The Town of Amherstburg is not moving forward with relocating its townhall within a development at the former General Amherst High School.
In 2024, council voted to explore an agreement with Valente Development Corporation on a project that would include residential and commercial space.
Many residents spoke against the proposal at Monday night's council meeting.
Councillor Linden Crain introduced a motion to not move forward with the proposal and explore other options.
"I'm not saying that this concept is unattractive. I think there's a lot of very exciting aspects about it but right now at this point in time it's not one that I would pursue and I would be interested in learning more about the other options presented," said Crain.
A space needs study completed by the town in 2024 determined the town would need a new facility by 2030. At that time, it was estimated a new standalone facility would cost $27.5 million.
"We need a new town hall. We do, whether it's a year from now, five years from now, 10 years form now we need a new townhall. Unfortunately, we haven't put any money aside to pay for it, maybe we should start thinking about that," said Councillor Donald McArthur.
Council was presented with multiple options including rebuilding on the current site, renovating the Libro Recreation Centre to house the town hall, or building on a new site.
Building the facility within the Valente development was estimated to cost between $18 million and $20 million.
