A temporary home for the Mac’s convenience store in downtown Elmira is taking form, clearing the way for demolition crews to teardown the existing building and gas bar. Following removal of contaminants from the site, construction will begin on a new facility, making use of the now-vacant lot that used to house the Steddick Hotel.
Property owner Becker Milk Company Ltd. has plans for a 3,500-square-foot building on the site of the old hotel, providing far more space than the current 1,400 sq. ft. Mac’s building. The Subway restaurant will have more room, and the current gas bar will be moved slightly to the north.
The move eases flooding concerns about Weigel Drain, a 2.5-kilometre stretch of open and closed channels that flow into the Canagagigue Creek. Elmira is built over the lower section of the drain. The buildings would be farther away from the floodway that essentially channels along Wyatt Street.
The township is in the process of finalizing the site plan for the project with the company, said Woolwich senior planner Jeremy Vink.
The owner has applied for and received a demolition permit for the site, which will have to be remediated before any new construction can begin, said Peter vanderBeek, the township’s chief building official.
“We’re prepared to issue a building permit for the new Mac’s building once we’ve received confirmation the site has been decontaminated.”
He expects to see that work carried out over the next three or four weeks. The timing of construction will hinge on clearances from the Ministry of the Environment, which would free up the necessary permits.
