We learned this week that a developer acting on behalf of Boston Pizza is seriously eyeing the northwest corner of the intersection for a restaurant and 20,000-square-feet of auxiliary retailing.

When it comes to this intersection, Simcoe and Norfolk have exhibited the patience of Job. It is the county's busiest intersection by far. But strangely, it is also a major eyesore.

Only Wendy's on the southeast corner and the mini-mall beside it bear any resemblance to the kind of modern development one would expect in such a high-traffic area. And new development at that corner was only possible because of an unfortunate fire 20 years ago at the historic Governor Simcoe Hotel.

At the southwest corner is a grubby, distracting collection of billboards. The northeast corner is dominated by a derelict dairy. It sits to this day half-demolished, with rubbish strewn about its weed-infested parking lot.

As difficult as it may be to imagine, the corner under consideration for development is even worse than the others. Visitors to this gateway entrance to our community are greeted by a row of derelict, boardedup houses. The properties are also unkept and overgrown with weeds.

We would encourage the developers to press forward with their plans. But let's not get our hopes up too high. Many developers have had designs on this part of Simcoe. Land assembly is difficult and necessary, and too often deals have fallen apart because someone has overplayed their hand and demanded too much. Land assembly at the northwest corner is incomplete, meaning this undertaking could also be stalemated.

It is also not encouraging to learn that there have been five or more service garages at this corner over the decades. Our forefathers were less knowledgeable about the environment and were consequently less fastidious about their operations. If bad in-ground tanks have leaked substantial fuel, or if used oil was discarded on the ground as a dust suppressant, someone could be on the hook for an expensive clean-up. The Ministry of Environment likes to spring projects like these on the unsuspecting owners of new properties. The prospective buyers are conducting due diligence in the area. This is one instance where striking oil would be bad for everyone and not at all profitable.

This development also raises significant questions about the usefulness of official plan policies which direct new retailing to downtown Simcoe. Boston Pizza is certainly a "highway commercial" use. But certainly 20,000 square feet of auxiliary retailing could be accommodated somewhere in the core in the "general commercial" zone. If the proponents get this and their restaurant to, we will well and truly know that the Queensway land rush is unstoppable and that official plan policies to the contrary have no teeth.