Contaminated Gun Club Land in St. Catharines Could be Cleaned Up by June 2026, Developer Says

Strategic Insights -

St. Catharines developer John Lally plans to start remediation of the 5.5-hectare property at 527 Glendale Ave., previously home to a gun club, in September. The goal is to have the site cleaned up and ready for residential construction by next June, allowing for the start of building four apartment buildings, including affordable housing, and commercial space. Lally aims to expedite the process using the FastTrack system, which involves modular pre-cast buildings, and is seeking special permission to include cleanup costs in a future application for community improvement plan incentives.

Key Takeaways:

  • John Lally, a Niagara Falls developer, is planning to start remediation of the 5.5-hectare property at 527 Glendale Ave. in September, with the goal of having the site cleaned up and ready for residential construction by June 2026.
  • The property, which was home to a gun club from 1969 to 2012, will be remediated using the FastTrack system, which employs modular pre-cast buildings to deliver housing to market more quickly than traditional means.
  • Lally proposes to fund and initiate the cleanup immediately, rather than waiting for zoning approvals, to expedite the process and bring the site forward by at least a year.
  • The developer is seeking special permission to include cleanup costs in a future application for community improvement plan incentives, which would allow him to offset a portion of project costs related to development and brownfield remediation.
  • The city's CIP program is undergoing a review, which will include looking at eligible project cost requirements, and the developer will be doing preconsultation on its site plan with city staff.
  • Lally is exploring a relationship with a non-profit for one of the buildings and has been in conversation with Niagara Region Housing about partnership opportunities on site.
  • Merritton Coun. Jackie Lindal made a motion to direct staff to amend the CIP to permit retroactive costs for the Glendale property, which passed 8-3.

Statistics:

  • The property is 5.5 hectares in size and will be remediated using the FastTrack system.
  • The plan is to build four apartment buildings, two to six storeys tall, totaling 450 units, with 30% affordable housing and commercial space.
  • The cleanup costs incurred will be funded by the developer, Lally.
  • The city's CIP program offers a brownfield tax increment finance program that helps developers offset a portion of project costs related to development and brownfield remediation.
  • The CIP program review will look at eligible project cost requirements.

Sources:

  • St. Catharines Standard
  • Niagara Falls developer John Lally
  • Upper Canada Consultants
  • Merritton Coun. Jackie Lindal
  • St. George's Coun. Mark Stevens
  • Mayor Mat Siscoe