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RECAP: City approves Confederation Heights condo complex

Thorold city council voted in favour of project after developer guaranteed commercial space on ground floor; 'We’ve required a minimum of 3,000 square metres'

After some initial hesitation, Thorold City Council has decided to sign off on the newly proposed development on the corner of Confederation Avenue and Collier Road.

As ThoroldToday reported, Star Flower Properties Inc, a subsidiary of DG Group, is looking to build a condominium complex at 2 Confederation Avenue.

The development would consist of a mid-rise condominium complex with commercial space on the ground floor, as well as some adjacent townhouses.

During a city council meeting on June 21, councillors shut down the development because they felt the developer didn’t provide enough guarantees about the commercial component of the project.

Residents in the Confederation Heights neighbourhood have previously expressed concern that there is a lack of effort to bring businesses to their area.

Planners hired by Star Flower Properties Inc. were on hand at the latest city council meeting to make their case as to why this development should move forward.

“We really just wanted to hone in on the commercial concerns that were raised by members of council,” said Keith MacKinnon, a planner for Star Flower Properties, in a presentation to council members.

MacKinnon explained how Star Flower has made adjustments to the project after the feedback from city council.

“We’ve required a minimum of 3,000 square metres of commercial gross floor area,” he said. “It certainly could be increased if the demand and opportunity was there. The second item that we’ve done is we’ve increased the list of permitted uses.”

With the changes, council members seemed enthusiastic about the proposed development. But a few questions still remained.

A point of concern is that the region is not allowing people to turn onto the lot from Collier Road.

Andrea Sinclair from MHBC planning, the firm taking care of the city’s planning needs, told councillors there will be two access points from Confederation Avenue to make up for this lack of access.

“The region is expected to do a number of upgrades along Collier [Road] in the short-term future that will assist with any of those traffic concerns as well,” she said. “We’re satisfied that the traffic study that has been done supports the proposed development.”

She also explained that when it comes to parking, the developer will need to provide two parking spaces per unit.

Another concern is that the project would not remain a condominium complex throughout its development, leavings tasks such as snow removal to fall on the city once construction is complete.

Sinclair confirmed that the developer has already applied for a condominium application and that this was the only possible way forward for the project.

Council members applauded Star Flower Properties for listening to their concerns and unanimously approved the project.


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Bernard Lansbergen

About the Author: Bernard Lansbergen

Bernard was born and raised in Belgium but moved to Canada in 2012 and has lived in Niagara since 2020. Bernard loves telling people’s stories and wants to get to know those that make Thorold into the great place it is
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