One of the most-visited articles in the StittsvilleCentral.ca archives is about a proposal to build a Keg restaurant on the corner of Hazeldean and Huntmar. And one of the most frequently asked questions received: “When is that Keg finally going in anyways?”
Councillor Shad Qadri provided an answer last night at the Fairwinds Community Association Annual General Meeting. Construction is scheduled to being April 15, with an opening date targeted for November 30 of this year.
Qadri said the restaurant was hold for a while because there isn’t enough sewer capacity in the area for new businesses. The developers made a deal with another property owner to “borrow” some of their capacity, so now plans can move forward.
There are a few changes to the plan since it was first submitted in the fall of 2015, including:
- The entrance has been moved from the back of the building to the front along Hazeldean Road.
- The building footprint and elevation along Hazeldean Road needed to be lengthened to comply with zoning provisions of an Arterial Main Street Zone, which requires a minimum of 50% of the lot width to be occupied by building walls. (So that there’s more building along Hazeldean Road, and less parking lot.)
- Extra accessible parking spaces have been added near the door.
- Additional landscaping has been added, including trees along Huntmar Drive.
You can read more about the plans here…
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Qadri also gave an update on the status of the missing sidewalk on the west side of Huntmar, north of Hazeldean. It was ripped out a few years back but never replaced.
The developers of the Keg will be required to build a sidewalk immediately fronting their property on Huntmar, but that’s it. The sidewalk won’t continue north to Coriolis won’t be built until somebody develops that piece of land.
According to Qadri: “City is unable to require that portion of the sidewalk be constructed… At this time I do not have any timelines as to when development will move forward on that site.”
He adds: “As residents may recall, there was an interesting situation where there was a sidewalk on the west side of Huntmar Drive north of Hazeldean Road along the undeveloped commercial lot. Staff in the Planning Department did review this situation and advised that this stretch of sidewalk was completed by the developer in the area although they were not required to install it by the City as it did not abut their development property. However, following the installation of the sidewalk it was then required to be removed in order to install utilities and was not re-installed as the developer was not required to do so and it appears it was originally done in error by the developer.”
In other words, that sidewalk – a mere 200 metres along a collector road in a residential area – could remain unbuilt literally forever.
If no developer will complete the sidewalk, can’t the city do it? It’s city property.
City policy (and also provincial policy, according to Councillor Qadri) is that developers pay for the sidewalk. That policy usually works to the benefit of taxpayers because the cost of sidewalks are paid for by developers — but it’s a flawed policy in cases like this one.
The city certainly *can* spend the money – but they would have to bump other sidewalk projects further down the priority list.
Maybe we should start a donation jar?
Maybe they could use the money they saved by not clearing my street properly this winter. Or money saved by not saving/maintaining heritage properties.
Or delay the closing of Johnswood. We didn’t ask for that one. Could save a bundle there.
Is this not where the retirement home is being built.
No, the Wellings of Stittsville retirement home is just a bit further west.
https://stittsvillecentral.ca/notebook-parking-goes-underground-on-hazeldean/