Wastell Homes, of London, has purchased the former Green Roof Restaurant property in Port Stanley.
Julian Novick, Director of Operations, at Wastell Homes, today said “ … we do have an accepted offer to purchase.”
Central Elgin engaged a realtor in October to sell the dilapidated restaurant at 4980 Sunset Drive, as well as the old firehall at 218 Joseph Street. The “surplus” properties were tendered on an ‘as-is’ basis.
The asking price for 4980 Sunset Drive was $799,900. It’s a 1.85-acre lot, sandwiched between the new Central Elgin Fire Rescue station and the Shell service station and car wash. The property includes 730 feet of frontage on Sunset, plus municipal sewage and water.
Current municipal zoning for the Green Roof property permits a mix of commercial and light industrial activities.
According to a CE surplus property report, permitted commercial uses may include: hotel‐motel business, automotive service, automotive dealerships, gas bars, business offices, eating establishments, and home and auto supply stores. Light industrial uses are limited to manufacturing, processing, repair and servicing, bulk fuel sales, storage of goods and raw materials warehousing.
It’s not yet known whether Wastell Homes will ask CE Council to rezone the site.
“For legal reasons we need to keep details confidential until we get to a certain stage of the real estate transaction,” said Novick. “That aside, we are in such early days there would not be much to talk about even if we could … check back in three to four months. By then we may be at the stage where we have more details and are able to share some plans.”
Wastell is perhaps best known locally for development of the Kokomo Beach Club on 58 acres of land north of George Street and south of the Kettle Creek Golf Course. Construction is well underway of some 150 single-detached houses, plus 360 condominium units in four buildings. The first phase of homes appears to be fully occupied.
Meanwhile, four Port Stanley residents – Lorraine McElroy and her husband Gerry Hensels, as well as Dale and Angela Homewood – bought the old firehall at 218 Joseph Street. The municipality had set an asking price of $699,900.
According to the original listing, the iconic firehall property next door to the Kettle Creek Inn offers more than 4,500 square feet of space. The concrete-block building is on a 36’x128’ lot, with eight parking spaces. Present zoning allows retail, restaurant and office uses, with second-storey residential.
The foursome envision converting the firefighter training centre into a luxury apartment unit and building an artisan market in the truck bays. It’s hoped the market – tentatively named “The Fire Hall Market” – will be anchored by a butcher, a fish monger, a bakery and a fromagerie, or dairy shop. They hope to open for business on the weekend of May 24, 2022.
CE officials have yet to confirm either of the surplus property transactions.
