New future for hospital lands
‘The committee has been wonderfully cooperative, working hand-in-hand with us to develop concepts to shape this property to help build a vibrant and thriving future for this neighbourhood.’
Debbie Sevenpifer
President and CEO
Learn about our new healthcare complex and Walker Family Cancer Centre by visiting the projects website at nhs.plenaryprojects.com
While construction of our new health complex and Walker Family Cancer Centre is one-third complete, work is also underway to build a vibrant and thriving future for the neighbourhoods surrounded by the two existing St. Catharines sites.
When the new facility opens its doors in west St. Catharines in the spring of 2013, the current St. Catharines General and Ontario Street sites will no longer serve as sites of the Niagara Health System.
To ensure redevelopment of the lands, representatives of Niagara Health have participated on a community advisory group which has met regularly since 2004 about different options for the St. Catharines General Site (SCG) on Queenston Street. The Queenston Community Advisory Committee is made up of property owners and business people from the area as well as neighbourhood residents.
Working with the public
With assistance from the committee, planning experts, the City of St. Catharines, the Regional Municipality of Niagara and a few other agencies, Niagara Health has conducted numerous studies.Highlights of planning have included:
- Reviewing the physical growth of the hospital over the years;
- Studying the possibilities for retrofitting the entire structure and consideration of tearing down all or part of the building;
- Looking at the infrastructure and weight bearing ability of the Queenston Street land;
- Environmental assessments, traffic studies, and bylaw review;
- Researching what other cities have done with their old hospitals.
“The committee has been wonderfully cooperative, working hand-in-hand with us to develop concepts to shape this property to help build a vibrant and thriving future for this neighbourhood,” says Niagara Health System President and CEO Debbie Sevenpifer.
Recently, St. Catharines City Council approved rezoning of a 12-acre parcel of land between Queenston Street, Oakdale Avenue and Eastchester Avenue for medium density residential development. This land includes the SCG Site, a staff parking lot on Prince Street and about 30 privately owned properties in the triangular block. The rezoning of this area was an important achievement for this initiative, prior to issuing a Request for Expressions of Interest to potential interested land developers later this year.
Based on preliminary planning, the future development would include a mix of dwelling types with a maximum building height of six storeys. The buildings would include a varied use of materials, textures and colours. Other features proposed include bus shelters, seating at bus stops, landscaping, a pedestrian walkway and views to Centennial Gardens.
Preserving the history
“We have expressed the desire to preserve some of the historical aspects of the site and hope that the revitalization effort will bring a mix of people to the area,” says committee chair Robbie Craine Davidson. “Some of the residential lots would attract seniors, some young singles or newlyweds, and others would attract families with children.”
Feedback has shown the desire to incorporate a healthcare component in the area and a community centre.
The Ontario Street Site (OSS) property was sold in 2006 to joint venture partners Walker Industries and Mountainview Homes and was structured to allow for two separate closings. This enables Niagara Health to continue occupying the OSS building until 2013.
The first parcel of land, a former parking lot across the street from the main building, is now townhomes. The sale of the second parcel of land includes the hospital buildings on the west side of Ontario Street and the adjacent parking lot. Plans for the second parcel are being developed.
“It is important to note that redevelopment will not happen until we have vacated both sites and are satisfied that we have met the needs of our patients and staff,” says Debbie.
The sale of the SCG and OSS properties helps to fund the local share of the new hospital. «
