Duane Hicks
Fort Frances is seeing a bit of a building boom.
In addition to new homes being built at the Huffman Court subdivision, a new hotel and a Great Canadian Oil Change are in the cards this year, along with two more apartment buildings.
A sign recently was erected next to the Super 8 here, indicating a Microtel Inn & Suites would be built there in the future.
Last fall, the Rainy River Future Development Corp. began working with two companies interested in placing a chain hotel in Fort Frances, RRFDC client services manager Geoff Gillon told town council during its regular meeting Monday night.
To help facilitate this interest, the RRFDC began to measure daily occupancy, compile a competitor analysis, and provide property information and data on the marketplace, he added.
As a result, one of the interested consortiums will be building a Microtel on the aforementioned lot (Microtel is part of the Wyndham Hotel Group).
Gillon noted that here in Fort Frances, as well as elsewhere in the district, the last few years have been “really exciting.”
“Finally, things are coming together. It’s exciting everywhere you go,” he remarked.
“It’s the mine but it’s a lot of other factors,” Gillon added.
“People are investing. People are having confidence in the future.”
Gillon noted council, for example, went out on a limb in 2013 to start developing the Huffman Court subdivision and now only one lot remains unsold–with a new subdivision here being a possibility.
Meanwhile, council agreed Monday night to a recommendation of the Planning and Development executive committee to allow Sovereign Asset Management to be issued a building permit for a Great Canadian Oil Change at 850 King’s Highway, as well as enter into a site plan control agreement.
Great Canadian Oil Change is a franchised drive-thru oil change facility.
Over the years, the franchise concept has come to include all fluids that may require maintenance in a vehicle (i.e., anti-freeze, brake, transmission, etc.), as well as other products such as wiper blades and headlights.
This site is located immediately west of Boston Pizza.
Council also agreed to allow the Rainy River District Social Services Administrative Board to be issued a building permit for an eight-plex apartment building at 1301 Elizabeth St., as well as enter into a site plan control agreement for that project.
All of council voted in favour of the building permit except for Coun. John Albanese, who disagreed with where the apartment is being built.
“We’ve got [to] preserve and protect the green space in Fort Frances,” he stressed.
As well, council agreed to a recommendation of the Planning and Development executive committee to allow Wahkaihganun Futures Corp. to be issued a building permit for a six-plex apartment building at 237 Eighth St. W., as well as amend the site plan control agreement for Phase 4 of that development.
Coun. Ken Perry questioned why the agreement with Wahkaihganun did not include a retainer for five percent of the construction cost while the agreements with DSSAB and Sovereign Asset Management did.
Chief Building Official Tyson Dennis explained the agreement with Wahkaihganun was an amendment to an original plan that didn’t specify a retainer.
Retainers, however, are part of any new site plan agreements the town makes.
