Kingsway Entertainment District has officially moved one step closer to its construction which had been stalled by the appeals associated with the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal. This week witnessed the dismissal of the last appeals left against the large project and its different parts. Supporters of the project in the Greater Sudbury area rejoiced at the news.
The past few months have been quite eventful for the large entertainment zone and the individuals and organizations opposing its construction. The first days of October saw the deadline for appeals of the Superior Court ruling made at the beginning of September. The Superior Court issued a ruling that the City of Greater Sudbury did not show bias when giving its approval to the CA$100-million entertainment zone.
LPAT Appeals
It could be recalled that back in the fall of 2019, Tom Fortin, a local businessman claimed this in a lawsuit. He is one of the main opponents of the proposed casino complex that would be part of the Kingsway Entertainment District. Casino Free Sudbury has led a legal battle against the proposed casino complex Gateway Casinos and Entertainment plans on developing on the premises of the entertainment zone.
Now it has become clear that the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal has dismissed all remaining appeals that have been stalling the project. The challenges present over the past couple of years have been resolved and supporters of the project recently expressed their contentment with the outcome. Dario Zulich, the developer working hard to make this large project come true, pointed out that the decision comes just in time for Christmas.
This gift, as he put it, has been a long time coming but the challenges throughout the years never diminished his desire and determination to see Kingsway Entertainment District actually be built in the Greater Sudbury area. However, the many delays of hearings over the past months made the resolution harder to imagine.
Dario Zulich
The Local Planning Appeal Tribunal issued its official position on the remaining appeals that needed to be reviewed following years of delays and controversy. It announced that the individuals and organizations filing those appeals eventually could not establish inconsistency or non-conformity when it comes to the planning policy. The same went for the official plan issued by the City of Greater Sudbury.
As for the opposition of this large project, the last days of October saw a turn of events. This is when Mr. Fortin decided to abandon his previously filed appeal of the Superior Court ruling. He claimed earlier this fall that the City Council was biased when making a decision regarding the upcoming Kingsway Entertainment District. The appeal filed earlier by Mr. Fortin was preventing the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal from going forward with its normal operation.
At the time this did not mean that Casino Free Sudbury abandoned its efforts to see a casino-free area. However, the appeals in question were among the dismissed earlier this week. Mr. Zulich said that the unprecedented situation is the next thing stopping the project from entering its construction phase, but next year could see a green light to it.
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