The future of Amherstburg's historic Belle Vue Manor remains uncertain after negotiations to restore the centuries-old property have come to an end.
Council votes against proposal
During a closed-door meeting on April 13, town council voted not to proceed with a proposal by Amico Properties Inc. and the Loop Family of Kingsville to transform the dilapidated manor into a hotel and convention centre. The decision was made public earlier this week.
Councillor Linden Crain stated, "We couldn't come to an agreement. I'm not at liberty to share the specifics, but I support the decision of council and the direction we're headed." With approximately six months left in the current term, Crain noted that council felt it would not have been appropriate to make a major decision on the property, suggesting that the next council should determine the site's future.
History of the property
The town purchased the property at 525 Dalhousie Street in 2016 but was unable to fund its restoration. The 200-year-old manor has been unoccupied since 2001 and now sits in a dilapidated state. The two-storey white brick house was built between 1816 and 1819 for Robert Reynolds, the deputy assistant commissary general of the garrison at Fort Malden. It was designated a national historic site in 1959 for its Palladian architectural style.
Crain expressed concern: "I do worry that the longer it takes for someone to either acquire the property or for the town to have some type of public or private partnership, it will only continue to deteriorate and may not be able to be saved."
Previous negotiations
In 2024, the town voted to proceed with negotiations on a proposal by Amico Properties and the Loop family. The site was declared surplus in September of that year to allow for the sale of the property to private interests for development. Their proposal included building 52 semi-detached homes and transforming the manor to include hotel rooms, a spa, restaurant, public gallery and event space, pool house, outdoor pavilion, and greenspace.
Amico Properties Inc. did not respond to requests for comment ahead of the print deadline.
Reasons for the dead end
Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb expressed disappointment, stating he had hoped the project would be further along. However, changes in the housing market and ongoing economic uncertainty made it difficult to justify proceeding. Gibb explained that the deal depended on the developers generating enough profit from the proposed high-end townhomes to cover the costs of restoring the historic manor.
"One of my goals was to get that house rehabilitated, restored, and put back to positive use," Gibb said. "I am very proud of this council. We came closer than any other previous council to actually getting it done. It's incredibly unfortunate that we weren't able to do it, but the next council will have a clean slate to decide what they want to do with it."
