|
|
Thu Apr 14, 2005
Ethanol plant clears major hurdle with land purchase
BY MICHAEL-ALLAN MARION
EXPOSITOR STAFF / BRANTFORD
A farmer-led co-operative is proceeding with its plan to buy a 48-acre parcel of land in the Oak Park North business park for its $86-million ethanol plant.
The integrated Grain Processors Co-operative Inc., has waived 12 conditions on its $2-million land purchase from King and Benton Development Corp., the owner of the private industrial park along Oak Park Road, north of Highway 403.
“We appreciate King & Benton’s on-going support of our community ethonal project and look forward to being the cornerstone of their Oak Park development,” said Joe Kloepfer, IGPC’s treasurer and chairman of the land committee.
More...
Mon Apr 11, 2005
Brownfield plans falling behind schedule
Meanwhile, the private sector is beginning to wonder why the city hasn’t implemented its community improvement plan (CIP) for brownfields, with its arsenal of incentives for developers.
A preliminary document was ready in December 2002-January 2003 when council was armed with its Brantford Brownfield Strategy and ready to set out on its assault. The document was approved shortly after that by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
But two years later, the final implementation document still hasn’t been brought forward.
Steve Charest, president of King and Benton Redevelopment Corp., which already has a number of rejuvenated brownfield projects to its credit, wanted to know at a community update meeting last Thursday why the CIP still hasn’t been implemented.
He said the CIP with its incentives could have helped him in the redevelopment of the former Harding Carpets property on Morrell Street, or his ongoing project to turn the Work Wear property at Wellington and Clearance streets into the Y’s new Family Program Centre.
Charest’s frustration is more than understandable, considering the CIP will most definitely be needed for the Greenwich-Mohawk and Sydenhem street brownfield areas, where remediation costs are too high for a completely private sector redevelopment.
More...
Fri Apr 08, 2005
City’s brownfield progress outlined
BY MICHAEL-ALLAN MARION
EXPOSITOR STAFF / BRANTFORD
Local politicians, city staff and developers traded information about brownfields with each other and the public in a community update Thursday on the city’s quest to clean up and revitalize old industrial sites.
“Why is it taking so long?” Steve Charest, president of King and Benton Redevelopment Corp., which has converted and revamped a number of city sites, wanted to know of a community improvement plan the city began writing nearly two years ago but hasn’t implemented yet.
That plan contains the approach the city wants to take in cleanup and redevelopment and an arsenal of incentives for developers who join public-private partnership, such as tax credits.
More...
Thu Apr 07, 2005
Leaders back Y plans
BY MICHAEL-ALLAN MARION
EXPOSITOR STAFF / BRANTFORD
“I’m delighted they up with a site to move to,” Mayor Mike Hancock said Wednesday of the Y’s $1-million-plus, 10-year partnership agreement with brownfield redeveloper King & Benton and Lanca Construction to transform the former Work Wear plant into a Family Program Centre.
Coun. Marguerite Ceschi-Smith said King & Benton Redevelopment Corp., and president Steve Charest, should be congratulated for forging a creative partnership that will bring another of the city’s 15 brownfield sites back into productive use while helping community organization.
“It’s great how Steve has done this because there is value being put back into that property,” Ceschi-Smith said, “and it’s one more down on our list of sites to be redeveloped.”
More...
Wed Apr 06, 2005
Old factory to become Y's home - for now
BY MICHAEL-ALLAN MARION
EXPOSITOR STAFF / BRANTFORD
Ending months of speculation, senior Y administrators and board members unveiled to The Expositor on Tuesday details of a $1-million-plus partnership with brownfield redeveloper King & Benton and Lanca Construction to revamp the former Work Wear plant at Wellington and Clarence streets.
“The entire community is aware of our search to build a new, full-service Y, with all the features that our members want and deserve,” said Don Duncan, the Y’s interim CEO.
“As a major step toward that vision, we are proud to announce our partnership with King & Benton and Lanca Construction in creating an exciting new centre.”
More...
Project will give life to old industrial building
BY MICHAEL-ALLAN MARION
EXPOSITOR STAFF / BRANTFORD
The old Work Wear building on Wellington Street looks like any other drab, unused brick-walled factory from another era.
But its latest owner, King & Benton Redevelopment Corp., and Lanca Construction are working at lightning speed to transform it in the next few months into a new facility for the YM-YWCA and resurrect some of its earlier architectural glory.
More...
Good Deal for the Y
Editorial
THE EXPOSITOR / BRANTFORD
At last, the YM-YWCA has somewhere to go. For a while, it looked as if the Y might be out on the street at the end of June when its old Queen Street building is sold. But the Y has made a good last-minute deal with developer King and Benton for temporary facilities in a brownfield building at Clarence and Wellington Streets.
Congratulations to King and Benton for its creative approach to the redevelopment of a brownfield building and to t
he Y’s leadership for expressing confidence in its future.
More...
|
| |
|
|
