Welland, Ontario

4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3 brownfields, and it’s working for us. We are excited about it, and it’s looking fantastic as well.” Many developers are taking advantage of the incentives, which is completely changing the city’s landscape. The former John Deere industrial site and adjacent lands along the Welland Shipping Canal will soon become a residential development by Empire Homes, which will include approximately 2,190 new dwelling units including single detached, semi-detached and townhouse dwellings and mixed-use commercial and residential buildings. Plaza Comm has turned a former coal yard into the site of a new commercial standalone McDonald’s, and a six- storey retirement residence that will connect to the adjacent city-run community centre. The city itself purchased an 8-acre brownfield site five years ago which was a portion of the former Atlas Steel lands and is just putting the finishing touches on a new fire station in its WELLAND , ONTAR IO place. “It will be a significant redevelopment of that brownfield site,” Zorbas says. “We had it cleaned up and there will be a fire training tower for our firefighters. It will be a major attraction for other firefighters in the region to take training if they desire. It’s one-stop shopping for fire departments.” Though Welland has bid adieu to many of its traditional manufacturing companies, that doesn’t mean they’ve been left out in the cold when it comes to new business. Over the past seven years, there has been tremendous growth with new industry and businesses locating in the city. “There’s been a significant economic resurgence in terms of new job opportunities,” Zorbas explains. “One of the biggest catalysts is the INNIO plant (the former GE plant), which decided to relocate from Waukesha, Wisconsin to Welland. That was the catalyst, and there have been a host of other businesses and industries that have since opened up or are about to open up.”