A gaming venue in Peterborough has been given the go-ahead to construct a new hotel across from their casino. The Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands gained approved from the Thousand Islands and the Township of Leeds to begin construction of a Wingate by Wyndham hotel which will include four stories and have 78 guest rooms.

The new four-story hotel will include guest space as well as a meeting room, lounge and lobby, along with an indoor pool and spa area. Eighteen of the 78 guest rooms will be considered ‘extended stay’ areas which will include a living room and kitchenette. These rooms will be used by visitors who need to stay on-site for prolonged periods of time.

A unanimous vote was provided by the Township council regarding the rezoning and official plan amendments to allow the construction of the hotel to begin. Members of the council plan on ratifying their approval formally this week.

According to the Recorder.ca, the 60,547-square-foot building will be located across County Road 2 from the casino, in an area that was formerly home to the MacNeil Park Lane trailer park. The trailer park closed in 2016. The site is currently zoned to house a trailer park, but the council has decided to rezone the land to allow the hotel to be constructed. For the rezoning approval, the council had to waive a height restriction of 12 meters, so the hotel could be two meters higher. In response to the change, the developer agreed to increase the distance of the build from the closest neighbors.

The owners of the hotel were hoping to be able to use Gananoque water and sewer services for the property, but the cost to extend the line was too much. The town was unable to use the existing lines to supply the hotel with the capacity it needed and enlarging the lines would have an expensive price tag. The developer will be using a private system for septic needs and well water.

The servicing plans of the hotel have been approved by experts hired by the township with the plans for further review during the site plan process. The council had the plans reviewed by an expert after residents of a nearby subdivision were worried that the hotel would drain their well water.