- What Ridley College is looking for a development partner for a project in St. Catharines, Ont.
- Why The chosen partner would assume project and construction management, financing and development
- What next Ridley is extending the deadline for the request for expressions of interest
Ridley College is extending its deadline to find a development partner for a southern Ontario transit-oriented community valued at approximately $500m upon completion, Green Street News can reveal.
The development, at 49 and 59 Ridley Road in St. Catharines, Ont., beside a GO train station, would comprise residential, commercial, employment and cultural uses, as well as green space. The residential component would have medium to high-density housing, including townhouses and apartment buildings of up to 16 storeys.
The 11-acre development site is divided into two blocks. Block 1, at 59 Ridley Road, is about 3 acres, while block 2, at 49 Ridley Road, is approximately 7 acres. A road, Miller Avenue, divides the parcels and leads to the train station.
Ridley is extending the deadline for a request for expressions of interest in the partnership opportunity. The RFEOI is being conducted in two stages: prequalification and proponent selection, with the prequalification phase now extended.
The partner would assume various project and construction management responsibilities and should be comfortable taking on the risk of financing and development. Ridley College will contribute the land to the partnership.
Ridley College, in operation since 1889, is an independent boarding school for students from junior kindergarten through grade 12. The plot of land where the development is slated to take place is across the street from the school.
Ridley College has three main objectives for the development: To create a community with a high standard of design that reflects the existing character of the school; to provide a range of housing that is available to all ages, abilities, incomes and household sizes, and to facilitate active senior living and the principle of aging-in-place; and to reinvent the neighbourhood as a transit-oriented community.
Ridley College and its partner will establish a project timeline following the completion of the RFEOI process.
The RFEOI is open to any interested party, including developers, builders and nonprofit entities.
The neighbouring GO train station is undergoing a major renovation that is expected to be completed in August 2026.
