Sarnia Council has temporarily put the brakes on development of Sarnia's former Kinsmen Centre property.
In a 6-1 recorded vote, council decided to defer the decision on the city's application for zoning and official plan amendments for the two acres at 656 Lakeshore Rd.
City staff has been directed to undertake a community planning process over the next six months that will consider a mix of park and residential uses and amenities for Baxter Park, near Colborne Rd. and the Kinsmen Centre Lands.
Mayor Mike Bradley called for the recorded vote so he, as chair of the meeting, could make a comment.
"I believed that this was a planning hearing here tonight and we had an obligation to deal with the question," said Bradley. "The question was, and I've gone through this so many times and that's why ten years ago I brought forward a policy to protect parkland. Either we accept that we're going to do this or we're not going to, and I would not support this particular transaction. Seems to me it would be better for us to terminate the planning application from the city."
Neighbours in the public gallery cheered and clapped in response to Bradley's advice.
"I think what's going to happen is six months, or nine months, or a year from now probably, we'll be back here dealing with the same application and I don't see compromise from what I hear tonight," said Bradley. "I appreciate most of the motion, but the fact that we're not dealing with the application and getting certainty to the community that we're not going to put up parklands for sale is not dealt with. It is left out there now for the rest of 2017."
Bradley went on to say there was no question in his mind the application was being driven by development.
Councillor Anne-Marie Gillis challenged that statement.
"I have not in any estimation looked at this as being development driven," said Gillis. "I've looked at it as an opportunity for us to try and improve what we have and the motion that is brought forward gives everyone an opportunity to look and bring forward very creative ideas of how we can take this particular parcel of land and turn it into what everyone wants it to be. To suggest that anything otherwise was the intent, I think is unfair."
A petition with 300 signatures opposing the application was presented to council and seven neighbours spoke against it during the meeting.
"You want a blank cheque," Patrick Marcella of Beach Lane told city staff and council. "Baxter Park will be ruined if this rezoning is approved."
In its application, the city asked that the land designation be changed from "parks" to "urban residential" in the official plan and changed from "open space" to "urban residential" in the zoning by-law.
Redeveloping the property for single detached residential dwelling lots is proposed.
The city has said it planed to demolish the former Kinsmen Centre early this year after council declared the lands surplus in November and directed staff to proceed with its sale.
User-groups and tenants were relocated from the building last year, when it was closed due to mould and related safety concerns.