Local developer to unveil $500-million mega-development
08/26/2006
BY MICHAEL-ALLAN MARION
EXPOSITOR STAFF / BRANTFORD
Local developer King and Benton is ready to unveil a $500-million commercial and industrial mega-development north of Highway 403.
After years of working to recruit several major North American corporations and carrying on numerous discussions at City Hall, Steve Charest, president of King and Benton Development Corp., will present at a public forum meeting in council chambers on Monday the details of his proposal.
Charest wants to build a combined prestige industrial park and power centre on about 450 acres of land his company owns on each side of Oak Park Road, north of the 403.
Hes looking for councils blessing and a direction to city staff to help clear a number of hurdles to bring the project to fruition.
Here are the main features revealed by King and Benton officials in a presentation to The Expositor:
An industrial centre of large buildings will be built on the west side of Oak Park Road, offering a collective 4.7 million square feet of space for warehousing, distribution offices and light assembly.
An 800,000-square-foot retail power centre and office complex is planned for the east side, containing big-box stores and a cinema.
Altogether, the assemblage of buildings will take up 44 per cent of total lot coverage, much higher than in the citys Northwest Business Park to the south or Braneida Industrial Park in the northeast.
When complete, the entire $500-million development would yield at least $10 million per year in commercial and industrial tax revenue.
It would create an estimated 5,000 new jobs.
King and Benton would donate land to allow for the construction of a new $7-million interchange at Oak Park Road and 403, needed to handle both the greatly increased traffic at Oak Park North and the Northwest Business Park to the south.
SOME MAJOR HURDLES REMAIN IN PLAN FOR MEGA-DEVELOPMENT
The identities of the major partners in each part of the development will be announced shortly, as soon as final approvals are gained from the city.
King and Benton says the project amounts to the complete rehabilitation and redevelopment of a disused industrial quarry operation, once run by Nelson Aggregates, into a productive parcel that meets the employment/land use objectives of the provinces Places to Grow legislation.
It would also take into account the areas sensitive ecological features and an aquifer system passing through the property.
Were not just using up greenfields, said Charest. The land already is part of the citys industrial footprint. Were reusing old worn-out land and giving it new life. We want to make a clean business park we can be proud of.
The former Nelson Aggregates land was long coveted by the city. It wanted to acquire the property for phase three of its northwest business park, which was mostly a collection of other depleted quarry operations and some small farms just south of the 403.
But Charest swooped in three years ago, made a winning bargain with the owner and scooped up the property.
Since then, hes been travelling North America shopping the property to large firms capable of carrying off major developments, and huddling with officials in city hall and Queens Park, trying to sort through the details.
What hes got sounds exciting, said Coun. John Sless, who has followed the proposal and myriad changes as it has progressed at city hall.
Conceptually it sounds very good, and could make a nice gateway to the community. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Ill be listening to the details with interest.
Its quite difficult to work with a lot of companies at the same time and run around handling all the problems that go with putting such a big development together. Im pleased to see that he appears to have done it.
But some problems remain to be resolved, and Charest says he hopes council can help him cut through the clutter.
A major hurdle is getting a cost-sharing agreement on the Oak Park road interchange. The province recently announced a deal with the city, offering an enhanced share, then signed off. But the city still hasnt signed off in its dealing with King and Benton.
We cant come to a consensus, said Charest. We keep coming close to an agreement, then things get changed.
The company is requesting standard treatment for cost-sharing arrangements that are done for other interchanges throughout the province, including the one at the Garden Avenue interchange. Its willing to give 8.5 acres of land to facilitate the improvement.
The new interchange represents an enhancement for all businesses in the area, Charest argues, including the new enterprises coming to the business park on the south side of the 403.
Charest also contends that King and Benton shouldnt have to pay development charges because hes redeveloping industrial land while keeping the same classification.
The company is willing to install infrastructure services at its cost and is willing to pay the extra cost extending the oversized water pipe under the 403 to the edge of its property.
According to the development charges bylaw, fees for such activity are waived, which he argues makes his project exempt.
City staff dont agree with that interpretation of the bylaw. Theyre not convinced that a quarry operation qualifies as an industrial activity.
Acting Mayor Dan McCreary says Charest has a case thats worth consideration.
This is an example of a developer who is willing to do all the work of installing services himself, and not be charged development fees in return, he said.
Thats different than the way weve been developing in the municipal industrial parks, where we put in the services and levy development charges. We need to have this discussion.
Brant MPP Dave Levac has worked for nearly three years to help King and Benton clear hurdles at Queens Park whenever possible, and has come to know the players involved in the project.
It was an interesting project from the beginning, Levac said Friday. Steve showed me he has the capacity to bring in large corporations willing to do business in the Brantford area. That helped convince me to go to bat to get the largest interchange at Oak Park road.
Levac also said King and Bentons project is an important component of a larger pattern of development coming to the Highway 403 and Powerline Road corridor.
He said its aiding his ongoing lobbying campaign to upgrade all interchanges to handle what he has persuaded the province is likely to be $10 billion worth of activity between industrial, commercial and residential projects in the offing.
Having a power centre is important to the mix, he said.
There are tens of millions of dollars leaving Brantford and Brant County because of the lack of a power centre. We could turn that back and bring more here if we had one, said Levac.
Im hoping the final dotting of 'I's and crossing of 'T's will be completed at the citys end as soon as possible so we can make this dream a reality.
