The City of Burlington and Quantum Automotive are working on a deal that may eventually see significant commercial development at the northwest corner of King Road and the North Service Road in Aldershot, perhaps even a “large-scale motor vehicle dealership.”
The land, at 1450 King Road, is currently occupied by a city stormwater pond.
The proposed deal involves a land swap. Quantum, which owns the north part of the 2.2-hectare site, would build a new stormwater pond in its land, give it to the city, then take over ownership of the city’s old pond, decommission it, re-zone it, and convert the site into prime commercial property.
A site plan was filed with the city in February and a public meeting about the plan was held earlier this month.
Aldershot City Councillor Kelvin Galbraith supports the proposed deal. “Basically, this is an initiative to move the stormwater pond back from the corner to free up a much more valuable piece of property.”
Shaun Harcus is Quantum’s Director of Facilities and Real Estate. During an interview this week, he said there is no guarantee that when all the work is done the property will host a car dealership. “We can’t commit to it, however, we have in the language of the land exchange agreement the possibility of an automotive centre.”
Harcus reports that Quantum is paying for everything, including the new, upgraded stormwater pond.
“We’re paying for it all. It’s a better stormwater management facility than the current one. It will meet the city’s new upgraded stormwater management requirements. We’re going to completely construct it at our own expense and commission the pond with the approval of the city engineering staff and then we will decommission, at our cost, the existing stormwater management facility.”
Work on the new pond, which is the catalyst for the land swap, is expected to begin next spring.
Quantum has completed an environmental study and is not anticipating any significant environmental concerns.
Quantum is the operator of the highly successful Mercedes Benz dealership on the North Service Road west of King Road. The company owns a total of six properties in the neighbourhood and has big plans for growth. At a recent public meeting, it was suggested that eventually the firm could become one of the largest employers in Burlington, with over a thousand staff.
