Plans are underway to bring a new fast-food restaurant to Virden. The March 17 Town of Virden council meeting included a public hearing regarding Variation Order VO01-2026 for the property located at 558 Frame Street East.

    The hearing considered an application related to a proposed new McDonald’s restaurant at the site. The applicant requested a variation to increase the allowable height of a pylon sign from 35 feet to 50 feet. Development officer Cory Nixon recommended approval of the application subject to a condition that the variation order must be acted upon within 12 months of council’s decision. 

    A neighbouring property owner had raised concerns about the light from the sign shining into their residence. Since the proposed sign includes automatic brightness adjustment, dimming at night and brightening during the day, the owner indicated they were satisfied that the sign would not have a negative impact on their property.

    Three representatives of McDonald’s attended the meeting via Zoom. 

    Matthew Dunn has 13 years of experience managing real estate planning for McDonald’s. 

    Lee Dowd of Park Avenue Equities, who own the property, has worked in partnership with McDonald’s across Canada on multiple sites, most recently in Niverville and Portage la Prairie.

    Lori Todd, a planning consultant for McDonald’s indicated she would be working directly with the local development officer throughout the permitting process.