On November 17, Conestoga president John Tibbits, along with Cambridge mayor Doug Craig and representatives from HIP Developments and Grand Innovations, announced the project details of a large-scale redevelopment of the historic Southworks and Tiger Brand properties in Galt.
Conestoga will partner with the City of Cambridge, HIP Developments and Grand Innovations on a $100M redevelopment project in Galt. Photo credit: HIP Developments.
The $100M project, branded as the Gaslight District, will see the redevelopment of the historic properties at 64 and 96 Grand Avenue South. The redevelopment will establish a new urban community that will welcome more than 100 high-tech jobs, retail and restaurant space, a public square, approximately 400 new residential units and space to house Conestoga programs and applied research related to advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity and electronics waste recycling.
“The Gaslight project is a significant step forward in achieving our vision to build an innovative and dynamic city,” said Craig at the announcement. “It will transform the downtown core into a place where people can live, work, collaborate and contribute to our strong local economy.”
The former Tiger Brand property will house Grand Innovations, a 50,000 square-foot innovation centre supporting the development of advanced manufacturing enterprises that will be home to more than 100 future high-tech jobs in a collaborative environment with a myriad of support businesses. Conestoga will partner with Grand Innovations to provide new opportunities for the college to expand applied research, serving as a hub for innovation and commercialization activities.
“The collaboration between the City of Cambridge, HIP Developments, Grand Innovations and Conestoga College will provide a continuum of business development, support services and applied research that will result in the establishment of new manufacturing enterprises, the development of new and improved technologies, the growth and success of local Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and new opportunities for leadership to address issues related to cybersecurity,” said Conestoga president John Tibbits. “We are very pleased to work with our partners to establish this new innovation hub that will serve as a catalyst for economic development for the city and the broader community.”
Conestoga’s Applied Research and Technology Hub at Grand Innovations will expand applied research activities undertaken through the college’s Centre for Smart Manufacturing, and build on current research on the development of new technologies to improve e-waste recycling. These activities will result in new products that can be commercialized by local equipment manufacturers, as well as new processes that will generate value and cost savings across a range of manufacturing operations.
The new centre will also serve as the base for Conestoga’s emerging focus on innovation and applied research to support industry needs related to cybersecurity. Still in development, the Cybersecurity Zone will develop new solutions to help businesses adapt to the changes and respond effectively to the risks associated with increasing reliance on cybertechnology.
The residential and entertainment portion of the Gaslight District will be built on the existing Southworks property and will see the re-use of the historic foundry buildings to become Cambridge’s premier restaurant, entertainment and artisan destination. A public square will contain restaurants, patios, cafés, artisan displays and entertainment. Two new high-end residential buildings will also be developed.
“This is going to be a transformational project for not only the Galt core but for the City of Cambridge,” said Joel Doherty, Director of Development for HIP Developments. “We have a grand vision for the core that will bring high-tech jobs, new high-end residences and a fantastic new destination that we expect will draw people from well beyond Cambridge.”
Working together with general contractor Melloul Blamey, HIP anticipates Grand Innovations will begin occupancy in 2017; construction at Southworks will be completed in phases from 2018 to 2020.