DUNNVILLE—Taco Bell and Burger King fans in Dunnville will be thrilled to learn they may no longer have to leave the comfort of their community to get that Chalupa Supreme or Triple Whopper they’ve been craving as both restaurants are potentially coming to town.
Both are part of a proposed commercial development slated for the corner of Broad St. E. and Ramsey Dr., in addition to a new Shoppers Drug Mart and a proposed 118 parking spaces to accommodate the new stores.
County staff are currently in the process of reviewing the application. We spoke with County Planning Supervisor Alisha Cull about where the proposal currently stands.
“The first submission of the site plan has been returned to the applicant for revisions. The comments are technical in nature and no significant concerns were raised,” said Cull. “This site is unique, however, because it can’t be approved until the two-zone floodplain concept included in the Haldimand County Official Plan Review is approved by the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH).”
Cull noted that Official Plan Review was submitted to MMAH in September of 2022 and no approval has been granted at this time.
The property in question is already properly zoned for Service Commercial, which Cull noted includes restaurant and retail uses: “Zoning relief is required for a deficient front yard setback, exterior side yard setback, rear yard setback, and gross floor area for retail uses. A minor variance application has been deferred until the Province approves the Official Plan Review.”
Cull shared some insight into how developments like this can help bolster a community like Dunnville, explaining, “We anticipate a significant number of new jobs created by the restaurants and the Shoppers Drug Mart. These businesses will also add to the variety of options for restaurants and retail in Dunnville.”
We inquired if Cull had any information to provide on when we might see shovels in the ground for the proposed project.
“At this time we are not able to provide a timeline as the approval hinges on the Province’s approval of the Official Plan Review. In the past, these approvals took approximately four months, but it has been about 15 months so far for this submission with no date indicated for approval.”
