City staff said no, but committee says yes to McDonald's and strip mall on flood plain
Planning committee members voted 3 - 2 to approve the strip mall and McDonalds
A committee of city councillors has voted to allow a developer to build a McDonald's drive-thru restaurant at the corner of Adelaide Street and Windermere Road, despite staff rejecting it due to its location on a flood plain.
Council's planning committee on Tuesday voted three to two to approve the application on two side-by-side lots across from the Waltzing Weasel pub on the east side of Adelaide Street in north London.
Royal Premier Development intends to build two commercial buildings, and drawings submitted to the city show a McDonald's is included.
"There are community benefits here. The water engineering has been addressed. Commercial use is allowed here," said deputy mayor Shawn Lewis who voted for the plan.
"The only sticking point in this application is the drive through. I don't think after eight years, rejecting an application because a drive through is being deemed more intense than parking spaces is really a good reason to reject it."
City staff warned council that the property's existing zoning is restrictive and doesn't allow for new higher-intensity uses due to its location on a flood plain and proximity to the Thames River.
Flooding in 2018 left the Adelaide and Windermere intersection closed as water rose to just below the street level. Staff also consulted the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, which would have to issue a permit if the deal went ahead.
It wrote that it can't support uses that "affect groups of vulnerable people such as day cares, and medical/dental offices, and uses which could increase the overall intensity on site such as restaurants and financial institutions with a drive through facility."
Royal Premier Development said it plans to improve drainage to reduce the flood risk, and will dedicate some of the frontage on Windemere Road to an eventual extension of the Thames Valley Parkway trail.
"I think with climate change we're only going to see more and more extreme weather events and I think that that's a reality. And so I won't be supporting this. I don't think it's a suitable location for any development," said Ward 11 Councillor Skylar Franke.
The final decision rests with city council.