BY NANCY KELLY
Kings County Advertiser/Register
Development could be on the horizon for the former Canadian Tire site in Greenwood.
At the Sept. 22 meeting of the Greenwood village commission, chairman Al Belliveau reported a Halifax-area property developer has shown “real interest” in the land and building, which has been sitting empty since Canadian Tire Corporation built a new location just down the road, at the intersection of Bridge Street and Central Avenue, several years ago. Belliveau said the developer plans to construct a new hotel, something he says would be a “very welcome addition to the community.
“We have been trying for years to get a new hotel in the area, and now it seems to becoming a reality.”
Deputy Kings County Warden Diana Brothers, who represents Greenwood on Kings County council, confirms an offer has been made on the property. Declining to name the interested party, Brothers was quick to point out the offer is “not, however, a done deal.
“He came down and looked at five different sites in the two communities (Kingston and Greenwood) suitable for development, and chose to make an offer on the old Canadian Tire site.”
Brothers says the offer, which came together in a comparatively short period of time, had several “normal” conditions attached to it and the process of satisfying those conditions is still in the works.
“Consider it like a checklist,” says Brothers.
Brothers says the developer has met with 14 Wing Greenwood officials and representatives of the Greenwood village commission to keep them in the loop about the offer, and “gather the thoughts and needs of the community” from the perspective of the two organizations. She adds the current land-use designation of the property is compatible with hotel development, but couldn’t say for sure if it is the intention of the developer to build a new hotel or pursue some other commercial development use, should the deal go through. Brothers agrees the community needs more hotel rooms.
“A hotel in the area would definitely play an important part in the bigger picture of growth in Greenwood. 14 Wing has several big things on the go, including the twin-pad arena project, and the county is also working to create a local heritage site for tourism. We have to make an effort to make connections that open doors to future community development, and I am committed to seeing that happen.”
