Here is an example of the re-developments happening in St. Catharines...
Brownfield infill could house 500 people
By DON FRASER
Posted 3 months ago
As an urban transformation, it is remarkable in scope.
What was once an industrial wasteland of closed factories and scrub near Queenston Street has become one of St. Catharines’ largest infilling projects.
On Wednesday, the partners of a $50-million residential brownfield development were eager to show off their pride and joy.
When all three phases of Heritage Point are completed by Ravenda Homes roughly two years from now, the new neighbourhood could house more than 500 people.
The developers say it wasn’t all smooth sailing when the Brickyard Developments Inc. project south of Woodburn Avenue began about four years ago.
“At first, we’d come here and look around and say, ‘Wow, what have we got ourselves into,’ ” said Rob Baiocco of Baiocco Developments Corp., which co-owns Brickyard with Andy Panko and Tony Difruscio of Associated Brownfields Inc.
“Then, you start to get a vision of it and walk the site. You can see in your head how it may develop,” Baiocco said as construction crews worked on foundations at the 14.8-acre site.
“It’s really exiting to see what you originally envisioned actually develop into all this.”
Panko nodded in agreement and strode along a new stretch of roadway. The project has come a long way, he said.
“We’re standing, right now, on where a brickmaking operation was,” Panko said.
“You can actually see some of the bricks they’re taking right out of the earth.”
Continued After Advertisement Below
Advertisement
A push by levels of government to encourage urban infilling cleared the way for the development, which is beside the Garden City Golf Course, where ETF Manufacturing, the former Burnstein Brick factory and other businesses once existed.
Ontario’s Brownfields Act of 2004 offers incentives for the development of abandoned urban areas under municipal community improvement plans.
The Queenston Street area, where the Brickyards project is located, is part of a St. Catharines community improvement plan.
The high cost of demolishing buildings and remediating the land will be partially recovered by tax reductions.
Those financial factors, and an excellent location, make the project especially viable, the partners said.
“This was a neighbourhood that was looking for change,” Baiocco said. “There were fires here, kids coming in at nighttime.... It was a challenge at the very beginning.”
Panko gives special praise to the City of St. Catharines and the consistent work by various municipal officials and politicians to make the infilling project happen.
“They say they’re open for business and I think they proved it to us,” Panko said.
Difruscio said the project approval process “was a learning curve for everybody, including the developers, the city and Niagara Region.
“Infilling is something really new, with new programs in place and (many) of these programs haven’t been tested.
“But I think everybody bought into it,” Difruscio said. “And I think that’s the way these things really have to run.
“It’s these types of projects that are going to create our (new) residential land.”
FACTBOX
WHAT: Heritage Point, a new $50-million Brickyard Developments brownfield residential project in former industrial/commercial lands.
Ravenda Homes of St. Catharines is the builder.
WHERE: In central St. Catharines, at Herrick and Woodburn avenues, south of Queenston Avenue.
HOW MANY? 500 people or more could end up living in the development.
PHASES: Phase 1, which should be built by fall 2009, will have 55 freehold townhouses and six freehold single homes, with prices starting at $199,000.
Phase 2 consists of two, four-storey condo apartments, with 140 units in total; construction to start early 2009.
Phase 3 will have 33 townhouse condos, with construction some time next year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by drafty
And how exactly does one city 'spill over' into another city? I think that would be called growth in Thorold, NOTL and Vineland.
Bauer_buyer, skyscraperpage.com does not have a group of people who travel around checking out what's happening in each city. It's simply individuals reporting about development in their own towns. If no one in St.Catharines (including you, it would seem) has any development news to offer, don't blame others on the site for ignoring St.Catharines, and don't badmouth other cities that do receive attention.
St.Catharines is a great city, so tell us about it in a constructive, informative, non-aggressive way.
|
Prev
Linear Mode
