To make omelet, you’ve got to break eggs
Thank goodness for the Grape and Wine parade.
And I’m not talking about the actual procession of floats, bands and Shriners, either.
Rather, my shout out is in recognition of its power to set road construction deadlines.
For decades, it’s been the unwritten civic rule that any work along the route must be completed in time for St. Catharines’ late September spectacle.
Violators of this deadline are forced to dress up and perform as string cheese mascots during the parade. (And here you were wondering why those mascots exist.)
Anyway, this dictum has had particular resonance the past several weeks for business owners on St. Paul Street between James and Carlisle. For the third summer in a row, this stretch of road has been closed to vehicular traffic due to construction of various sorts.
Two years ago, it was blocked off to complete performing arts centre related work; last year a gas main was replaced; this summer, it’s closed for streetscaping purposes.
It’s a bummer for the many eateries and shops along the route.
Still, while sympathy is warranted, it has its limits.
After all, tens of millions of public dollars have been poured into the downtown core the past five years or so, a revitalization effort that might reasonably cause property owners in other parts of the city to weep with envy.
As for the corridor in question, the current streetscaping is quite the makeover.
Most noticeably, there will be a wider sidewalk on the north side, planters, street furniture and fancy street lights.
After several noisy and dust-flying weeks of construction, the vision for the area has taken shape.
Setting aside the initial reaction of “is this revamped road really wide enough to accommodate two cars?”, one senses grooviness on the near horizon.
There are the city’s esthetic improvements; then there are the sidewalk patios that various eateries on the strip are expected to establish.
Yessirree, when the Brock students return and the arts centre gets up to speed again, the St. Paul/ Carlisle area should be one bustlin’, happenin’ kinda place.
OK, let’s move on to a somewhat related matter.
Carlisle Square, probably still better known as the former Leonard Hotel building, is up for sale.
Owner Nick Atalick bought it for $1.8 million in 2009; it’s being listed for $16 million.
Obviously, the listing price doesn’t necessarily foretell the sale price. And Atalick has sunk considerable amounts of cash into the building. Still, the sought-after number conceivably suggests this part of the downtown has seen a spike in real-estate value.
In case you’re wondering, Atalick remains gung-ho about a proposed 19-storey edifice between the old Leonard and the Carlisle parking garage. That parcel, including the land on which the former Coco Cabana bar sits, was severed from the adjoining property that is on the market now.
Atalick said disposing of the Carlisle Square building, which houses a number of apartment units as well as street-level commercial enterprises, is one way of accumulating equity for his tower project. To that end, he also sold a building he owned on the other side of Carlisle Street (it houses the Freshii eatery among other tenants) in June for $2.8 million.
The tower plan calls for the first two floors to be retail/commercial. The next four would serve as a 45-to-60-unit hotel. Floors seven to 18 would contain residential condo apartments in the $300,000 price range. The top floor would serve as some sort of rooftop amenity for residents.
When city council approved a minor planning amendment for the proposal last summer, Atalick suggested construction could begin in 2017. That didn’t happen.
Now, he hopes a site plan can be submitted to the city and approved some time in early 2018 followed by a spring construction start.
Hopefully, construction workers will be able to have a latte and croissant on a nearby sidewalk patio during their lunch break. dherod.niagara@gmail.com