Sarnia council backs away from downtown parking lot donation

The County of Lambton, it appears, is not getting a downtown Sarnia parking lot after all.

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About 16 months after offering the city’s underused Victoria Street lot for free, part of a plan to help put a dent in Sarnia’s affordable housing shortage, members of Sarnia council Monday changed their minds.

“I think we made a mistake,” said Coun. Dave Boushy after he and others on council recently heard from residents opposed to building supportive housing in the one-hectare (2.2-acre) lot at Victoria and Cromwell streets.

Council Monday voted 7-2 to receive and file — take no action on — has been postponed recommending the city donate a little more than half the parking lot for the build, while retaining about 50 parking spaces.

The scope of the build — inspired by other supportive housing projects by charity Indwell in places like St. Thomas and London — hasn’t been determined, said John DeGroot, with a local group that’s been advocating for the project, and gathering community support.

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Indwell builds typically include 40 to 50 below-market-rent units, are clean and well maintained, with 24-hour security, and staff on site like medical and food service professionals, DeGroot said, to help provide support for people with mental health and substance dependency issues.

A county report proposing two towers on the site and 267 units wasn’t the final design, DeGroot said.

A group called the Downtown Business Collective of Sarnia Lambton recently posted an open letter on Facebook to city council members, dated Oct. 24, expressing concerns about losing parking spaces downtown, and the lack of grocery stores and affordable retailers downtown for supportive housing tenants.

The letter that has 43 signatures suggests bars and restaurants serving alcohol nearby could be problematic for residents.

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“We’ve taken it upon ourselves to share our insights and concerns in this public letter, hoping to foster a constructive dialogue about the future of our downtown core,” the letter says.

City council in July 2023 approved giving the county at least part of the lot after DeGroot’s group asked.

Council then offered the whole lot in Mayat the county’s request, but with the condition that some of the lot be maintained for public parking.

The county recently returned with insurance concerns, and asked the city to keep part of the lot to maintain parking.

Council earlier this month voted 6-3 to draw up details with the county for that.

Coun. Chrissy McRoberts’ was among the changed minds Monday.

“The downtown and the residents and business owners in the area have spoken and we have to take that into consideration,” she said, proposing Avondale Park beside Pat Stapleton Arena as a potential alternative site.

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The city still needs to be involved in adding more housing, she said.

Mayor Mike Bradley and Coun. Adam Kilner voted against receiving and filing.

“We are in a state of emergency, no doubt,” Kilner said about the housing crisis, while recognizing the importance of hearing community concerns.

“I have sat difficultly with the emotions stirring about what is right versus what we can practically do,” he said.

Bill Dennis, who voted consistently against donating the parking lot, took council’s collective change of heart as affirmation.

“Myself and Coun. (Terry) Burrell were on the right side of this, right from day one,” he said.

He said some downtown business owners have long been unhappy with the idea, but said council and city staff haven’t been listening.

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Coun. Brian White, who voted with the majority to receive and file, said people who contacted him also were concerned about property values, impacts on their businesses, safety concerns, as well as not being consulted.

Not everyone downtown opposes the project, but moving forward becomes difficult without strong community support, he said.

More education is needed about the benefits of supportive housing, typically built where problems already exist, he said, noting other projects in other communities have helped mitigate things like calls to police.

“The rules are pretty intense in terms of allowing people to heal and grow and foster a productive future,” he said.

The lack of affordable housing in Sarnia-Lambton remains, White said, where people have been living in tents in parks. Lambton County has about 2,500 affordable housing units and more are needed before 2030 to meet demand.

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“I’m very concerned that we just lost a year and a half of momentum — of trying to put a lot of pieces together and bring a lot of people together to the table for this project,” White said.

“That said, I’m hopeful one of the other sites can fit the bill.”

Plans were to speak with county staff soon to discuss other options, said White, also deputy warden on Lambton County council.

“There’s a lot of fear of the unknown,” DeGroot said about project opposition.

“But if that’s the collective will of the community and council, then we just simply move on” and look at other site options.

The lot is one of five potential affordable and supportive housing sites identified in a plan county council endorsed in February.

“The difficulty is going to be if it’s going to be a problem on Victoria Street, is it also going to be a problem” elsewhere? DeGroot asked.

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