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North Bay's casino could go on Nordfibre property

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The owners of the former Nordfibre property on Eloy Road, across from the North Bay Regional Health Centre, are seeking zoning changes to allow for a casino.

An application to amend the city's official plan and zoning bylaw, as well as approval for a draft plan of subdivision has been filed with the city.

The city's planning services department released an invitation Tuesday to the public for comments.

A public meeting on the proposal will be held by city council with notice to be given when the date is finalized.

In June, Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Ltd. ruled out both the former Moe-Ze-On-Inn on Pinewood Park Drive and the vacant parcel directly across from it as preferred casino sites.

“The sites in the south end are not our preferred sites so we are still looking,” said Carrie Kormos, Gateway's senior vice-president of marketing and communications. “We are still working on finding a site that will work with our development plans (and align with our market assessment).”

The city, which acquired the former Moe-Ze-On-Inn as a result of tax arrears, along with the private owner of the vacant land located directly across from it on Pinewood Park Drive, went through the process last year of rezoning the properties to allow for a casino in hopes of making them more marketable to the private operator that was to be selected by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) to run five casinos in the North, including North Bay. The rezoning process was initiated months before Gateway was named the successful proponent.

But the two Pinewood sites never did fall within the the “gaming zone” boundaries set out by the OLG several years ago, when North Bay was first identified as an eligible location for a casino with up to 300 slot machines and 120 live table game seats.

Although OLG has maintained that gaming zones may be subject to change, the original boundaries, restrict potential sites to the central area of the city, bordered by Jane Street to the north, Marshall Avenue to the south, Wallace Road to the east and Lake Nipissing to the west.

It’s unknown at this time if Gateway Casinos will want to operate a casino at the Eloy Road site.

“The subject property is located at 500 Eloy Rd. The lands subject to the proposed applications have frontage of 823.2 metres along Eloy Road and a total lot area of 35.95 hectares. The property is currently designated general Industry under the City of North Bay Official Plan, zoned general industrial (M2) and heavy industrial (M3) under zoning bylaw 2015-30. The property is currently vacant.

“Kilgour Planning and Development Inc. and Miller & Urso Surveying Inc. on behalf of the property owners have submitted applications to amend the City of North Bay's official plan, amend Zoning Bylaw 2015-30 and for approval of a draft plan of subdivision in order to allow for the commercial development of the subject property and for the establishment of a casino and gaming facility.

“If approved, the property's official plan designation would be amended from general industry to district commercial and the property's zoning would be amended from general Industrial (M2) and heavy industrial (M3) to district commercial (C4) and district commercial special (C4 Sp.).

“The special zone would be to allow for a casino and gaming facility as a permitted use. The proposed draft plan of subdivision would subdivide the property into six commercial blocks.

“Please call, mail or email your comments or questions to Peter Carello (senior planner- current operations) before 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 22. Comments received will be summarized in a report that will be submitted to city council for its consideration. If you so choose, you may also provide comments in person at the public meeting.” 

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