Railway Museum housing plan 'off track': Neighbours

A petition opposing the sale of lands next to the Elgin County Railway Museum in St. Thomas is gaining ‘traction.’

Neighbours and heritage advocates worry a development will urbanize open space.

But the museum and the developer paint a different picture.

Terry Mason is opposing the plan and has started a petition.

He lives amongst several blocks of heritage homes near the site.

“If we’re going to call ourselves ‘the Railway City,’ what are you doing selling the land?” he asked.

Terry Mason, seen on May 2, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

Local developer Doug Tarry has agreed to pay the museum $2.4 million for eight of sixteen (6.47 hectares) it currently holds.

“It’s not parkland. This is actually toxic soil,” Tarry told CTV News London Thursday. “We’ve got to have some way of remediation and to turn into something for people and their families.”

Tarry said it will cost millions more to clean up the space.

But he’s committed to the project and said it will include green areas, “We want to see parkland down here, but as part of an urban park, where we have housing and different things.”

Mason doesn’t agree. He contends larger park plans were scrapped.

“I mean, I’m going around telling everybody we’re going to have a beautiful park here and then we find out, no, no, they want to build 240 apartments,” said Mason.

Doug Tarry, seen on May 2, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

For its part, the railway museum wants to be a good neighbour.

Still, Board President Scott Sleightholm doesn’t deny the $ 2.4 million is desperately needed.

“Anything we can do to maintain and restore this building and this museum would be a win for the entire community,” he said.

Tarry predicts it will be at least three years before shovels go into the ground.

It is hoped that expected public meetings between now and then will keep the debate from going ‘off track.’

Tarry said a secondary planning process will soon be underway for the area.