Residents speak out about plans for proposed redevelopment of Brantford FreshCo Plaza

BRANTFORD A large group of people, many of them residents of Eagle Place, turned out on Tuesday to get information– and raise concerns — about a proposed redevelopment of the FreshCo Plaza on Market Street that would include a mix of retail, services and up to 2,500 housing units.

Canadian Properties Group, which purchased the 12-acre plaza in 2021, plans to submit a re-zoning application to the city in the fall to allow for the development.

Paul Rossetto of Canadian Properties Group said the proposed development is known as a “live, work, play” community where residents have car-free access to healthcare, food, schools and nearby employment.

“These kinds of infill developments are happening all over,” said Rossetto. “Plazas are being turned into complete communities. Everything you need is there. It’s a concept happening all over the world.”

Plans, which Rossetto said are preliminary and subject to change, call for work to be done in four phases. Each phase would include commercial space on the ground level, a two- or three-floor “podium,” which could include space for medical offices, banks, post-secondary classrooms and other services. Above the podiums would be towers with residential units ranging from six to 25 stores. The tallest towers would run along Clarence Street.

Plans call for a mix of housing types, including townhouses, condos, rental units and student housing. Because the plaza is situated on a flood plain, no underground parking is permitted. Instead, plans call for 1,500 parking spaces to be at the center of the development, hidden “as much as possible,” by buildings, said planner Reva White of SVN Architects and Planners.

Rossetto told residents packed into the Doug Snooks Community Centre, many of them concerned about losing the FreshCo grocery store, that retailers currently in the plaza will remain. Current tenants include Boston Pizza, Tim Hortons, Dollarama, Popeyes, the LCBO and The Beer Store. Rossetto said plans include total retail space to increase from 100,000 to 150,000 square feet.

“There is a lot of misinformation that we’re razing everything and putting up condos,” said Rossetto. “That’s not true. No stores will be closing as we develop the site.”

Each of the four phases of the development would take about 18 months, he said. The first phase, which includes moving the FreshCo store, could begin in late 2024 or 2025.

Residents who attended the information meeting, organized by Ward 5 councilors Brian VanTilborg and Mandy Samwell, voiced concerns about numerous issues, including increased traffic and the impact on water, sanitary, emergency services, and an already over-crowded hospital.

“We chose Eagle Place because of its low density,” said Derek Gamble who lives on Fifth Avenue. “I think Brantford is big enough as it is. The city doesn’t have to grow to Hamilton or Brampton size.”

“You’re squeezing too many people into too small an area,” said another resident.

White said the location has been identified in Brantford’s official plan as an area for growth.

Resident Ross Bennett, who was at Tuesday’s meeting, called the proposed development “one of the most positive things taking place in Eagle Place in years.”

“It puts us on par with other parts of the city,” he said. “It will force the city to treat us as first-class citizens.”

White stressed the development is still in the design stage and plans could change.

“Any drawings and designs will likely change based on various recommendations from reporting agencies, planning, government agencies and additional feedback from the community,” said Rossetto.

He wants to get input from the residents about what they’d like to see included in the project, adding that he understands people’s resistance to change. But he said the city needs revenue from the development charges and tax dollars the project would generate.

“If a city wants to grow and prosper, it has got to change.”