2.2K 
Vive Development has submitted plans for a nine-tower redevelopment at 142 Queenston Street, just east of Downtown St Catharines, that would far surpass the scale and density of other projects in the Queenston neighbourhood. Designed by Reinders + Law, the design envisions nine towers of 24 storeys across the 4.2-hectare site that stretches 387m along the south side of the street between Oakdale Avenue to the west and Valleyview Road to the east.
Home to the St Catharines General Hospital for more than a century, the property has sat vacant since 2013 when services shifted to a new hospital complex. The former buildings were cleared between 2018 and 2020, leaving only a heritage archway with classical columns and a pediment as a reminder of the past. The site is framed by a mix of uses, with Westminster United Church to the east, commercial and residential blocks to the north, parkland and low-rise neighbourhoods to the south, and institutional, residential, and retail uses extending west.
Initial redevelopment concepts surfaced in 2023 under previous ownership with a mix of towers from 11 to 16 storeys and townhouses. Vive Development acquired the lands in late 2024 and is now pursuing concurrent Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment, and Draft Plan of Subdivision applications.
The new proposal calls for nine towers, each rising 24 storeys and reaching 80.8m, set atop three podium structures of four to six storeys. Together, they would deliver 2,443 rental units, including 32 live/work units fronting Queenston Street. With a Floor Space Index of 2.0 times site coverage, the total Gross Floor Area would be 271,893m², with residential uses accounting for 80,562m² and 1,234m² of commercial space at grade.
Construction is anticipated to unfold over nine phases, one per tower, beginning at the west end. Vehicular parking would be contained within three underground levels and in the podiums, with 2,855 spaces for residents and 122 for visitors. Bicycle storage is planned at 1,000 spaces.
Amenities would be distributed across podium rooftops and ground-level spaces, along with landscaped open spaces and a potential municipal park block. In total, the development would house 25 elevators, with three cabs in most towers and two in each of the two westernmost towers, translating to about one cab per 98 units, indicating reasonable wait times when all elevators are operational.
A new multi-use trail system is proposed at the rear of the site linking to Richard Pierpoint Park and the extended Valleyview Road. The design also incorporates the relocation and conservation of the former hospital’s heritage archway.
Multiple Niagara Region Transit routes run along Queenston Street, Oakdale Avenue, and Westchester Crescent. Stops are located within steps of the property, while the downtown terminal, 1.5 km to the west, offers local routes and intercity service as far as Toronto. Queenston Street also forms part of the Greenbelt Route, providing direct connections to the region’s cycling network, supported by nearby painted lanes, signed routes, and multi-use trails.
The scale of the Queenston Street proposal stands well beyond anything currently planned nearby. To the southwest, Beard Place Condos is seeking 6 storeys, while to the north, 151 Queenston Street calls for 7 storeys. Low-rise development is planned to the east. Further east, 70 Eastchester Avenue calls for 10 storeys, and further west, 69–89 Geneva Street proposes 19 storeys.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
* * *
UrbanToronto's research and data service, UTPro, provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe—from proposal through to completion. Other services include Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
| Related Companies: | Arcadis, Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists |
