Second proposal for former hotel site in Niagara-on-the-Lake more tailored to immediate community

Is the second time a charm for a development company looking to build condos on the old King George III Inn site in Niagara-on-the-Lake?

When Blythwood Homes bought the old hotel at 61 Melville St. in June 2021, they had a big plan for the land after they tore it down.

Unfortunately, their initial development was shot down quickly by both area residents and politicians as it was simply too large for the neighbourhood.

So Blythwood hired Niagara-on-the-Lake architects Connie Tintinalli and Wayne Murray to create something more in keeping with the surrounding area.

They brought back a 12 condominium unit complex just three storeys high with a faded powder blue exterior, pillars, a handful of round nautical windows to complement the location mere steps from the Niagara-on-the-Lake piers at the harbour.

Sixteen of the complex’s 24 parking spaces will be in a parking garage, out of view from the street, while the front of the 12-metre-high structure will be heavily landscaped to blend into the tree-lined neighbourhood.

When the developer held a public open house on May 17 at Niagara-on-the-Lake Town Hall, just six residents attended and their qualms with Design Number Two were minimal.

There will be second public meeting on June 13 at 5 pm, also at the NOTL Town Hall.

Blythwood Homes is looking to replace the old King George III Inn, also the former American Hotel, with this 12 condo unit complex over three-storeys in a style most suited to the neighbourhood near the docks in Niagara-on-the-Lake.