Brownfield redevelopment
is a form of sustainable development, offering opportunities to revitalize
older neighbourhoods, lower municipal infrastructure costs, increase
municipal property tax revenues and lessen urban sprawl. Despite the
obstacles facing this type of development, successful redevelopment
projects have been built across Canada. These case studies are successful
examples of residential projects that have overcome the barriers to
brownfield redevelopment.
1) Brownfield
Built Projects
Abe Zakem House - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
(Francais)
A former City public works garage in downtown Charlottetown has been
redeveloped for 23 affordable rental apartment units. A risk assessment
was employed at this site using the Atlantic Risk Based Corrective
Action (RBCA) process. The risk assessment process determined that
the site could be safely redeveloped using passive and active risk
mitigation measures. The project has had a positive impact on the
neighbourhood with several nearby properties now under renovation
or proposed for new multi-unit residential uses.
Angus Shops - Redevelopment of the Angus Site - Montreal, Quebec
(Francais) Residential Intensification Case Study (Francais)
Montréal's Angus Shops were opened by Canadian Pacific Railways in
1902 to maintain trains and locomotives. During World War II as many
as 12,000 people worked on the site. Working class neighbourhoods
grew up around the Angus Shops. In the early 1970's C.P.R. began to
close all its maintenance shops. Plans to develop a major residential
and commercial project on 100 acres of the site's eastern part had
to be withdrawn after encountering fierce opposition from the local
merchants. The land was sold to a non-profit agency jointly administered
by the City of Montréal and the Government of Quebec. Community organizations
mobilized and demanded that 100% of the units be used for social housing.
Over 2,500 units of housing were developed, 60% market and 40% in
co-operative, non-profit and public housing over a 10-year period
starting in 1984. The neighbourhood is a mixed, integrated community
of people from different social and ethnic backgrounds. The planned
environment respects the traditional Montréal city block, and the
scale and architectural design lend a homogeneous quality applicable
to both market and social housing.
Bishop's
Landing: Halifax, Nova Scotia(Francais) Bishop's Landing is a 206-unit, mixed-use
project on the historic Halifax waterfront. A collaboration between
Southwest Properties and the Nova Scotia government's Waterfront Development
Corporation, the project features a range of apartment-style units,
a number of specialty retail shops and a substantial public waterfront
park and boardwalk. As the first major redevelopment of the Halifax
waterfront, the project received a lot of public scrutiny and required
negotiations with three levels of government. A high quality design
that considers adjacent heritage properties was encouraged by detailed
planning policies and guidelines.
Brandt's Creek Crossing - Kelowna, B.C. (Francais)
Located north of downtown Kelowna, the lands of a former CN rail yard
have been subdivided and rezoned to create a mixed-use neighbourhood
of industrial, commercial, office and residential lots. Canada Lands
Company (CLC) remediated the heavily contaminated site. The first
phase of development is currently being planned, and will consist
of 89 condominium units in one tower and seven freehold townhomes.
Ultimately, 600 residential units are expected to be built by 2010.
CityPlaces Project - Hamilton, Ontario (Francais)
The City of Hamilton assembled a site for affordable rental housing
in the downtown area using two adjacent properties on which back taxes
were owed. One property was a parking lot for a downtown theatre and
the adjacent property had an industrial building on it. The City built
a four-storey building with commercial uses on the ground level and
37 one and two bedroom units above. The units are rented at a level
that is affordable. The redevelopment achieved many goals: retained
live theatre in the downtown area, provided affordable rental housing,
helped to stimulate other development and improved the image of the
downtown as a place to live. The City invested $2.2 million in the
project but a substantial part was recouped through the repayment
of tax arrears. As well, the development added to the City's tax assessment
base and is attracting other private investment.
Couvent de Saint-Henri Housing Co-op - Montréal, Quebec (Francais)
Couvent de Saint-Henri Housing Co-op contains 48 affordable rental
units in a four-storey apartment building that has been converted
from a school. The project is in a mixed-use neighbourhood with some
industrial and residential uses. There were significant site-contamination
issues, including asbestos in the building and hydrocarbon and heavy
metals in the soil. Funds from the province of Quebec and a grant
from the municipality made the project possible.
Garrison Woods - Calgary, Alberta (Francais)
Garrison Woods, the redevelopment of the eastern part of the former
Canadian Forces Base (CFB) in Calgary, is made up of 1,600 residential
units including new townhouses, new single-family homes, new three-
and four-storey apartments, refurbished single- and semi-detached
former military housing units, and new single-detached infill homes
among the refurbished units. Secondary suites (mortgage helpers) are
included above garages on some of the lanes. Many of the former military
buildings have been reused for community amenities. Developed by Canada
Lands Company, a federal Crown corporation, this "new-urbanist"
project challenges conventional standards of the City's engineers
with rear lanes, customized road standards, mixed uses and a mix of
densities to achieve an overall gross density of almost 25 units per
hectare-high for a new subdivision.
Koo's Corner: Vancouver, B.C.
(Francais) Koo's Corner is a six-unit, row townhouse
project in the historic neighbourhood of Strathcona. The project combines
retention and conversion of an existing commercial building with thoughtful
new construction, while acknowledging the local context. It achieved
a high density for ground-oriented housing (106 uph) while maintaining
a very livable feel that complements the existing neighbourhood. The
result resonated well with residents, neighbours and City planners.
Le Cours Chaboillez, Montréal, Quebec (Francais)
A former industrial site in downtown Montréal, which once contained
rail lines, freight sheds, and numerous industrial uses, is being
redeveloped to accommodate almost 1,000 residential units, and retail
and institutional uses. The site is being remediated and will be transformed
into a community of attractive high-density market-priced condominium
units, through the use of a site-specific risk assessment and a grant
from the Province's Revi-Sols Program.
London Landing - Richmond, B.C. (Francais)
London Landing is an award winning, 221 unit residential development
of detached town homes, stacked units and condominium apartments in
Richmond, BC . Located on a former mixed industrial site, site remediation
involved digging up and aerating contaminated soils and re-using the
soils as on-site fill. Design features incorporated in the homes and
on the property have created a heritage-sensitive residential community.
London Lane - Guelph, Ontario (Francais)
London Lane is a 105-unit townhouse project in an old suburban area
of Guelph that also includes 22 semi-detached homes. The project was
developed on a brownfield industrial site, formerly operated by Pirelli
Cable, and required significant site remediation before construction.
Oliver Village - Edmonton, Alberta (Francais)
Oliver Village is a thriving residential community close to downtown
Edmonton. Located on a former CN Rail yard, the development consists
of 308 rental apartment units in two buildings and 4,180 m2 (45,000
sq. ft.) of ground-level commercial space. The Canada Lands Company
(CLC) remediated the site, using aeration to remediate hydrocarbon
contamination and a standard "dig and dump" approach for
heavy metals. The development removes a barrier between downtown Edmonton
and the communities to the north by providing pedestrian and automobile
links and is part of the City's effort to promote revitalization in
downtown Edmonton.
Portland Park Village - Toronto, Ontario (Francais)
Portland Park Village is a residential infill project in downtown
Toronto, just outside the current Waterfront revitalization area.
A combination of stacked townhouses and a large apartment condominium,
Portland Park adds 193 housing units to a site previously used as
a parking lot. While the project is only blocks from the SkyDome and
a host of downtown amenities, the development creates relief from
the bustle of urban living with an attractive courtyard, patios for
the townhouses and balconies and terraces in the condominium.
Quai des Éclusiers, Montréal, Quebec(Francais)
The site of a former wrought iron factory and foundry on the Lachine
Canal in Montréal's Secteur Saint-Antoine is being redeveloped for
400 residential units. Through grants from the province's Revi-Sols
program and the City of Montréal, the site is being remediated and
transformed into attractive, market-priced condominium units.
Seagram Lofts - Waterloo, Ontario (Francais)
Seagram Lofts is adaptive reuse of a brownfield site, which created
residential property in the heart of Waterloo's downtown core from
two, heritage, whisky-barrel warehouses. As part of downtown Waterloo's
revitalization, the project was the subject of much public interest.
The project created 103 loft-style condominium units with high ceilings
and large windows. Complementing these features are original brick
walls and barrel-wood, evoking the old warehouse feel.
Spencer Creek Village - Dundas, Ontario(Francais)
Spencer Creek Village is a large-scale, high-density residential development
located in the heart of the community of Dundas in Hamilton, Ontario.
The development will contain 598 residential units in nine buildings
along with 1,300 m2 (14,000 sq. ft.) of commercial space. This redevelopment
of a former steel foundry site incorporated extensive use of on-site
soils sorting and recycling to reduce costs and materials sent to
the landfill. The development has also been designed to fit into the
existing neighbourhood.
Sterling Place - London, Ontario (Francais)
Sterling Place is a heritage, adaptive reuse project in downtown London,
Ont. It transformed an old vacant shoe factory and warehouse, built
in 1901, into high-density rental housing with studio, one-bedroom
and two-bedroom apartments. The 32 units range from 22 to 66 m² (240
to 710 sq. ft.) Every apartment has vaulted ceilings and exposed ventilation
ducts, which recreate the warehouse feel of the building's past. The
developer received financial assistance from the City of London through
restoration grant and loan programs, which helped revitalize the deteriorating
heritage building and add new housing to London's core district.
The Carlings at Arbutus Walk - Vancouver, B.C. (Francais)
The Carlings was the first of six projects to be finished within Concert's
Arbutus Walk neighbourhood, which itself is part of the larger Arbutus
Lands Industrial Area. The 2.4 ha (6 acre) site is in Vancouver's
desirable Kitsilano neighbourhood, close to the downtown business
core, UBC, local beaches, cafés and shopping. Built partly on the
former industrial site of a Carling O'Keefe (later Molson) brewery,
Arbutus Walk is now a vibrant residential neighbourhood. The Carlings
consists of two, four-storey, multi-family buildings designed with
an urban, brownstone look.
The Hamilton Beaches - Hamilton, Ontario (Francais)
A former gasoline station in one of Hamilton's transitional neighbourhoods
is currently under redevelopment. When complete the development will
include 93 residential units including row and stacked townhouses,
and apartment units. Through the use of innovative remediation technologies
and Hamilton's supportive policy environment for brownfield redevelopment,
this site is being transformed into a community of attractive market-priced
housing.
Wellington Square, Cambridge, Ontario
(Francais)
Wellington Square is a residential development of 82 townhouse units
built on formerly contaminated industrial land in Galt City Centre
(Cambridge, Ontario). The site was contaminated with heavy metals
and hydrocarbons from a long industrial history, with the bulk of
the contamination attributed to a former foundry. The project was
the first to take advantage of Cambridge's new Contaminated Sites
Grant Program, as well as several other complimentary City programs
geared to promoting redevelopment in the core areas.
These case studies are successful examples showing how municipalities,
in partnership with local stakeholders and/or senior governments,
can significantly contribute to the intensification of existing urban
areas using a wide variety of instruments. This includes financial
incentives, such as grants, tax credits, and waiving development charges,
as well as flexible zoning, marketing vacant lands and mediation.
Atlantic
Risk-Based Corrective Action Program (RBCA)(Francais)
The Atlantic Risk Based Corrective Action (RBCA) approach which has
been adopted by the Atlantic Provinces establishes a set of scientifically
derived risk-based (and harmonized) criteria and a pre-approved and
cost effective methodology for applying "Site Specific Risk Assessment"
(SSRA) to petroleum-contaminated sites. The Atlantic RBCA process
makes it cost effective for the owners of small contaminated properties
to remediate these sites. With the benefits of standardized criteria
and methods of SSRA, the rate at which petroleum-impacted sites are
being remediated has increased.
Contaminated
Sites Grant Program: Cambridge, Ontario (Francais) Grants of up to 100% of restoration costs for all new development
on contaminated properties in the core areas (up to a maximum of $1,500
per residential unit and/or $10 per square metre of gross floor area).
Waterfront
Development Corporation: Halifax, Nova Scotia(Francais)
The corporation owns significant waterfront land on HalifaxHarbour
and oversees its planning and development. It has helped transform
the waterfront from a desolate area into a vibrant mixed-use destination
and living area.
The
"Kings Regeneration" Initiative: Toronto, Ontario(Francais)
A relaxation of planning and zoning requirements in two former industrial
areas near downtown Toronto.
The flexible zoning in these districts permits almost any residential,
live/work, commercial and light industrial use.
3) Transit-Oriented Development
These Transit-oriented Development case studies highlight compact mixed use residential developments which are built within a 5 minute walk (800m) of a transit node with the aim of intensification of neighbourhoods and supporting public transit ridership. Based upon interviews with developers, municipal planners and homeowners, the case studies provide insight into common challenges and creative solutions so that developers of future projects can build on those solutions.
Port Credit Village - Mississauga, Ontario (Francais)
The award winning Port Credit Village (Phase I) is a 410 residential unit mixed use project located along the City of Mississauga's Lake Ontario waterfront within easy walking distance of the Port Credit GO Station (commuter rail) and market area of the historic Port Credit community. Port Credit Village is located on the former St. Lawrence Starch Lands that functioned as a heavy industrial site.
Village de la Gare - Mont-Sainte-Hilaire, Quebec (Francais)
The Village de la Gare in Mont-Sainte-Hilaire is considered to be the first master-planned Transit-Oriented Development project in the province of Quebec. The project was started in 2002 after commuter train service was introduced linking the Town of Mont-Saint-Hilaire to Montreal. The project is the result of a unique collaboration among the municipality, the metropolitan transit authority and a private developer.
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