Better days on the way

Columnist Doug Herod takes a look at a project moving forward in Port Dalhousie.

Call it The Curse of the Displaced Yuppie.

Yeah, I know it’s a stretch, but something weird has to explain the bad luck that has befallen Port Dalhousie.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There are good things happening in Port. And we’ll get to them. It just seems, though, that for every step forward there’s another step back.

For instance, the city embarked on a terrific revitalization plan for Lakeside Park. It includes a new playground, bandshell, picnic pavilion and renovated washroom/concession building.

So what happens? Rising lake levels and heavy spring rains have made Lakeside Beach disappear and soaked a lot of the park, making the two recreational amenities a lot less attractive for fun-seekers.

This seems a cruel joke on Mother Nature’s part, considering the much-beloved Port Dalhousie piers have been out of commission for more than two years, a victim of neglect and erosion.

Plus, of course, there remains a rather large hole in the village’s commercial core, courtesy of the phantom condo tower project.

Indeed, blame for Port’s woes the past decade rests, in many people’s eyes, with the unfulfilled plans for a modern megadevelopment in the heritage business district.

But that’s too easy. Let’s dig deeper. After all, there was a time after the Ontario Municipal Board gave final approval for the project when there seemed to be some momentum for moving forward.

Plans were being worked on, companies hired, marketing strategies employed, model suite and sales office built, bullish forecasts given and demolition permits sought and awarded.

Then the old Port Mansion was demolished. Since then, little has happened.

As aging baby boomers know, the Port Mansion was a happenin’ kinda place back in the late 1970s and for most of the ’80s.

It was a gin joint popular with young, urban professionals, who basked in the delights of a waterfront vista.

The Port Mansion eventually lost its sheen of hip-to-the-scene grooviness, receding from the limelight like the hairlines of its former clientele. But the fond, alcoholsoaked memories remained.

So, when the walls came tumbling down, the ghosts of yuppies past were not to be mollified. Thus, The Curse. But I believe it can be broken. The flooding will eventually dissipate. The beach will be restored, the park improvements completed.

Meantime, progress continues. Port’s beautification committee has made a difference, the Kiwanis Club is spearheading a Lock One restoration, the old Lion Tavern has undergone a massive transformation, highlighted by a microbrewery, and the old Lincoln Fabrics factory has been purchased and is scheduled to be transformed into a residential building.

Chatter in Port is that the latest condo tower plan will be unveiled in a few weeks and the federal government has released designs for a new pier.

Perhaps, though, the biggest sign of confidence is that a new condo is actually being built in old Port. That’s right. Not being talked about, not being the subject of a hearing, not being marketed. But being built.

That would be the Beaches at Port development, bordering the far edge of Lakeside Park.

City council approved the required planning changes for the project five years ago, but movement doesn’t always come quickly in Port. With limited action on site for the first few years, the usual speculation started that nothing would happen. Wrong-o. Steve Massis, of the ownership group, confirmed what the eye can see. Foundation work has started on the building, to be followed shortly by the construction of underground parking for the 15-unit, six-storey building.

Once the parking component is completed, the steel-frame will be erected, a task that is expected to conclude by late summer, said Massis.

The target date for residents to move into the building is a year from now. Only two units remain to be sold, said Massis.

Take that, displaced yuppies!