Expansion plans

Drake properties set to grow Wellington footprint

When the Drake Devonshire Inn settled in Wellington a few years back, there’s no question things changed. The very fabric of the village experienced a renaissance of sorts never before seen in recent history as this establishment’s Toronto base welcomed an existing and new clientele to their new lakeside location in Prince Edward County. The Drake Devonshire’s presence then extended to the Drake Motor Inn on lands farther along Wharf Street to the north, as well as the area that includes Midtown Brewing, the former Midtown Meats site. Application documents submitted by Drake Hotel Properties this summer call for an Official Plan amendment to the Wellington Secondary Plan, consent to sever, and a re-zoning bylaw amendment which, if approved, will see both the Drake Devonshire Inn and the Drake Motor Inn sites expand further in Wellington’s downtown core.

Close to 30 people attended a virtual public information meeting last Wednesday to hear a presentation of what is proposed for the two Drake sites, where folks had an opportunity to ask questions and provide comment. Along with Drake Hotel representatives and members of the development team, also in attendance were Councillors Mike Harper, Ernie Margetson and John Hirsch. The Drake Devonshire Inn (located at 20 to 24 Wharf Street) is 0.57 hectares in size with 93 metres of frontage on Wharf Street; the nearby Drake Motor Inn is located at 41, 43, 45 and 47 Wharf Street. The largest portion of the Drake Motor Inn property (at 0.83 hectares) is situated at 266 Main Street, with a 64-metre frontage on Wharf Street and a 20-metre frontage on Main Street.

The existing three-storey Drake Devonshire Inn includes a restaurant and kitchen plus 12 guest rooms and private guest amenity space. The proposed three-storey addition (which will require the demolition of the existing dwelling at 20 Wharf Street) will include an expanded kitchen and dining area, an expanded multifunction pavilion and 15 additional guest rooms, more than doubling existing accommodations. Bylaw regulations require a total of 71 parking spaces to accommodate the expansion; 23 exist on-site currently, with 48 parking spaces proposed off-site at the nearby Drake Motor Inn property. It was noted that existing site access would be maintained at the Drake Devonshire property. “The addition as proposed to replace the footprint of the existing pavilion and the building at 20 Wharf Street will have no negative impact on the original inn, the W.P. Niles house, which forms part of the existing Devonshire Inn,” explained architect Shelley Ludman with ERA Architects.

Ludman said special attention has been given to the east elevation to minimize impact to the Wharf Street frontage and the adjacent residential neighbourhood. “Sightlines from Main Street to Lake Ontario have been maintained,” she said. Further, access and opening on the Wharf Street elevation have been limited. Bryon Keene with Jewell Engineering confirmed the Drake Devonshire expansion would not encroach further upon the shoreline. “There is a very low risk of any erosion or instability, so we felt the shore would be pretty stable and safe and the development wasn’t going any closer to the shoreline, so there would be no additional risk,” Keene said.

Ruth Ferguson Aulthouse of RFA Planning Consultant provided more information on the Drake Motor Inn, noting the existing tourist accommodation buildings (43 and 45 Wharf Street) house a total of 12 guest rooms. An existing historic two-storey home with separate workshop located at 47 Wharf Street will be demolished to make way for a new two-storey building to contain six guest rooms and a common area. “The exterior façade of the new building at 47 Wharf Street will be consistent with the design of the existing Drake Motor Inn buildings,” said Ludman. In addition, the developers plan to sever a residential lot fronting Niles Street (north of Lane Creek) which forms part of the Drake Motor Inn parcel of land, and has the potential to accommodate a single detached dwelling.

Citing parking as a significant part of the application, Ferguson Aulthouse noted the interior of the Motor Inn site is a paved parking area currently with an entrance from Main Street. “This plan allocated the intended parking for the Motor Inn and Devonshire uses, so within this parking area there are 18 spaces for the Drake Motor Inn and there are also about seven spaces on Wharf Street and 11 here [Drake Motor Inn],” explained Ferguson Aulthouse. She noted Midtown Brewing has an allocation of 16 parking spaces. “The remainder of the parking spaces are to be allocated for the Drake Devonshire Inn and there are 48 of those in total.”

“When all of the parking requirements are considered and the demand for parking is calculated, there does appear to be a surplus parking area and it is intended this existing paved area would be re-developed as a landscaped amenity space for the Motor Inn,” said Ferguson Aulthouse. She said it is hoped to create an attractive setting to green-up this portion of the Midtown Brewing site near Lane Creek. “Existing trees will be retained and more walkways added along the creek, and a patio area for guests.” She said all development will respect the Lane Creek flood plain and setbacks.

Audience comments were few, but a question arose about whether the Wellington heritage conservation district proposal had been considered in the proposed design. Evan Nash asked whether the property fronting Niles Street would be developed or used for parking or another use, such as staff housing. “It is prime residential space and staff housing has been considered and is at the top of our list,’ said the Drake’s Scott Hart. Concern was voiced by Pierson’s Foodland owner who asked where construction crews will park given that during the last renovation, those vehicles used the grocery store parking lot. Foodland also asked for pre-consultation so their truck schedule could be managed, and they also wanted a guarantee there would be no interruption to their truck flows and their business.

The issue of employee parking at the Drake Devonshire was raised, and Hart said there were extra spaces available at the Midtown site. “We encourage all of our staff to park during the summertime by the old hockey rink,” said Hart. Another commenter said she understood construction at the old Duke Dome was due to begin in January, thereby taking away the parking for staff. “I wasn’t aware that construction was about to start there, but we would definitely have to make alternative accommodations for the staff, although we have adequate parking in the Main Street lot currently,” Hart said. A statutory public meeting will be held at a future date before any final decision is made. All planning documents relating to this application are available on the County’s website (search active planning applications).