GO Transit station secondary plan approved
A look at city council happenings this week …
A plan for development around the future GO station in west St. Catharines was approved by council Monday.
The GO Transit Station Secondary Plan looks at the Western Hill area of St. Catharines around the current Via station and future GO hub.
“This is a good study that will help in the growth of our city in that area over the next 20 years, so it will be nice to see this come to fruition as further development takes place,” Mayor Walter Sendzik said after council voted unanimously to approve and implement the plan.
Planning and building services director Jim Riddell said the secondary plan provides a framework for growth. It includes land use, resource protection, infrastructure and detailed policies.
The plan was the result of a collaborative process with Niagara Region and Dillon Consulting.
Monday’s council meeting was a continuation of an April 23 public meeting on the plan.
Dillon Consulting planner Paddy Kennedy told council at that time the major change is the creation of three mixed-use zones, promoting residential and commercial uses.
The current stable residential neighbourhoods and employment areas will stay the same.
The plan includes concentrating the highest buildings of up to 20 storeys along Fourth Avenue and parts of First Street Louth. Those densities take into consideration long-term changes in the market.
Building heights will take a transitional approach getting lower and lower down to three storeys as they move into residential neighbourhoods.
The plan also includes transportation improvements and new local road access to the station.
Kennedy said the plan is consistent with provincial policy framework that directs municipalities to prioritize intensification around GO station areas that they’re investing in.
“They want to make sure it’s successful and the way to make it successful is to try and get as many people living and working in proximity to the station area so they can walk to the station, they can bike, they can take the bus, they can get there and use the service,” he said. “The more people that use the service, the better the service it is.”
Circle Route wants money released for extension
St. Catharines is asking Niagara Region to release money for the Greater Niagara Circle Route extension at Lock 1.
St. George’s Coun. Mike Britton said the Region passed a motion with its 2016 budget to freeze some reserves until an asset management plan was done. That included the Greater Niagara Circle Route reserve.
Britton, the city’s representative on the Greater Niagara Circle Route committee, said the extension project was in the works prior to that freeze and was fully costed and finished.
He said the issue now is part of the city’s trail approaching Lock 1 is on St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. lands and the seaway authority has indicated it may want that land for future development. That means the path would be cut off without the extension.
“As the Greater Niagara Circle Route committee, we have said we want to fund it. We have a reserve, we have money available. It doesn’t cost a dime to the City of St. Catharines. All we’re asking is we’re calling on the Region to release those funds to finish this project.”
He said afterwards that it’s estimated to cost $108,000.
The Greater Niagara Circle Route is a system of trails that together span more than 140 kilometres. They are mostly paved and can be used for walking, cycling or inline skating.
City wants pot tax revenue
St. Catharines will seek cannabis excise tax revenues from the feds and the province.
St. George’s Coun. Sal Sorrento made the motion Monday to help the city pay for any additional enforcement if required when pot becomes legalized.
“I hope that council will support it because we are going to feel it very keenly at the municipal level,” he said.
St. Catharines is one of the cities chosen by the province to have a legal cannabis sales outlet.
The city anticipates a substantial increase to the cost of bylaw enforcement when the stores open and marijuana usage transfers from criminal ticketing to bylaw enforcement.
City bylaw officers, council heard, will be the ones dealing with complaints if people are smoking marijuana in public parks.
Mayor Walter Sendzik said the province has indicated there is a willingness to share excise tax revenue with the municipalities.
But he said St. Catharines wants to make sure the Region doesn’t keep all of the additional money when the city is the one that will have to hire additional bylaw officers.