The former General Amherst High School is back before Amherstburg council, with administration recommending a compromise that would protect key heritage features while also allowing the property to be redeveloped. Town administration is proposing a Heritage Easement Agreement as a compromise with Valente Development Inc. - the developer of the former high school at 130 Sandwich Street South. This agreement would allow the 1922 and 1951 south-facing facades to be dismantled and reconstructed, while the three 1967 murals could be removed if they’re commemorated or reinterpreted somewhere else on the site. The report also states that Valente would have to provide financial security equal to 50 per cent of the value of the conservation work. Valente purchased the property in April 2024 and is proposing an eight-storey and 11-storey mixed-use towers with 144 residential units, along with commercial and institutional space. Amherstburg’s deputy mayor, Chris Gibb, says the easement is a better fit compared to a full heritage designation. “I’m certainly more in favour of the heritage easement than I was with the heritage designation. I think a property of this size and scope, the development that’s being proposed, this is a much, much more, I guess I could use the word happy medium.” He says the agreement focuses on specific heritage features, rather than applying restrictions to the entire property. “With the heritage designation you have to do the entire property and any changes would have to come back to council. With the heritage easement it just targets very, very specific items that as far as I know, the developer has already agreed to.” Gibb says he thinks the public will be happy with this. “This shows that the municipality is protecting the heritage aspects of the building but also shows that the Town of Amherstburg and hopefully town council want to work with developers. We want to protect our heritage. Our town motto is ‘protecting our past while forging our future’. And this shows that we can have both.” The developer has said condo sales could begin next spring, with demolition and construction starting later in 2027, if approvals move ahead. Council faces an August 29th deadline. If the designation by-law isn’t passed or the Heritage Easement Agreement isn’t finalized by then, the Notice of Intention to Designate will be withdrawn and the property will be removed from the Municipal Heritage Register. Council meets Monday at 6 p.m.
