This is what a Stratford heritage neighbourhood should look like.

We are a group of citizens who want to see good development for our neighbourhood. We were happy to learn that Chancery Mendez had begun a project on Ontario Street. The company promised appropriate townhouse buildings, and we looked forward to the long-delayed improvement.

The developer then submitted a proposal asking for a four-story condominium complex stretching from Queen Street nearly to Trow. The proposal is completely unsuitable for our mixed residential neighbourhood, and particularly inappropriate for Queen Street, the entrance to the Festival Theatre. To make things worse, a traffic study has yet to be done.

We protested this dishonesty. Robert Ritz, a local architect, donated an alternative proposal to our group. It includes the beautiful drawing on this page, which shows how our neighbourhood could look it it were respectfully developed. Rob helped us make a case before City Council, showing that the density of our neighbourhood could be doubled without losing century homes.

Council ignored this plan.

We are now deep in the appeals process with the Ontario Land Tribunal, and we need your help. If this development is allowed to go ahead, all Stratford neighbourhoods along heritage corridors are under threat.