Isn’t it astounding how easily rumours flow in small towns? One social media user asked a simple question in a local Facebook group earlier this month, and seemed to get more answers than anyone bargained for. The question was simple – what is going to be built in the field adjacent to Canadian Tire and Marks in Kemptville, now that it is visibly being cleared?
The responses to the question were not just speculative. Many people gave a firm and seemingly definitive answer, though these answers were all over the map. Some answers included:
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- “Movie theatre”
- “They are putting in a Farmboy and SportChek”
- “Pizza Hut for sure”
- “I heard go cart track”
- “I hear it’s the new Spray and Wash”
- “Was supposed to be a Quality Suites hotel”
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With so many contrasting answers, it’s hard to know what to believe. As reported in the Times in June of 2020, a site plan for a new Comfort Inn hotel, complete with 74 suites and a large meeting room, was presented to Council at that time with much enthusiasm. By all accounts, the project was a go-ahead with construction set to commence some time in 2021, with some logistical and safety kinks still needing to be worked out.
Things have been quiet regarding the project since the 2020 updates, so it is understandable that so many residents would be confused about what is planned for the lot in question. A site plan of the area appears to show both a hotel and a grocery or home improvement store planned for the lot.
Jill Sturdy of the Municipality of North Grenville wasn’t able to confirm with any certainty what is planned for the site. “There has been no site plan agreement executed at the subject property,” she told the Times.
Is it safe to assume that a hotel will be built? The simple answer is… probably. There is no telling whether any of the other rumoured suggestions will be constructed as well. It’s likely that there is space on the lot for a hotel and multiple smaller businesses, but available space does not necessarily translate into new businesses or franchises, or people willing to pay for them and run them.
For now, we will have to wait and wonder in this ever-growing town to find out what is coming next. Or we could just declare that it’s a hotel. Probably.