• Stouffville is proposing a zoning change for municipally owned land at 100, 110, and 120 Weldon Road.
  • The site includes the Clippers Sports Complex, Fire Station 5-1, a new daycare, and surplus parking spaces.
  • A hotel developer has expressed interest in building on the eastern end of the lot.
  • The land is already designated for hotel uses under the new Official Plan, but requires rezoning.
  • Mayor Iain Lovatt said a hotel would keep tourism dollars in town and support economic growth.
  • Public consultation will be part of the planning process if development proceeds.

 

A patch of municipal land on Weldon Road, currently occupied by parking spaces, could soon be home to a new hotel.

The Town is proposing a zoning change for its properties at 100, 110, and 120 Weldon Rd., which include Fire Station 5-1, the Clippers Sports Complex, a modular daycare facility under construction, and a large surface parking lot. Officials say the eastern portion of that lot may soon serve a new purpose.

“There is somebody who wants to put a hotel…on the east end of the parking lot, which is actually a pretty interesting idea because we have 126 more spots than is required for the arena,” Mayor Iain Lovatt said during an April 23 town hall meeting at Latcham Hall.

In Stouffville, arenas must provide two parking spaces for every 100 square metres of sports fields or rink space. For the Clippers Sports Complex, that translates to a requirement of 143 spaces. Excluding those designated for Fire Station 5-1, the adjacent surface lot contains 269 parking spaces.

“This is a conversation that we are having with the proponent, who is a seasoned hotel operator,” Lovatt noted. The stated interest from the hospitality sector was also included in a related Staff report coming to a Public Planning Meeting on Wednesday, May 7.

The site falls within the Western Approach Mixed-Use area of Stouffville’s new and in-force Official Plans, which already permit hotel uses. This means no Official Plan Amendment would be required for the project to proceed.

However, the property is currently zoned “Institutional” under the Town’s Comprehensive Zoning By-law, which prohibits hotel uses. Town Staff are recommending the zoning be changed to “Commercial Mixed Use – Western Approach” (CM2), a designation that would accommodate a hotel and align with the broader land-use permissions laid out in the Official Plan.

In addition to hotel uses, the CM2 zoning would also allow for residential development such as condominiums or apartment buildings.

“The proposed CM2 zone permits a maximum height of 20 metres. This is approximately six storeys, depending on the architectural style of the building,” Staff explained to Bullet Point News. “The total number of rooms will be dependent on the amount of parking that is able to be accommodated and the specifications of the eventual hotelier. It has been indicated that the site could accommodate a 70-100 room product.”

“We need a hotel in our community,” Lovatt said. “We have families that come here who have kids that play hockey, for example, and they go stay in Markham and spend all of their money there. We’re missing out on that, and we’re seeing money leave our community.”

Beyond addressing a local shortage of hotel rooms, the project would bolster Stouffville’s economic tax base. Hotels are considered employment-generating uses, which means they are subject to commercial property taxes. Lovatt also pointed out that guests would pay an additional Value Added Tax (VAT), contributing further to the municipality.

Stouffville’s Economic Development team has been working with a hotelier to find a viable location for some time. An earlier investigation considered land near Highway 48 and Hoover Park Drive, but the site proved unfeasible.

“All we’re doing at this point is looking at changing the zoning in the eastern part of the parking lot to allow this to happen,” Lovatt explained. “I’m not saying that it is going to happen, but it gives us the flexibility.”

Any future development would still need to go through the formal planning process, which includes public consultation.

“People can come and speak about the application during a Public Planning Meeting and whether that is a good use of those parking spaces just south of the Fire Hall,” Lovatt added.

The May 7 Public Planning Meeting presenting the rezoning proposal will take place in Council Chambers at 7 p.m. Whether or not the hotel is ultimately built, the zoning change would represent a strategic shift that could turn underutilized asphalt into an economic anchor for the community.