After spending the last year or so making sure the plans for the condo development made sense financially, Fortress Real Developments unveiled plans for the Union Waterfront condos with a shorter tower and terraced new look on Wednesday. Developers have acknowledged the pre-application process that will take place soon with the city staff for the 0.45-hectare (1.5-acre) project.
Union Waterfront condo details
The development will take place in two phases and include a retail component. The new design is being proposed to replace the formerly-named Port Place project, which had included a 17-storey, 80-unit condo tower, theatre, hotel, and shopping that was all approved by the Ontario Municipal Board in 2009.
The early Union Waterfront development plan is slated to have 170 residential units ranging from 550 to more than 1,000 square feet with balconies or terraces along with commercial retail on the ground level and underground parking. Although phase two is still being finalized the idea is to have an additional 60 units and be six to eight stories. The previous plans of a theatre and hotel have been removed, with instead there being a possibility of a community hub site.
Fortress Real Developments development plans
The partner for the project is Kirkor Architects + Planners from Toronto and together have cited the initial project development cost to be $70 million. Vince Petrozza, Chief Operating Officer of Fortress Real Developments, discussed the municipal planning process and believes it’ll take about a year to “open up the plan again.”
A partner-architect from Kirkor, David Butterworth, said that they “wanted to put something in place that would be contextually built for the site, including the opening of Hogan’s Alley.” The “gardens in the sky” concept will include big terraces where people will be able to enjoy the waterfront and surrounding area. Seen below is the previous plans for the original Port Place project and wasn't as welcomed due to the lack of alignment it had with the overall revitalization process of Port Dalhousie.
Revitalization of St. Catharines and Niagara
At the proposal unveiling Mayor Walter Sendzik was quick to point out the recent victories for Niagara including the GO Transit expansion announcement along with an affordable housing complex for St. Catharines. He also noted the recent entrepreneurial investments and enhancements in Port Dalhousie.
Port Dalhousie businessman and chair of the Port Dalhousie Business Association Wolfgang Guembel says the development is “for sure a positive thing and it comes with the right attitude.” Guembel feels Fortress has been open and willing to work with people from the beginning, and that this project is great for the revitalization of Port Dalhousie.
The original pricing of the units were originally too high resulting in a lack of sales. Prices will now range from around $425-$600 a square foot with the lower level condos starting in the $250,000 range. The sales and marketing strategies will be launched with the construction beginning in late 2018 and take around two years for the project completion.
