Neighborhood could earn some karma
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Sikh Society of Guelph continues to look for a piece of property on which to build a temple.
Even if the zoning change application goes through for 410 Clair Rd. E., it’s clear there’s a sizable number of residents in the Clair Road/Gordon Street area who would be bitter about it. I can’t imagine a warm welcome or a comfortable settling in. Not now.
For the unhappy residents, the temple would forever be regarded as an eyesore and its presence would be blamed for any increase in traffic on Clair Road — even though more traffic is sure to come its way when residential development along Victoria Road is completed and other planned commercial and retail complexes along Clair are built.
I could be wrong. And I’m not saying they should give up.
But if they are looking around the city, I wonder if there’s an opportunity for the Sikh Society to build their temple in the Lafarge property, that’s located east of the Hanlon between Waterloo Avenue and Paisley Road.
Development on this property encountered opposition from neighbours too. They were worried about noise and traffic and the effect it might have on property values. There was also the notion that the land, which had grown wild after years of being vacant, had an environmental sensitivity and was therefore worth preserving.
The plans were modified to appease some of those concerns and in January Silvercreek (Guelph) Developments Ltd. got the go-ahead from the Ontario Municipal Board to build 245,000 square feet of retail space, 42,000 square feet of service commercial, and at least 340 homes.
Talk about noise and increased traffic. Trucks will be through there day and night delivering shipments to a proposed big box store. It will be a zoo along Paisley Road and Alma Street as people take the back streets to avoid hopping on the highway.
I don’t like it but I understand there’s a process and the application went through that process. And at least the development won’t be as high density as originally proposed.
But wouldn’t it be something to round the bend on the Hanlon just after Wellington Street and see a Gurdwara with its magnificent domes. What a great statement Guelph would make about being a global city.
There’s already the Guelph Bible Chapel on Silvercreek Parkway South, the Guelph Bible Conference Centre on Waterloo Avenue, and St. Joseph Catholic Church on Paisley. With a temple, the area would be surrounded by places of worship. That can only be good for the karma in the neighbourhood.
I could swallow the whole development scenario better if some of the housing could be constructed specifically for affordable housing. And maybe Habitat for Humanity could acquire some residential lots and see some economy of scale in building several homes together.
An affordable community, a peace-loving community, that’s walkable to stores, churches and schools.
Who wouldn’t want that in their backyard?
