Port Dalhousie condo project wins approval
An eight-storey building was given the green light for Port Dalhousie, providing a new home for Royal Canadian Legion as well as the residents of 51 proposed condo units.
Monday, St. Catharines city council approved the waterfront development at 57 Lakeport Rd., proposed by developer Tom Rankin and Royal Canadian Legion Branch 350, to permit the mixeduse building that would also include a 560-square-metre legion hall, outdoor patio areas and 94 underground parking spaces.
The approval ends two years of working with city staff and the community to finalize plans for the development.
“I think the importance of it is that we want to get it right,” said Dana Anderson, a planner from MHBC representing the developers. “We want to make sure that we have taken all the comments and gone through the process to make sure at the end of the day that it is the best outcome and the best planning for this site.”
Port Dalhousie Coun. Carlos Garcia called the project “a challenge for me.”
“I certainly have read the reports in great detail and I’ve been working with it for quite a while,” he said.
Although Garcia said he would have preferred the building to be limited to six storeys, “I do like the fact that, hopefully, we will hopefully end up with something that’s workable.”
Despite a few misgivings, Garcia described Rankin as “a very capable and committed person in the community that I know will do the right thing.” He said he’d also like to help “keep Branch 350 alive in Port Dalhousie.”
Port Dalhousie Coun. Bruce Williamson shared Garcia’s concerns about the height of the building, adding zoning bylaws limited buildings in the area to three storeys when the project was first proposed.
“I would love to be able to support it, but in good conscience I can’t see how an eight-storey building in this context would be appropriate.”
Anderson, however, amended the proposal to make the building
taller yet — although only slightly. The changes increased the height of the building to 29.3 metres, up from 29.15 metres.
“We are not asking for an increase in height of any significance,” Anderson said, adding the increase would give the developer extra security and flexibility during construction.
Williamson, who was the sole vote in opposition to the project, was concerned that the development would encroach onto publicly owned Lockhart Point, “turning a large part of it into a parking garage.”
St. George’s Coun. Sal Sorrento is enthusiastic about the project.
“I’m absolutely thrilled that this project is moving forward,” he said.
He said there have been too many businesses closing their doors and very little development in the hamlet in the past 15 years.
“This is the first step forward,” he said.
He said if it had been any developer other than Rankin and the legion, “I don’t know if we would have gotten to this point.”
“I hope there are many more developments down there.”
Mayor Walter Sendzik called it a development that will capture the spirit of the area.
“There are going to be people that may not be happy with the final decision, but a lot of work has been put in through all parties,” he said.