St. Catharines, Port Dalhousie group, builder come to agreement over new development

After years of ongoing Ontario Land Tribunal appeals, St. Catharines, the Port Dalhousie Conservancy and Rankin Construction have reached a settlement on The Locks proposed development.

The city said the final agreement protects Port Dalhousie’s unique heritage while championing a high-quality public realm.

During a special meeting on April 7, City Council accepted the settlement outlining agreement on the development strategy for the lands at 12 Lock Street, 16 Lock Street and 12 Lakeport Road, including Hogan’s Alley, in the downtown of Port Dalhousie.

The settlement will see construction of a mixed-use development on the lands with up to 180 dwelling units, at least 19,000 square feet of commercial space, and a 4,400 square-foot community space to be owned by the City.

Development of the land has been subject to numerous appeals of the Port Dalhousie Secondary Plan (PDSC), Port Dalhousie Heritage Conservation District Plan (PDHCDP), St. Catharines Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments.

Those appeals have stretched across multiple owners and proposed projects for the property. Pending Ontario Land Tribunal approval of the settlement, appeals of both the PDSC and PDHCDP will end, allowing these two plans to come into effect.

“The decision by all parties involved to proceed forward with a project for the commercial core in Port Dalhousie closes a long and challenging chapter in the history of Port,” said Mayor Walter Sendzik.

“Special thanks to Tom Rankin and his team, the conservancy in Port and City staff for putting so many hours into this exciting new project. Now all the pieces are in place for a transformational change to take place in core of historic Port Dalhousie.”

Under the agreement, Rankin Construction’s development proposal – The Locks – will conserve three heritage buildings located on the site. Both the Austin House and Stanton Grocery buildings will be retained for commercial use.

The former Port Dalhousie Jail building will be relocated to Lakeside Park, with the City taking ownership following relocation and restoration for harbour and park uses. As well, a new building fronting Lakeside Park will feature 4,400 square feet of community space that will be transferred to the City.

“The best developments are created when the City, community, and developer work together to reach common goals.  Reaching an agreement outside of the appeals process means the future of Port Dalhousie’s commercial district can move forward without a lengthy and expensive hearing,” said City Director of Planning and Building Services Tami Kitay.

She added, “Under this settlement, Port Dalhousie’s unique heritage will be preserved while ensuring existing and new commercial uses are supported and the area remains publicly accessible.”

The proposed development features two, publicly accessible courtyards in addition to walkways that will maintain sightlines and public access through the development. Additionally, Hogan’s Alley will be maintained as a pedestrian space, flanked by storefronts.

There will be a total of six new buildings ranging from five to 12 storeys in height, most of which will have commercial retail space at grade.

The proposal includes a three-level parking structure, two levels of which would be below-grade relative to Lakeside Park, featuring 259 parking spaces.

The agreement is subject to approval of the Ontario Land Tribunal and development will be subject to further approvals and studies including a traffic impact study; site-plan agreement; and heritage permits.