Unused elementary school to be developed into apartments

A developer — who proposed an apartment complex development at the former St. Hubert Elementary School — has moved the project west after a First Nations claim to the land.

St. Veronica’s Catholic School on East Balfour Street will be converted to 18 apartments, said Jason Naccarato, of Northern Advancement Capital Inc (NAC).

Naccarato said the developers went back to the drawing board when the St. Hubert School project was stalled by a claim from Batchewana First Nation.

“When that happened, we looked elsewhere. We were able to work with our partners at Huron-Superior Catholic School Board. They talked to us about this property so we just refocused on St. Veronica’s and let them sort everything out with the province and First Nation,” said Naccarato.

The plan calls for 18 first-storey apartments, all of which will be accessible from outside the building.

Naccarato said the retrofit — which will repurpose much of the existing structure — is inline with NAC’s philosophy of sustainable development.

“There is some of that school we are going to have to tear down, but we will use as much of the existing structure as we can,” said Naccarato.

NAC completed a retrofit at the Surplus Furniture building on Queen Street at Pilgrim Street and Jason’s business partner Frank Naccarato recently completed the retrofit of the former Sault This Week building on Towers Street into a mosque.

“What we like to do is take a building that is a bit distressed, buildings that have worn through time and repurpose or bring life to it,” Naccarato said.

He added, “I think a lot of good buildings get torn down that don’t have to be.”

Seven one-bedroom and eleven two-bedroom units will be built into the former school near Goulais Avenue and Wallace Terrace.

The city approved a rezoning of the property to allow for residential units in 2008.

Naccarato said an effort is being made to make six of the 18 units barrier-free and handicap-accessible.

“Especially with the aging demographic in this city, we’re hoping to make homes for people who are in transition, leaving their single-family homes and looking to downsize,” he said.

NAC have applied to receive a tax break through the city’s Rental Housing Incentive Program.

If accepted by council during Monday’s meeting, the development will receive a 75 percent rebate in the first year, followed by a 50 percent rebate in the second year and 25 percent in year three.

Since the program’s inception in 2013, eight projects have been approved for the rebates and 194 rental units were created.

Naccarato said the former school’s field will create green space.

“I think a lot of people want to leave single family homes, we want them to have a little yard, a little deck so they can do some gardening,” he said.