A residential developer with plans to build close to 2,500 homes and contribute $10 million for a new Forks Road bridge is expecting 2021 to be a busy year.
Empire Communities signed a memorandum of understanding with the city Wednesday to support two subdivisions moving forward in Dain City – one on the eastern side of the south Welland area and another at the former John Deere lands.
President and chief executive officer Daniel Guizzetti said in an interview Wednesday that the Dain East development, consisting of a proposed 1,400 homes off Forks Road East between the Welland Canal and a rail line that borders the east side of the former John Deere property, will get started first.
“Mother Nature has already thrown us a little blast of snow, so it’s probably not going to be until the spring that we start moving dirt out there,” he said.
He expects the lands will be serviced and available for building permit applications by next December.
Empire Communities has committed to more than half the cost of a new Forks Road Bridge, which also includes a new roadway and urbanization of Forks Road, from the Kingsway to the east limit of Forks Road. The city has been securing government funding for a new Forks Road Bridge since its closure in 2018.
It’s estimated that the bridge could cost up to $17 million.
The city has $5 million in provincial and federal funding set aside for a new bridge.
The second subdivision will sit on the former John Deere site, consisting of 1,000 units.
The agreement signed Wednesday includes a new multi-use sports facility at the Welland International Flatwater Centre, which will create new tennis, beach volleyball, pickleball, and basketball courts, as well as a new clubhouse.
Empire has agreed to purchase naming rights of the sports parks, which will bring a new brand to the developments, says a news release from the city.
The development company also looked into purchasing the former Union Carbide and Lakeside Steel lands, but has since decided to focus on the two other subdivisions south of Townline Tunnel Road.
“That deal kind of fell apart for a number of reasons,” said Guizzetti, noting that his firm would consider building at those sites if the opportunity arises.
“Would we look at it again? Probably,” he said.
Under Welland’s community improvement and financial incentive programs, Empire will see breaks through the brownfields tax assistance program for the remediation and redevelopment of the proposed eligible lands.
It will also see incentives through the brownfields tax increment grant program, not to exceed $10 million per property; building permit reductions to a maximum of $2 million in aggregate for both properties; and development charges reductions to a maximum of $4 million in aggregate for both properties.
Asked about how much work they have cut out for them getting the lands on and around the former John Deere site healthy enough to build on, Guizzetti said it will be manageable.
“It’s pretty contaminated, but it’s nothing that’s unsurmountable,” he said.
“We’re pretty comfortable with the work that needs to be done,” added Guizzetti.
He said the brownfield remediation will take place in tandem with getting the lands serviced.
“That work kind of goes hand in hand with the infrastructure work,” he said.
Guizzetti said the subdivisions in Welland are a “natural extension” of Empire’s presence in Niagara Falls and Thorold and that Dain City is a “unique and pretty site.
It’s partnerships like this “that build stronger communities,” said Mayor Frank Campion.
“We’re pleased to welcome Empire Communities to Welland’s list of successful partnerships. Empire’s expertise and experience will enrich our city, and add to our road and recreational infrastructure, to the benefit of Welland’s residents,” he said in the city’s news release.
