Public meeting to discuss new retail spaces near Mount Forest No Frills

MOUNT FOREST – Two new retail spaces could soon find their homes on a local grocery store property. 

To be discussed at a public meeting on Monday, CP REIT Ontario Properties Limited is seeking to rezone 504 Main St. N. in Mount Forest to Shopping Centre Commercial Site-Specific to facilitate the construction of two new retail units on a vacant south portion of the lot totalling over 2,000 square metres. 

A report on the proposal says the existing No Frills, gas bar and parking lot are proposed to remain and site-specific standards for a reduced parking requirements are also being proposed to accommodate a seasonal garden centre. 

The proposed development would provide a total of 311 parking spaces, 15 of those accessible, and 281 parking spaces if the garden centre is operating. 

A Traffic Impact Study (TIS) prepared submitted alongside the application said all intersections and accesses are expected to "operate well" and have "no negligible impacts."

Existing accesses along Mount Forest Drive are proposed to remain the same while access on Main Street North would be modified to become right turn in and out only.

An additional access on Sligo Road East and keeping an existing horse and buggy access are also proposed. 

The bylaw will be considered at a future council meeting.

The public meeting will take place on Monday, Oct. 7 at 2 p.m. 

Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.