Region helps ‘stuck’ developer
Property between GM plant and Niagara on the Green must designated ‘urban’
Niagara’s planning and development committee is helping a developer escape a catch-22 in its efforts to build on 17 hectares of land currently designated as a Niagara Escarpment protection area.
“We’re kind of stuck,” said Neal DeRuyter from MHBC Planning, representing developer Kaneff Capital Properties.
The Peel-based company is in the process of purchasing the land at 590 Glendale Ave. from St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., a deal that is expected to be finalized within a few months.
But before the company can develop the land, the property needs to be re-designated “urban” under the Niagara Escarpment Plan.
And before the Ministry of Natural Resources will consider the developer’s request to do that, the developer was asked to confirm that it complies with Niagara Region’s municipal comprehensive review process.
DeRuyter said that can’t happen under existing planning policies.
“On one hand, the ministry is saying you have to be justified through this municipal comprehensive review process, but on that same hand we’re currently designated escarpment protection, so we can’t be considered through that process,” he told regional councillors.
DeRuyter said the ministry has asked for a series of items to be resolved as it considers the developer’s request, and the majority of them “are quite resolvable and we have already resolved some of them.”
But the developer, which owns the adjacent Royal Niagara Golf Club, needs the Region’s help to resolve that catch-22.
“This is a really unique situation,” DeRuyter said. “You don’t come across this very often. I think due to a lot of hard work, openness and discussion, we’ve come up with a solution that balances all the interests involved, including the protection of the escarpment, but also recognizes where these lands are in the context of future growth within the region.”
Niagara planning director Doug Giles said for the property to be considered for a future urban area expansion, it must have an urban designation.
“Unless this designation is changed you can’t even consider it,” he said.
Committee members supported the developer’s request, approving recommendations to endorse the urban area expansion, while noting that an urban area expansion would be required as part of a municipal comprehensive review of the property.
Despite the hurdles, DeRuyter said the developer remains hopeful that the MNR will recommend approval of the request. He said the vast majority of requests to re-designate escarpment protection lands to urban are denied outright by the ministry, but because that hasn’t happened he said the developer hopes the province sees merit in its proposal for the land.
Although the vacant property, located between the General Motors plant and the Niagara on the Green subdivision, is a kilometre away from the base of the escarpment, DeRuyter said it was likely included under the escarpment’s protection because it is federally owned.