From the St. Catharines Standard:

A new apartment building and townhouse development on the site of the former Grey Gables School is exactly what west St. Catharines needs, city councillors said Monday.

The eight townhouses approved for Dexter Street and the seniors apartment building approved next door on St. Paul Street West “are a good mix of density types,” acting city planner Judy Pihach told councillors.

“This is a good reuse of this property.”

Councillors agreed to fast-track the condominium

townhouses by allowing developers Art Ellis and Tim Kenny to proceed without a site plan. Pihach said site plans are usually needed when condos have joint ownership of driveways or other common elements, but these eight condos will be street townhouses and will be owned separately.

Kenny told councillors the fast-tracking will mean construction can start on the first four units this fall.

St. Andrews Coun. Joe Kushner praised Kenny’s design of the townhouses for not being “garage-heavy.”

“How do we encourage this type of development from other developers?” asked Kushner, who has often criticized what he calls ugly development in his ward.

Kenny said the corner unit will most likely be designed so that it looks like a separate house on both sides.

“I think we can do something other than a brick wall going along St. Paul West,” Kenny said.

Driveways for the townhouses will be twinned, to allow for as much green space as possible in the front yards.

Read the rest at the St. Catharines Standard website.