Vision for university district taking shape

The Brock District Plan is nearing its finishing stages. Niagara Region planning commissioner Rino Mostacci told Thorold council Tuesday night the Brock District is setting the framework for planning designs and developments of a complete community. Like other university districts — University of British Columnbia and MIT are examples — the Brock District will be a huge asset. Years ago Brock was an isolated institution, but in recent years this has changed, he said. Mostacci told council that with Niagara Region headquarters, university employees and Thorold city staff, there are about 5,000 employees in the district who would benefit from a complete community experience around the university, mostly accessible within a five- to 10-minute walk. In the past three years about $180 million was invested into the Brock District, he said. The area “has all the raw ingredients to become a very successful university district.” Next steps include establishing a Brock District technical advisory committee and undertaking a Niagara Region official plan amendment to assist with implementation of the district plan. Coun. Terry Ugulini commended Mostacci on the work he and his team have been doing. He described the plan as forwardthinking. Ugulini asked what council could do to help, to which Mostacci replied by “keeping the bar high” when it comes to developments in the district. He said the city should make sure that future buildings are going to be world-class in terms of use, construction and the image they are portraying.