St. Catharines latest Community Improvement Plan launched

st catharines skyline
St. Catharines downtown skyline, Wikipedia image by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Trappy

Ontario Construction News staff writer

The City of St. Catharine’s is hoping its latest Community Improvement Plan (CIP) will stimulate investment in affordable housing, commercial redevelopment, heritage preservation, and brownfield remediation.

The plan, known as 2020CIP, is designed to encourage investment in the city by providing incentives to the private sector.

“These latest programs take a proactive approach to revitalizing, reshaping and positioning our city as an attractive place to live and do business,” said senior planner Bruce Bellows. “The 2020CIP is a progressive plan in alignment with the city’s strategic plan and the land use framework established in our Official Plan.”

Since 2004, the municipality has approved 98 CIP applications with a commitment of approximately $20.75 million. Once all projects are completed as approved, they will represent the generation of approximately 2,100 new residential dwelling units, 280 permanent new jobs and an estimated increase in property tax assessment of approximately $396 million.

“The new CIP will provide some significant opportunities to promote growth, create new jobs and attract community renewal the city deems a priority, including affordable housing, brownfield remediation, mixed-use intensification and heritage preservation,” said Mayor Walter Sendzik.

“The program will be an important part of the city’s recovery strategy coming out of the current pandemic.”

Applications are now open for the 2020CIP Tax Increment Finance Program (TIF), Brownfield Tax Increment Finance Program (BTIF), Brownfield Tax Assistance Program (BTA), and the Façade Improvement Program (FIP).

The incentives provided by these programs will offset a portion of project costs related to redevelopment, reuse and rehabilitation of the city’s built environment.

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