I will be going to the September 17th town council meeting about the condo development being proposed for Second Street behind the town hall. I plan to speak against nine-storeys. One argument being made in favour of the development is that more density would benefit the King Street business owners. I am not sure and have several concerns.
Moving the creek and building such a massive structure will take years. There is a shortage of construction workers, as we have seen with the building going up opposite us at Queen and Division. It took more than two years to complete. That construction worker shortage has been reported in the media for some time.
Another downtown condo building is slated for across from the post office on Queen.
When we last checked a couple of weeks ago there were already 53 apartments for sale in Cobourg. That is not including the almost complete Queen and Division project, or the one across from the post office.
Contrary to the person who wrote a letter to the editor in favour of the nine-storey development being proposed for Second Street, I believe such a project could become a white elephant. Don’t many developers have to sell units in advance to support their projects?
We are in the middle of an affordability crisis. Who would occupy the proposed nine storeys of residential units? In addition, will the town insist the developer offer affordable units of a liveable size, or let him off the hook?
I think the building shown in the AI image is ugly, and I am not persuaded by the developer’s claim that his project at 325 University is compatible with local structures (see his letter on the September 3rd Draper blog). The structure proposed for the Second Street project is not at all suitable to be next to the beautiful town hall. The town hall would be obscured and the character of downtown Cobourg utterly changed.
If a nine storey building such as the one in the AI image went ahead it would seriously damage the charm of downtown Cobourg. It would turn Cobourg into Whitby. Many people moved to Cobourg to get away from endless construction projects. Those of us who live downtown are already dealing with construction noise, dust and large construction vehicles.
I believe building a nine-storey residential building on Second Street behind the town hall would also have a negative impact on tourism: many people from the GTA come to the town for both the East and West Beach in summer and enjoy the cozy restaurants and other King Street businesses. If downtown Cobourg turns into a construction zone I think tourism will be negatively impacted. A problem already encountered by summer visitors is a lack of parking. Where would visitors park if the lot on Second Street became unavailable?
These are some of the important reasons for town council to at the very least, refuse to authorise a nine-storey development on Second Street behind the town hall.
Kate Rogers
Editor's Note:
Public Meeting on this subject will be held on September 17th, 2025, at 4:00 pm.
Location: Council Chambers in Victoria Hall or access via escribe. See Town's announcement here.