This old London pub could soon be demolished to make way for apartments

A proposal to demolish an old London pub to make way for two apartment buildings and a new restaurant is getting a lukewarm reception from city staff, but the councillor for the area and the head of a business group say the development should go ahead.

North Development Corp. wants to build on the land that now houses Crossings Pub, at 1269 Hyde Park Road, between Sarnia and Gainsborogh roads.

"It's a pretty exciting project for London," said company president Paul Weigel. "It's a relatively undeveloped piece of property with an opportunity for intensification."

City councillors will get their first chance to look at the proposal on Wednesday at the planning and environment committee. Staff have recommended they reject the developer's request, in part because of the heritage aspects of Crossings and because the two proposed apartments are seven storeys higher than the allowed amount in The London Plan.

But Ward 8 Coun. Steve Lehman said neither of those are insurmountable obstacles.

The Crossings building, constructed sometime around the late 1800s, is on the city's list of more than 2,000 heritage properties, but will be removed under legislation passed in 2022, Lehman said.

The 2022 legislation was passed to increase Ontario's housing supply. "This building didn't meet six of the nine checkpoints that our heritage folks use to determine heritage designation," Lehman said.

The two apartments on the site would be 15 storeys tall, more than the seven allowed in that part of London, but is unique because it is right by railroad tracks and close to commercial areas and grocery stores, Lehman said.

"My fear is that this property might not be as desired for future development, so I'm pleased to see that it's being considered now," he added.

The redevelopment also includes a walkway behind the building that would link the site to existing neighbourhoods, as well as 511 underground and ground-level parking.

The two apartment buildings would have 503 residential units as well as space at street level that would allow a business to operate and an attached residential unit above it for the owner, Weigel said.

"The density we're proposing is very in line with the provincial policy statements and the provincial planning act, so I think the question we really want to ask the city is, does this plan meet the future direction we want for London and for Hyde Park, and is that density going to be beneficial. We believe that it is," he said.

"It's on a transit corridor, and it's very underdeveloped. In reality, London does need more housing, and it specifically needs more attainable housing that this will province," Weigel said. "There's a lot of wins."

The proposal is exciting, said Donna Szpakowski, the head of the Hyde Park BIA. "Driving along that stretch of Hyde Park Road, there's a lot of residential going up — some high density and a little bit of lower density. It's a bustling part of London with a lot of great energy as we grow."