A Chatham-Kent (CK) councillor believes the latest decision by the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) to approve a new apartment building is a losing situation for everyone involved.
Brock McGregor spoke with CKNewsToday after the OLT gave the green light for a nine storey apartment building on Indian Creek Road West.
The project was first introduced to CK council in January 2025, with residents of the neighbourhood sharing concerns about a lack of privacy and impact of local traffic.
Multiple councillors had issues with the height, including Ryan Doyle who mentioned he would be willing to approve the project if it was between three to five storeys.
In August 2025, the project developers tried to compromise with the municipality by lowering the height of the building from nine storeys to eight and by giving he municipality part of the land for future transportation needs.
Council voted against the compromise, deciding to bring the entire issue to the OLT, which ultimately approved the project's original designs.
"I think when we look at the outcome from this result, it wasn't what the neighbors in the neighborhood wanted. It wasn't what the municipality wanted. It delayed housing. So, really no one won from this process," said McGregor.
He was in favour of the compromises proposed by the developer. At the time, he told council that allowing the OLT to make the final decision took it out of council's hands and that they would most likely approve the project due to the ongoing housing crisis.
The municipality ended up spending around $1,800 fighting the original designs with the OLT. This funding is coming from the municipality's Insurance Reserve.
"We work within these provincial guidelines and I think it's important that we understand those frameworks and how they work so that we can make decisions and move processes along that benefit members of the community that benefit neighbors that address issues. And I think it's our responsibility to make sure that we're doing that effectively," added McGregor.
The last thing the project needs before construction can start is a site approval plan, which the municipality has to green light if it compiles with all regulations and standards.
