Council approves Stevensville facade improvement grant with conditions

A facade improvement grant for a Stevensville property will only be paid out once construction for the entire building is complete.

Councillors placed the added condition on the property, 2648 Stevensville Road, during the January 13 council-in-committee meeting. The roots of the application are several years old, dating back to 2018 when the town and property owner entered into an agreement for $17,900 through the commercial facade grant program.

“However, despite multiple extensions to the agreement, the work did not proceed beyond the demolition of the building, causing the agreement to become null and void,” a staff report reads.

The new application seeks $8,950 in funding, which reflects the fact it is no longer a 50-50 cost sharing split since the Niagara Region ended its support of the Stevensville Core Area Community Improvement Plan. 

Staff, in their report to committee, said significant work is still required on the site. The plans include increasing the height of the building and adding a second service bay door.

“The proposed improvements include adding details to the lintels and edges of the bay doors, resurfacing the lower-level office area (on the right) with a stone veneer and stucco work, and applying metal siding to the upper level. Additionally, new commercial double doors and fixed glass windows are part of the scope of work,” the report said.

It went on to say the project must be completed within one year of signing the agreement. However, that wasn’t quite enough for councillors.

“It’s not clear to me entirely what completion of the project means,” said Mayor Wayne Redekop. 

“You can’t have a facade without a building, and there is no building…I’m not prepared to support paying that money unless it’s connected to a completion of the building.”

Redekop put forward a motion to have the money paid out only after completion of the building, something that Councillor Ann-Marie Noyes also suggested. Exactly what completion of the building means could be hashed out later, Redekop said.

“I’m glad to see that there’s hope, that this particular building may be improved upon, but I do hope that the grant portion is paid out only upon completion of the project,” said Noyes.

The mayor said the grant would be $9,000 well spent if it means “assisting us in removing an eyesore in downtown Stevensville.”

However, Councillor George McDermott raised a potential issue that could complicate things further. The grant application included three cost estimates, including one from Niagara-on-the-Lake’s PRW Fabrication Ltd.

McDermott asked if the company belongs to the same owner as the Stevensville property.

Junior community planner Kimberlyn Smith said she was unaware of any possible connection, and suggested there could be a conflict of interest if that’s the case, though input would be needed from legal counsel.

Stay Informed

Events, offers, contests, and breaking news, all delivered straight to your inbox.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Subscribe