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The Brock Business Park is located in the City of Thorold along the boundary with the City of St. Catharines. The business park consists of approximately 47 hectares and the area is designated for service or industrial use and the business park features a mix of commercial office and prestige industrial uses. The Brock Business Park offers strategic advantage and as a result, the park is an area in transition, becoming revitalized to reflect the needs of the area.
Strategic value
The Brock Business Park offers a strong strategic location, due to its close proximity to the 406. Highway 406 provides excellent access to St. Catharines to the north and Welland to the south. It also provides connection to Highway 58 for access into Thorold and Niagara Falls. The park is also immediately east of Brock University. The Region of Niagara office headquarters is located at the southeast corner of St. David’s Road and Merrittville Highway.
Rezoning for revitalization
The majority of activities within the business park is comprised of traditional employment (38%), while major institutional uses are the second most prominent (20%). Currently, the commercial and residential categories make up a marginal portion (7% and 8%, respectively).
In 2012, a portion of the employment lands in the Brock Business Park were rezoned for the creation of the Brock University student residence known as "The Lofts". The mixed use development has a total of 850 student bedrooms across seven buildings and 11,539 sq. ft. of main floor commercial space. The business park is in need of growth in the commercial sector, as the area is without a significant number of amenities, which is unable to support the workers and residents within the park.
An area of opportunity
The City of Thorold is committed to utilizing the area's strategic value to enhance the business park. The city recognizes the impact the growth of Brock University will have on the park, and is looking for ways to integrate the park and the university. It wants to balance residential uses while attracting new investment to compliment university research. The Brock Business Park remains approximately 75% complete, with a number of opportunities for development in the area. To learn more about industrial parks in Niagara read "Industrial Parks in Niagara: Martindale Hanover" or connect with a Niagara real estate appraiser.
