COLCHESTER APARTMENT BUILDING - DEC 2, 2025 -
RESIDENTS MEETING
Colchester Community Centre
We attended the special meeting held last night at the Colchester Community Centre to review and discuss the 3 storey apartment building proposed for the northeast corner of Cty Rd 50 & Jackson Street. At least 16 residents were present at the meeting plus 5 were online via Zoom. Also attending were Councillor Rodney Hammond, Rita Jabbour from the Town of Essex Planning department, the Developer's Consultant, Tracey Pillon Abs and the Developer, Wing On Lee, now a Colchester resident.
The Consultant took us through her very clear presentation (attached below) with her explanations concerning the Town of Essex Official Plan and the appropriate zoning bylaws. At this point she opened the floor to the audience where many had pointed questions about privacy, noise, building heights, lighting, parking etc. Numerous answers were provided by the Consultant and subsequently expanded upon by the Developer, Wing On Li. Mr. Li indicated that current zoning regulations require Commercial space on the main floor and the most viable approach was to plan for a small, boutique type motel on the main floor in lieu of typical retail space. That said, it appears that the final designs of the building and the inclusion of a small motel (or not) have yet to be determined.
Unfortunately, the acoustics in our Community Centre, with its high ceilings, are very poor and it was difficult to clearly hear most anyone speaking unless they were but a few feet away. Some participants appeared to be pleased with the answers to questions and others left looking for more information.
We intend to stay close to this matter and to keep residents informed of any updates or changes as they occur.
If you have further queries or concerns, feel free to contact colchestermatters@gmail.com
FLYER TO BE DELIVERED TO RESIDENTS WEST OF COLCHESTER VILLAGE - NOV 11, ‘25
MAY 22, 2025, 6:00PM
HARROW ARENA
** NOTICE OF MEETING TO REVIEW COLCHESTER SECONDARY PLAN CONCERNS **
- Doors open at 5:30 with a presentation to start at 6:00.
- There is limited space and participants are encouraged to RSVP by pressing the button below to register with the Town
- If you have questions, the Town requests you to provide them in advance by either adding them when you register or mailing them separately from the ‘Log Your Questions’ button below.
COPY OF EMAIL FROM THE TOWN OF ESSEX
Colchester Community Centre - Dec 5, 2024
AMBASSADOR BEACH INFORMATION MEETING (Dec 5, ‘24)
At the specific request of the Town Of Essex Council, Horizon Developments, the developers of the property at Ambassador Beach known as Colchester Heights, were asked to schedule a meeting to enlighten area residents. Horizon determined that they would issue invitations only to the immediate neighbours of that new development. One of the residents of Pleasure Beach, received the invitation and asked Colchester Matters to attend on her behalf. Considering that many of the people in that general area are part-time residents, attendance was somewhat limited. Mayor Bondy and councillors Jason Matyi and Brad Allard were also part of the audience. Engineers from Dillon Consulting, the firm representing Horizon Developments, were on hand to walk people through the presentation boards on display.
Throughout the hour and a half meeting, there appeared to be lively discussions between the engineers and residents and neighbours who had questions and concerns about drainage, fencing, widening of the Ambassador Beach road, intensification, the wisdom of adding basements, the western side lot easement and many other items. Questions were asked about whether prospective buyers would be warned in writing, in advance, that this entire area is susceptible to flooding (as per ERCA drawings) and that the availability of flood insurance was unlikely (no answers were received on this question).
As of the date that this article was written, this subdivision has yet to be approved by the County of Essex and all of the designs displayed by Dillon Consulting are based on the pre-engineering done to help secure that approval. The Town of Essex has provided their endorsement of this subdivision but the County has the final say.
More photos of the display boards are below.
HARROW ARENA MEETING - NOV 28, 2024
Colchester Residents Meet to Review Issues
On Thursday, November 28, 2024, a large number of Colchester residents gathered at the Harrow arena to hear a presentation given by Mayor Sherry Bondy about the village and it’s concerns with large housing developments, official plans wastewater systems, flooding, drainage and numerous other topics. The crowd was alert, engaged and listened attentively while the Mayor explained the details of the Provincial Planning Statements and the County and Town Official Plans. She also delved into topics such as the Municipal Drainage Act, zoning and the realities facing both homeowners, the town and various developers.
The last portion of the meeting was devoted to a question and answer session with numerous residents voicing their concerns about intensification, basement flooding, over development, hydro reliability and concerns about crowding and traffic.
Mayor Bondy ended the session with a reminder that the Mayor and Council really do listen to residents and how important it was for all residents to stay interested and involved. “Communication is critical” she said, “Don’t be afraid to reach out to Council, we really do listen!”