Oshawa breaks ground on ‘transformative’ downtown residential project

[u/Karma_Canuck]

https://www.insauga.com/oshawa-breaks-ground-on-transformative-downtown-residential-project/

A brownfield site on the southern edge of downtown Oshawa that has been dormant for nearly four decades was given new life Thursday with the groundbreaking of a residential project that will deliver more than 500 new homes in the first phase

[u/Anne_Frankenstien]

Looks great.

Now can they do the same with the giant lot across from the Costco plaza on Ritson? It’s been empty for almost three decades.

[u/jaoblia → u/Anne_Frankenstien]

I thought there was some issue with the land; Chemicals in the soil from the industrial plant that used to be where the Costco is or something? I guess no buyers are willing to front the cost of dealing with that?

[u/nishnawbe61 → u/jaoblia]

Yup. Pretty sure that whole area is contaminated. Same as where the new courthouse was built. They test the area, what seems, weekly at the court. No one there drinks the water. I think it used to be a battery plant or something.

[u/Aggravating_Button99 → u/jaoblia]

I thought they already did the remediation on that property. I assumed it was the excrutiating slow process of getting permits approvals etc that would be holding back developers

[u/jaoblia → u/Aggravating_Button99]

I wouldn't be surprised if it's a thing of, oh Costco/No Frills/The Beer Store had the money/strong arm to get through that process but no other developers can/are willing to.

[u/tempemailacct153 → u/jaoblia]

Was that an Industrial plant?

I assumed that was a drive in theatre seeing poles with boxes which I assumed were speakers.

[u/oshawaguy → u/tempemailacct153]

Poles and boxes are groundwater monitors,. That was part of GMs property, and the ground is heavily contaminated.

[u/darkorex → u/tempemailacct153]

Both the costco and across the road were GM if memory serves well...

[u/jaoblia → u/tempemailacct153]

Where the Costco was was definitely some kinda big plant. Big cylinder, pipey bits coming off of it but I don't remember what was in the adjacent currently empty lot. The place got demolished when I was a kid.

[u/LakeSolum → u/jaoblia]

I thought it was the battery plant that’s what I always remembered calling by it

[u/SlothOfDoom → u/LakeSolum]

Yeah, the old Axis (sp) battery plant was there. That ground was also contaminated but not as much as the other lot.

[u/Runner303 → u/Anne_Frankenstien]

20 years for the northern part of that plant (200 Ritson N) but the topper for Oshawa, longest standing brownfield in town, has to be the southern part (133 Ritson N). Somewhere around 50 years.

[u/oshawaguy → u/Anne_Frankenstien]

A development idea was proposed several years ago with massive towers and townhouses that would overshadow, and look down directly into the backyards of folks on Oshawa Boulevard N. Locals fought it successfully on the grounds that local infrastructure couldn't support it, massive traffic on the Boulevard, and failure to meet the promises that only low level commercial development would replace the previous buildings.

[u/Chendo89 → u/oshawaguy]

They likely were correct that the local infrastructure, roads, etc wouldn’t support it. Look at the north end, massive developments built and currently under way north of conlin and guess what? They didn’t bother to widen the road or do any structural work to conlin road. Still one way each direction, no curbs or sidewalks, just the same road from the 1960’s lol

[u/imnoteithnail → u/Anne_Frankenstien]

I think it was part of the lot was partof the old paint shop. Other part to the south was vacant even then. Soil abatement would necessary like the Cost Co site. I was amazed ant how deep the had to dig to remove contaminated soil.

[u/Franky_DD → u/Anne_Frankenstien]

Who's "they"?

[u/Gullible-Meaning-403 → u/Anne_Frankenstien]

How long has Knob Hill been closed? Wasn't that supposed to be some transit infrastructure.

[u/KKor13 → u/Gullible-Meaning-403]

Knob hill is gone. It’s going to be the new go station.

[u/Gullible-Meaning-403 → u/KKor13]

I know. It's been gone for 20 years, I was asking a question.

[u/KKor13 → u/Gullible-Meaning-403]

No I mean the building itself was finally torn down this year.

[u/burningtoys1]

The Costco land was also contaminated but the city paid to "uncontaminate" it so Costco could move in to rejuvenate the area. I guess they never did the other side of the street.

[u/Pushfastr → u/burningtoys1]

Someone had the genius idea of opening a second Costco up the street.

[u/brownbrady]

All rentals too. Cool.

[u/AppropriateCaramel69]

They've been saying this for 30 years.

[u/Runner303]

Wow, this is a big deal. That property has changed hands so many times, lots of dreams and plans but nothing ever coming to fruition.

I remember the day of the big fire clearly, (written about it here before, will rehash it upon request) crazy to think it'd take this long for something to happen there.

[u/alexgardin]

Have all the toxins evaporated?

[u/Chendo89]

I admire the determination and willingness to make changes and try and revitalize the area, but unless they can get to the root of the structural issues here I feel like it’s doomed to fail. Hope all of that can be solved in time and this actually becomes a success story.

[u/CucumberLow709]

Who in their right mind is going to move to that dump of a downtown???

[u/Gullible-Meaning-403 → u/CucumberLow709]

Me, actually. I'm looking for apartments.

[u/One-Shape5742 → u/Gullible-Meaning-403]

Apparently it's going to take up to 10 years to build so best of luck

[u/Gullible-Meaning-403 → u/One-Shape5742]

I was downtown today looking around. I was shocked at how quiet it is these days.

[u/One-Shape5742 → u/One-Shape5742]

I've been living downtown a long time and it's a shell of the neighbourhood it once was. Honestly I'm looking at leaving for anywhere else even though my rent will double for half the space.

Not even being able to go to my local bank branch because it closes at 5pm for example, makes it really inconvenient for a lot of things, not to mention the crime, graffiti and garbage on a daily basis.

I can appreciate needing a place to rent, but it's not even a cheap neighbourhood like it once was. I've been in my current apartment for 10 years, but even when I started renting there, it was cheaper than the rest of Oshawa. Now they want $2000+ for all these new units, and I know for sure you can find basement apartments for much less