Business View Civil & Municipal | July 2022

64 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7 the Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority has started ramping up their cruise ship stops in the city from 10-15 to more than 60. They’ve also moved the docking facility to the west wall to be closer to the downtown retail area. With a growing population and business community, Port Colborne is preparing to support that growth with about 2,000 new housing units in the next five years. The planning department is in the process of, or has approved, a mix of single, semi-detached, mixed-use and multi- family homes with affordability in mind. They are creating four new subdivisions, one of which is in its third phase and includes a 78-unit, eight-storey apartment building. Downtown Port Colborne is also seeing some redevelopment for mixed-use housing with second floor apartments and retail or restaurant on the main level. Scott Luey, City of Port Colborne Chief Administration Officer, reports, “There’s a healthy mix of businesses. We have two downtown cores, where you can get the national franchises such as Dominos or Pizza Pizza, and the sole proprietorship boutique retail and restaurants. We have some really fine and funky cafes… Green Apple comes to mind. Port Colborne has a diverse downtown, and we have the waterfront, so it’s really attractive to locals and people from all over Niagara and beyond, just to get on down here and see the mix of retail and commercial and enjoy the water views.” In another housing project, the city has partnered with Port Cares (a social services not-for-profit) to build affordable housing. The council provided land for a three-storey, 30-unit building, which Steele says the community avidly supports. He attests, “It speaks well of council and the community. This is a community that cares about each other, and I think it’s part of our character and part of the spirit of Port Colborne. There have been good vibes created from that partnership and it helps to address some of the housing affordability which is in our community.”