‘Iconic’ — Highrise project at former Amherstburg high school site moves forward
The former site of General Amherst High School is poised for a major transformation — and while town council has given its stamp of approval, the path forward hasn’t come without tension.
Amherstburg council voted Monday to rezone the property at 130 Sandwich St. S. from institutional to mixed-use residential and commercial, moving Valente Development’s plans to revamp the site another step closer to reality.The proposal includes two towers — one eight storeys, the other 11 — that would bring 144 residential units to the area along with retail or institutional space on the ground floor.
The historic school closed in 2022 following the opening of North Star High School and has remained vacant since.During recent public consultations, residents raised concerns over parking availability, increased density, and the height of the buildings — particularly the 11-storey tower.
Valente is proposing 262 parking spaces across the site, including a mix of surface and underground parking, with entrances from both Sandwich Street South and Laird Avenue South.
To address legal concerns, the town retained municipal lawyer Analee Baroudi, who specializes in land development. Baroudi told council Monday that the application meets all parking requirements and would likely withstand an appeal if the town rejected it based on those concerns.
“They are going to comply with the requirements from the zoning bylaw,” Baroudi said. “If council were to refuse the application based on lack of on-site parking, this is not something that would be defensible at the Ontario Land Tribunal.”
Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb supported the motion, noting the developer is offering more parking than required.
“This developer is providing 1.5 spaces per residential unit,” said Gibb, noting that one space per unit is the minimum. “The Piroli building was approved at 1.25.
“And like we’ve heard, we can’t deny based on parking anyway, they’re providing more than our minimum.”
As for the building height, Gibb said there’s unlikely to be a consensus in Amherstburg on what’s appropriate for a property as “iconic” as the former school site.
“We’re never going to agree on this but we have to come up with a vision for the property along with the developer,” Gibb said. “I seriously do not want to see an eight-storey brick box.
“What’s being proposed, I think, is in the best interest of Amherstburg. I think in the future this is going to be (another) iconic building.”
Coun. Diane Pouget cast the lone vote against the rezoning, citing the proposal went against the town’s official plan, which sets an eight-storey maximum.
“This is why I have a very difficult time having this be recommended before us,” Pouget said. “When we lose control, we don’t see or we don’t vote on the site plan. “I asked, specifically, if I could see the site plans when they were proposed to the accessibility committee, and the answer was no.
“I do want this developer to succeed, but I just can’t go against an official plan.”
Citing the “small town charm” that some residents feel is slipping away, Coun. Donald McArthur said the town will have to face these changes together, because growth can’t be stopped.
“That growth is coming,” he said. “We need to manage that growth and leverage that growth. Within 30 years, we’re going to be a population of 40,000 people.
“We’re going to grow 470 people a year. We had 9,200 residential units in 2021 and we’re going to need 14,100 by 2051 — that’s a increase of 4,900 residential units or 160 per year.
“It’s not just for people from Toronto, but it’s for our own kids who are going to need houses. So, the questions is, were are they going to go?”
With the passing of Bill 17, the Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, the province has shifted authority over site plan approvals from municipal councils to town staff, aiming to streamline the process and accelerate housing construction.
Referring to the bill as an “abomination,” Mayor Michael Prue amended the motion Monday night to include a provision directing staff to negotiate site plan control with the developer — a move intended to preserve some level of public input.
“When dealing with the site plan agreement, which entirely theirs (town staff) and not ours, that council has directed that we are interested in these things so that the residents can feel their interests are being heard, even though they have no authority and we have no authority,” Prue said.
With the rezoning approved, Valente Development can move ahead with detailed design and planning — though building permits and site plan approvals will still be required before construction begins.
07/16/2025 – ‘Iconic’ — Highrise project at former Amherstburg high school site moves forward – The Windsor Star’s Millar Holmes-Hill. Photo by Windsor Star’s Millar Holmes-Hill
