Kingston, Ont. rejects proposed housing development on contaminated provincially-protected wetland – Kingston | Globalnews.ca

A controversial plan to clean up the old Davis Tannery lands for new housing is getting the thumbs down from city hall.

Tuesday night, council voted against a housing and commercial development on the 37-acre property, a development proposed by Patry Inc.

The plan would have seen over 1,600 new housing units, including 100 subsidized, affordable units, built on land that needs an extensive environmental cleanup of contamination left by a century of heavy industrial use.

Members of council in favour of the project focused on the need for more housing in the city.

“I, for one, want to be able to look people in the eye when they say that the biggest issue is housing, and what are you doing to help with housing,” said Mayor Bryan Paterson in Tuesday’s meeting.

“I want to be able to tell them I have done everything that I can do.”

However, it was a victory for local environmental groups vehemently opposed to the plan, because it would have meant cutting down an estimated 2,000 trees, and filling in a portion of a provincially-protected wetland.

“It seems unbelievable,” says Annabel Mills, a member of No Clearcuts Kingston.

“It really feels like a dream come true. There really is gold underneath that rainbow.”

Members of other local environmental groups are also praising this decision.

“The tannery is too important of a site, too much of a sensitive site to be left in the hands of a developer,” says Travis Canadien, a member of Belle Island Caretakers Circle.

“I am very happy, and the caretakers are very happy it’s been voted down.”

Councillors opposed to the project emphasized the environmental impact of the project, and voiced concern over the lack of detail from the developer about how the company planned to clean up the area.

“Right now, we — Kingston, Ontario, Canada — we need every forest and every species that lives in the forest so that we can to survive to fight climate change,” said councillor Lisa Osanic in Tuesday’s meeting.

Despite council’s rejection of the proposal, Patry Inc. says the company is disappointed, but not surprised.

“Initially, when we started the project, we were always in for the long haul,” says Latoya Powder, an urban planner for Patry Inc.

“We always knew this is one of those sites where you hold it, and just patiently wait.”

The wait is only just beginning.

Patry Inc. released a statement on Wednesday announcing its plan to launch an appeal of council’s decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

Powder says council has 15 days to serve the company notice of Tuesday night’s decision, and once received, it will begin the appeals process.