Gateway to prosperity: construction bustling in Sault Ste. Marie.

• Author: Kelly, Lindsay
• Position: SAULT STE. MARIE

Sault Ste. Marie's abandoned Northern Breweries site may see new life in the next few years.

Gateway Properties Inc. is queueing up its newly purchased property for a 200-unit condo development which has a twisted structure unique to the North.

Dubbed Renaissance Place Condominiums, plans for the curvy, $80-million venture include at least 32 above-ground stories, in addition to five below-ground levels, four of which will be parking, while the first basement level would be set aside for retail space.

Partners with the Toronto-based development firm include Toronto architect and design consultant Samar Chandra and Tom Feifel of Castle Realty.

"Our building epitomizes the renaissance of the Sault, the rebirth," said Nirmala Singh, chair of Renaissance Place Condominiums, in an email.

Singh believes the tower will fit in well with the downtown redevelopment that's taken place over the last 30 years, from an industrial-heavy area to a people place with hotels, retail and residential developments, parks, and a boardwalk.

"Our development will be a symbolic expression of this renaissance, being the tallest building between Toronto and Calgary in Canada," Singh said. "It will be a beautiful and unique addition to the Sault waterfront and will be visible from a great distance."

The proposal is a welcome one for the city's planners, who are supportive of downtown residential developments. Don McConnell, the city's planning director, said residents living in the downtown help keep it vibrant and bustling.

"From that respect, anything that creates additional housing downtown, we're going to try and support, and this structure would be an iconic structure, which would be very interesting," he said. "We're looking forward to working with the developers and seeing how this project comes along."

Since the property was formerly an industrial site, it would have to go through an environmental evaluation process before developers could begin the project, Said Don Maki, chief building official.

"They would have to have a record of site condition registered with the Ministry of the Environment," he said. "That has to be done before they file the building permit applications."

Without any height restrictions, a 32-storey structure wouldn't violate any city bylaws, but the developers would have to provide enough parking for all 200 units. The underground parking should fulfill that requirement, but Maki said developers can apply for variances to the bylaw to...