We want to hear from you!

The City is conducting a Neighbourhood Plan exercise for the southwest corner of Highway 420 and Stanley Avenue. This area includes land south of Highway 420 to North Street and the land between Stanley Avenue and Portage Road. Most of this land consists of the current Greater Niagara General Hospital site and its related operations, along with land previously owned by the Provincial Ministry of Transportation, which has now been acquired by the City of Niagara Falls. Future planning for this area is essential due to the upcoming closure and relocation of the hospital.

The neighbourhood plan program will undergo a planning and approval process similar to a secondary plan; however, it will focus on a much smaller site within the existing urban built-up area.

The existing uses found within the described area include:

• Hospital (and supporting clinics and buildings)
• Office Commercial
• Limited Detached Residential
• Former industrial building (current primary tenant - Lapennaco Liquidation Centre)
• Parking lots (private and commercial)
• Hydro Corridor

The area surrounding the subject lands sees various uses, including residential, general commercial, and other uses that can be considered ancillary to hospital use (such as clinics and medical offices). Uses around Stanley Avenue are primarily general commercial or tourist commercial.

The City is taking a proactive approach to plan for this area before the hospital's departure. This will allow a more efficient transition period for the lands to redevelop and the potential for introducing much-needed housing and mixed-uses at this highly useful and strategic location.

As part of this process, the City will create a Community Focus Group to engage in discussions at various stages. This group will provide input and feedback for staff to consider while developing a new Neighbourhood Plan for the area. A Request for Expression of Interest and a Terms of Reference will be published in the newspaper and social media. All relevant information will be available on the Let's Talk page. Additionally, there will be opportunities for broader public input through the Let's Talk page, attending open houses, and submitting comments throughout the project.

In general, the key steps to this process will be:

1. Conduct background studies
2. Assemble and meet with the Community Focus Group
3. Consult on background studies and hold an open house for public comment
4. Update the Report to Council
5. Develop a preferred land use plan
6. Consult on the preferred land use plan and hold an open house for public comments
7. Update the Report to Council
8. Draft policies for the preferred land use plan and initiate formal processing
9. Consult on the draft Neighbourhood Plan, hold an open house and a Statutory Public Meeting
10. Provide Recommendations to Council for consideration of approval

To provide City Planning staff with detailed insights about the site, four background studies will be conducted to gather empirical data to better inform planning considerations:

• A Functional Servicing Study will document all information relating to the existing services in the immediate vicinity, their existing and/or potential capacity, and whether upgrades will be required to support redevelopment.
• A Transportation Impact Study will utilize current traffic data to model and demonstrate movement patterns based on intersection counts. Once established, this benchmarking will enable accurate forecasts of impacts on the transportation network aligned with a preferred land use plan.
• A Land Use Compatibility Study will document any area uses (e.g., highway, industrial) found within the vicinity of the Neighbourhood Plan Area that need to be considered and studied in detail when development is being proposed. Any new or proposed sensitive uses may need mitigating measures. The study will provide the required guidance and recommendations for addressing the proposed development.
• An Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) evaluates whether any contaminants present on the land could affect future planning for more sensitive uses, such as residential development. The assessment also identifies what mitigative measures would be needed to make the site suitable for these uses.

These steps are essential for the City to create a Land Use Plan for Council's consideration.

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