Bridge officials seek to fence off riverfront property

Ambassador Bridge company officials have asked the city for permission to put up a chain-link fence around one of the most visible riverfront properties near the entrance of Olde Sandwich Towne.

Bridge owner Matty Moroun purchased the former Villa Maria retirement home several years ago. The property, which sits adjacent and on the west side of the Ambassador Bridge, is vital to his proposal to construct his twin span proposal.

Initially the property at 2856 Riverside Dr. W. — built in 1956 — was leased out for student rentals, but for the last several years it has been left vacant and boarded up by the bridge owner.

The fence issue will be debated Monday by the city’s planning, heritage and economic development committee.

In a five-page report to the committee, city administrators have recommended against approval, saying a chain-link fence isn’t appropriate since it “does not conform to the Sandwich Heritage Conservation District Plan.”

It was suggested that, if the bridge company insists on putting up a fence around the property, that a more appropriate wood or iron fence would comply with the area’s heritage designation.

“The proposed chain-link fencing does not conform to these guidelines,” said the administration report to the committee.

Hunter Kersey, director of safety and security for the bridge company, told the city in the company’s chain-link fence application that the property has become a security risk.

The parking lot behind the building has become a popular spot for “vagrants” and “drug use,” while the building has also been broken into on several occasions, said Kersey.

City heritage planner John Calhoun sent Kersey “information regarding the option to change the fence design to gain administrative approval, but no answer was received,” the report said.

The proposed chain-link fence would travel along Riverside Drive in front of Villa Maria and block access to the front entrance driveways, according to the company’s application. It would be just under two metres in height.

Should the bridge company gain approval for the chain-link fence, it will still require final permission from city council before it could be constructed.