Sault ‘eager to see any development’ on Gateway site, mayor says

Any developers who've been considering building on Sault Ste. Marie's Gateway site shouldn't be shy about approaching the city, Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said tonight.

Mayor Shoemaker was speaking as city councillors received as information a pre-feasibility study for an $83-million wood showcase neighbourhood.

The pre-feasibility study was fully funded with a $50,000 grant from Thunder Bay-based Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE), but so far, local economic development officials haven't found a developer to build the project, which includes residential and commercial components as well as a visitors centre to showcase urban community living, alternative energy, forest sustainability and bio-economy innovation.

"If there are developers or individuals or companies out there that wish to propose a development, don't let the terms of this report narrow your field of what you'd like to see on that property," Shoemaker said, adding that "we are not limited to what is being proposed here."

"I'm glad that we've got a little bit more info on the property. Frankly, if anybody came to us with a plan to develop some mix of residential and commercial – whether it's the use of wood, whether it's the use of concrete, whether it's the use of glass, whether it's the use of steel – we'd be eager to see that property developed.

"It's interesting to read the report. It's somewhat of a unique design for the property, but I get a sense from council that we would be eager to see any development on this property. It doesn't have to be specific to this."

Rick Van Staveren, the city's director of economic development, said that so far, there’s no certainty that residential development would be allowed on the former industrial site.

"We would have to do further environmental assessment work to determine if residential could be located on this property," Van Staveren said.

"We have explored the potential to do ground-floor commercial with residential above and that might be permitted on the property. As well, certainly commercial would be permitted on the property."

"I think part of the advantage of this report and the work that's been done is it really does highlight the amount of land that's available on the site, and the potential for development along two major corridors in our community, being Bay Street and St. Marys River Drive along the waterfront.

"So I think it opens up awareness of the potential of the site going forward," Van Staveren said.