Eighty-room hotel planned for north end
Site plan application has been received by the city for land north of Walmart
A four-storey, 80-room Holiday Inn Express could go up in Welland’s north end beside Highway 406.
Grant Munday, the city’s manager of development approvals, said a site plan application for the property, located to the north of Walmart, has been received by the city.
“It’s a few months away from approval,” said Munday of the site plan for 224 Power Dr. currently under review.
He said Ministry of Transportation will be involved in the approval process due to the proposed hotel’s proximity to the highway.
Power Drive is located in what’s being called Niagara Centre Business Park by commercial, industrial and residential developer The Prime Way Group. It’s accessed off River Road.
On its website, the company said there are only nine lots left to be sold on the large property, bordered by River Road to the west, Smart Centre to the south, Welland River to the north and Highway 406 to the east.
One of the lots has been sold to Canadian Tire, with what appears to be a conditional offer on a second piece by the company.
Last year, Canadian Tire was before council to seek approval to expand its floor area by 5,550 square metres, 3,329 of which would be used for a warehouse. The expansion could make it the largest store in Ontario and Canada. The lands in behind Canadian Tire and the rest of the Smart Centre lands fall under the gateway economic zone, which allows for a wide use said Munday.
“There could be heavy industrial, hotels, offices, some retail
and storage. No residential is allowed though, outside of the hotel.”
The city and Prime Way, said Munday, have an agreement on how the property is laid out.
Welland serviced the property – water, sewer and storm sewer lines – to the lot lines on the city side. That servicing was paid for by the developer.
“Once the road meets our specifications it will be assumed by the city,” said Munday.
If the site plan is approved by city council, the hotel would be the fourth in the Rose City.
The 68-suite Best Western Plus Rose City Suites sits on Prince Charles Drive south of Lincoln Street and there are two others in the city’s north end, both on Niagara Street – Canada’s Best Value Inn by Niagara Regional Exhibition grounds and Travelodge By Wyndham Welland close to the Seaway Mall.
Neither of those two hotels list the number of rooms on their websites.