city hall meeting while acknowledging it would be a boon to his business. He even changed Tin Cup’s sign, urging residents to call the mayor with their opposition.

“Any grade change or additional paved areas on the proposed development site would exacerbate the flooding and consequential damage on the proposed property and our abutting property,” he said.

Several residents also wrote to city council expressing concerns about vehicle traffic on the nearby Kilally Trail.

jmoulton@postmedia.com

@JackAtLFPress

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