Niagara-on-the Lake (NOTL) council has approved a four-tower mixed-use development on the White Oaks Conference Resort and Spa property.
As part of their vision for the future of the facility, the project was first introduced by owners Ameer Wakil and his family.
A pre-consultation in support of the proposed applications was completed in August 2022 with the formal application for Official Plan Amendment, which has since been approved, confirmed as complete in August 2023.
The project, located at Taylor Road and Glendale Avenue, includes 810 residential units in four towers, 16,313 square feet of commercial space and 1,318 parking spaces, both above and underground. The application also includes some affordable housing units as per the request of the municipality.
“The pricing of units within the development has yet to be confirmed, however, the applicant is committed to working with the municipality through the site plan approval process to accommodate affordable housing units where feasible,” said project manager Tim Collins of LANDx Developments, who did the planning work.
The proposal had been strongly opposed by local residents and business owners due to concerns over the height and density of the project. A petition on change.org received more than 600 signatures, but despite the resistance, council approved the project in an 8-1 vote in its most recent meeting.
“The White Oaks redevelopment is transformational for the town. It leverages the guidance from the many years of work involved with developing the Glendale Area District Plan, which guides development in this area.”
“We are pleased to see the confidence of our local business community in their commitment to provide much needed variety in housing forms as well as lead this area’s growth,” said NOTL Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa.
The buildings included in the project have proposed heights of 17, 18, 21 and 25 storeys, which is a main reason of concern by opponents.
Those against the project cited the Glendale District secondary plan that permits one building to stand 20 storeys tall and the others can be no higher than 16 storeys. Additionally, the maximum height of buildings within a four-mile radius of the Niagara District Airport is five to six storeys. The proposed building heights will require an Airport Zoning Regulation Exemption from Transport Canada.
“Aviation consultants have reviewed the proposal and determined that the proposed development does not conflict with aviation safety or airport operations. This will form the basis of our exemption request,” said Collins.
According to Zalepa, “Transport Canada will consider the height in relationship to the Niagara District Airport once the airport finalizes its airport zoning regulation update. The exact timeline is unknown at this time.”
Another area of concern is the possibility of compromise to the existing resort amenities that nearby residents are familiar with, such as the various recreation courts.
The developer said while there will be impacts/changes to the current configuration of the White Oaks facility, the intention will be to maintain the range of amenities and services offered, including tennis, squash and racquetball.
Initial estimates for costs are approximately $500 million, but given the preliminary stage of the project, that figure is highly tentative and subject to change, as are timelines.
As of now, there is an approximate five-to-10-year timeline for completion of the phased project, with the initial phase to include planned improvements to the existing White Oaks facility.
Toronto-based Giannone Petricone Associates Inc. is the architecture firm and a builder has not been selected with no timeline in place for tendering the work.
“Requirements for future reporting are still subject to confirmation from town staff,” said Collins, adding, “over the next five to 10 years, it is anticipated that the proposed development will result in the creation of 133 new jobs.”
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