Condominiums to take over Fonthill Lumber site
LAURA BARTON
POSTMEDIA NETWORK
There are plans for new housing on the old Fonthill Lumber site along Highway 20 in Pelham.
Tony Azzi of Aiva Properties said the design concepts are 99 per cent done for the planned midrise condominium and townhomes the company wants to put on the 1.46-hectare lot in a rapidly developing Fonthill district.
“I think it’s absolutely beautiful,” Azzi said of the designs so far. “I haven’t seen anything like it in Niagara.”
He described the designs as a mix of modern elements while still harkening back to Pelham’s roots. He said it’s important for the buildings not to just be completely modernized for the sake of doing so, but to fit in with the town’s atmosphere as well.
The proposed condominium will have five or six floors with 66 units. In addition, 22 townhomes will be built on the same property behind the condominiums with a small park area in between them.
He described the project as being conscious of the environment because there are no trees that have to be cut down. The developer will be adding plant life to the property with the park. Doing this, Azzi said, is an important part of the building process to him.
He wouldn’t say how much this project is going to cost because plans aren’t finalized, but did say the former Fonthill Lumber property was purchased for $2.2 million.
Fonthill Lumber was founded in 1951 by John Nemy.
Mayor Dave Augustyn said the Nemy family sold the company in the early 2000s. King City, Ont.,company Alpa Lumber Mills Inc. purchased the company and later moved production to its other sites, although it does maintain an office in Pelham.
Augustyn said the company discovered the Pelham building needed a number of upgrades and the more cost-effective solution was to move production. He said the lumber site has been inactive for two or three years.
“If it can’t be a business as it’s been for a number of years, it’s nice that it can be active,” Augustyn said.
With the commercial buildup happening in the area, Azzi feels it is a perfect spot for the condominium units and townhomes.
The project is in the rezoning phase, but Azzi anticipates putting shovels into the ground in the first quarter of 2018 and then for the entire project to take two to three years to complete.