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AlvinofDiaspar
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From the Star:
Waterfront lessons from down the QEW
Apr. 10, 2006. 01:00 AM
CHRISTOPHER HUME
Port Dalhousie—Toronto isn't the only city with a waterfront. And it isn't the only city with plans to bring its waterfront back to life.
But here in Port Dalhousie, those plans may actually have a chance of being realized.
Though the process has been rancorous, it will reach its conclusion when St. Catharines City Council votes on a $60 million to $70 million mixed-use scheme sometime in June.
The proposal, put together by a private development outfit called Port Dalhousie Vitalization Corp. (PDVC), includes, among other elements, a boutique hotel, a 17-storey condo tower, a new 415-seat theatre and public-realm improvements. The idea is that it can change Port Dalhousie from a summer, Daytona Beach-like destination into something more sophisticated with year-round appeal.
"Frankly, I'm very excited about the project," says Mayor Tim Rigby of St. Catharines, of which Port Dalhousie is part. "Twenty or 30 years ago, you didn't want to live in Port Dalhousie. Now it's the place to be. But in the winter, it's as dead as a doornail. It's alive about eight weekends in the summer. The question is how do you make it work year-round."
As Rigby explains it, St. Catharines is only now starting to emerge from a dark period during which it lost much of the heavy industry that once made it so prosperous. As he also makes clear, however, the town still hasn't recovered and has yet to come to terms with the present.
"We haven't caught up to where we are," Rigby declares. "Every time we have an infill project, there's hell to pay. You've got to go up a bit. I'm not saying 50 storeys or anything. But this council has seen that this is the way to go."
Rigby is referring to the controversy generated by the first Port Dalhousie development proposal, a 30-storey condo tower that would have been the landmark no one wanted. Although many admired the architectural quality of the first proposal, this new version is 40 per cent shorter, and fully integrated into the block that forms the heart of Port Dalhousie's tourist precinct.
According to a recent study done by Environics for PDVC, the plan is supported by 63 per cent of the population of Port Dalhousie and St. Catharines. That's hardly overwhelming, but given the NIMBY tendencies of most communities, it's extremely positive.
"We have supported this project very vocally because we think it's architecturally strong and because it satisfies our demands for heritage preservation," says David Roberts of Niagara Citizens for Smart Development. "St. Catharines is in a transitional state; it did very well ... because of General Motors. Now a fair bit of that manufacturing work has left and we need some pivotal projects to turn it around. I love this city, but it needs some work. I think it'll only take one or two projects like this to turn things around."
On the other hand, a second community group, PROUD, has vehemently opposed this project and its predecessor from the start. It is fighting change, whether it comes in the form of a 30-storey or a 17-storey tower.
Regardless, wandering around the Port Dalhousie waterfront, one can't help but be struck by the enormous potential of the place. Despite the decay, the obvious neglect and a feeling that the place is unfinished, it retains a certain charm. The public realm needs work, but that's also part of the plan.
One also senses the presence of history all around, even under the ground, where traces of the first Welland Canal can be seen.
Then there's the theatre, which opened in 1997 and is crucial to the redevelopment scheme. As well as bringing year-round life to the area, it's intended to make Port Dalhousie appealing to more than just Saturday night beer-drinkers. Former Shaw Festival artistic director Christopher Newton, who acts as a consultant to the proposal, has given it his blessing.
"I think it's quite viable," Newton says, "economically and artistically. I think something could work here. When the next stage comes, I'll be along."
As Rigby, whose great-great-great grandfather built the first Welland Canal, explains, "The first plan was too Toronto. But attitudes are changing. We want to make Port Dalhousie a better place, a people place."
AoD
Waterfront lessons from down the QEW
Apr. 10, 2006. 01:00 AM
CHRISTOPHER HUME
Port Dalhousie—Toronto isn't the only city with a waterfront. And it isn't the only city with plans to bring its waterfront back to life.
But here in Port Dalhousie, those plans may actually have a chance of being realized.
Though the process has been rancorous, it will reach its conclusion when St. Catharines City Council votes on a $60 million to $70 million mixed-use scheme sometime in June.
The proposal, put together by a private development outfit called Port Dalhousie Vitalization Corp. (PDVC), includes, among other elements, a boutique hotel, a 17-storey condo tower, a new 415-seat theatre and public-realm improvements. The idea is that it can change Port Dalhousie from a summer, Daytona Beach-like destination into something more sophisticated with year-round appeal.
"Frankly, I'm very excited about the project," says Mayor Tim Rigby of St. Catharines, of which Port Dalhousie is part. "Twenty or 30 years ago, you didn't want to live in Port Dalhousie. Now it's the place to be. But in the winter, it's as dead as a doornail. It's alive about eight weekends in the summer. The question is how do you make it work year-round."
As Rigby explains it, St. Catharines is only now starting to emerge from a dark period during which it lost much of the heavy industry that once made it so prosperous. As he also makes clear, however, the town still hasn't recovered and has yet to come to terms with the present.
"We haven't caught up to where we are," Rigby declares. "Every time we have an infill project, there's hell to pay. You've got to go up a bit. I'm not saying 50 storeys or anything. But this council has seen that this is the way to go."
Rigby is referring to the controversy generated by the first Port Dalhousie development proposal, a 30-storey condo tower that would have been the landmark no one wanted. Although many admired the architectural quality of the first proposal, this new version is 40 per cent shorter, and fully integrated into the block that forms the heart of Port Dalhousie's tourist precinct.
According to a recent study done by Environics for PDVC, the plan is supported by 63 per cent of the population of Port Dalhousie and St. Catharines. That's hardly overwhelming, but given the NIMBY tendencies of most communities, it's extremely positive.
"We have supported this project very vocally because we think it's architecturally strong and because it satisfies our demands for heritage preservation," says David Roberts of Niagara Citizens for Smart Development. "St. Catharines is in a transitional state; it did very well ... because of General Motors. Now a fair bit of that manufacturing work has left and we need some pivotal projects to turn it around. I love this city, but it needs some work. I think it'll only take one or two projects like this to turn things around."
On the other hand, a second community group, PROUD, has vehemently opposed this project and its predecessor from the start. It is fighting change, whether it comes in the form of a 30-storey or a 17-storey tower.
Regardless, wandering around the Port Dalhousie waterfront, one can't help but be struck by the enormous potential of the place. Despite the decay, the obvious neglect and a feeling that the place is unfinished, it retains a certain charm. The public realm needs work, but that's also part of the plan.
One also senses the presence of history all around, even under the ground, where traces of the first Welland Canal can be seen.
Then there's the theatre, which opened in 1997 and is crucial to the redevelopment scheme. As well as bringing year-round life to the area, it's intended to make Port Dalhousie appealing to more than just Saturday night beer-drinkers. Former Shaw Festival artistic director Christopher Newton, who acts as a consultant to the proposal, has given it his blessing.
"I think it's quite viable," Newton says, "economically and artistically. I think something could work here. When the next stage comes, I'll be along."
As Rigby, whose great-great-great grandfather built the first Welland Canal, explains, "The first plan was too Toronto. But attitudes are changing. We want to make Port Dalhousie a better place, a people place."
AoD