Niagara Region – where it's about a lot more than the Falls

Niagara Region often inspires thoughts of mostly the Falls themselves, those natural wonders to which a visit never grows old.

But beyond the awe-inspiring beauty and power of the Falls and the Niagara River, Niagara Region offers a lot more that’s worthy of just a weekend getaway.

Encompassing towns such as Grimsby, Lincoln, Niagara-on-the- Lake, St. Catharines, Thorold and Welland, the Niagara Region is blessed with a great natural location.

It occupies most of the Niagara Peninsula, bounded by the U.S. to the south and on the north by Lake Ontario, and of course the Niagara Escarpment – all of which offers strong potential for business and lifestyle choices.
These natural landscapes and climate make the Niagara Region perfect for agri-businesses such as winemaking – a key economic sector. The Niagara Wine Route, for example, connects dozens of wineries and is a growing tourism draw, complementing cultural events such as the Shaw Festival.

Indeed, a visit to the area can involve a stop at the Falls, winery tours, the quaint town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Botanical Gardens, with its Floral Clock and Butterfly Conservatory, several championship golf courses and a growing casino industry in downtown Niagara Falls.

But this is all for play. To live and work in the region is another matter.

Economic growth

Again, a blessing of location, Niagara is within 800 km of two provinces, nine states and 130 million people on both sides of the border. This means opportunities for business. The trade that flows across Niagara’s borders totals more than $100 billion annually, and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across Canada and the U.S. The infrastructure network to support this trade activity comprises five international bridges, multiple railways and the Welland Canal, linking Lake Erie into the St. Lawrence Seaway system.

All of this is conducive to growth potential for the region’s manufacturing and transportation and logistics sectors, to complement the historical strength in agriculture and tourism.

Niagara’s economy has shown steady growth in a number of areas, particularly in job creation and new investment, but still lags slightly behind Ontario averages. The Niagara economic development department confirms the area still has challenges in higher unemployment, lower participation rate and lower household income per capita.

New home development

As the economy grows and affords people more opportunity to live and work in Niagara – or close by – new-home development is following.

Much of the housing growth is in the lowrise category, as buyers from the GTA find the lot sizes and price points far more appealing and affordable.

But that, too, is changing, as some consumers prefer the condo lifestyle, even in a nature-rich area such as Niagara. Developers are responding in kind, with several new condo projects, many of them midrise or boutique condominiums.

Silvergate Homes, for example, is launching a new condominium, Merritton Mills on Hastings, near Glendale, in St. Catharines’ popular Merritton area.

With its long-standing roots in the neighbourhood, Merritton is rapidly becoming a highly desirable place to live. Its proximity to South St. Catharines and its many amenities makes it ideal for families, singles and retirees. It is also conveniently located close to the Pen Centre, downtown core, hiking and biking trails, Brock University and Niagara College.

In the first phase of Merritton Mills, Silvergate will build a 71-suite midrise condominium, comprising one- and two-bedroom suites ranging from 800 to 1,200 sq. ft.

And Lucchetta Homes is offering Lusso Urban Towns, a hip new community in the heart of St. Catharines. Featuring luxury two-storey urban townhomes, Lusso is located close to major highways, as well as the downtown core, schools, shopping, restaurants, parks and entertainment.

Homes by DeSantis, in another example, is building Century Condos, a four-storey, 87-unit luxury offering in downtown Grimsby with suites ranging from 490 to 1,230 sq. ft. – so named to mark the 100th anniversary of the town.

Part of the appeal for homebuyers in Niagara – besides lifestyle and proximity to some of Ontario’s great natural attractions – is affordability relative to other parts of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area

“An idyllic combination of lower home prices and stable mortgage interest rates is giving sidelined buyers the boost in confidence they need to re-enter the housing market this spring,” says Brad Johnstone, broker of record, Royal LePage NRC Realty. “After a slow start to the year, activity quickly picked up in mid-March. Homes that were sitting on the market started to move into the hands of buyers, while multiple-offer scenarios became more frequent. Although housing inventory remains historically low, we have seen a moderate uptick in the amount of new product coming online in recent weeks.”

With prices down year-over-year and on a quarterly basis, Johnstone notes that buyers are looking for deals in all segments of the market, especially purchasers from other parts of Ontario who are attracted to the comparatively lower prices of the Niagara-St. Catharines region.

“Between interest rates stabilizing, the rate of inflation coming down and increasing levels of demand from both new immigrants and buyers within the province, we are on track for a robust spring market,” says Johnstone. “However, the big question is whether supply levels will increase. My hope is that available units will steadily increase. If inventory doesn’t continue to grow throughout the second quarter, we can expect upward pressure on home prices.”

A regional municipality in Southern Ontario comprising 12 municipalities such as Grimsby, Lincoln, Niagara-on-the-Lake, St. Catharines, Thorold and Welland; 130 kms from Toronto; 86 kms from Hamilton.

Location, location, location

Key landmarks
• Botanical Gardens
• Casino Niagara
• Clifton Hill
• Fallsview Casino
• Legends on the Niagara Golf Course
• Lundy’s Lane
• Niagara Falls
• Niagara Wine Route
• Skylon Tower
• Welland Canal
• Whirlpool Golf Course

Select housing developments

Century Condos
By Homes by DeSantis
centurycondos.ca

Harbourtown Village
By Silvergate Homes
silvergatehomes.com

Legends on the Green
By Silvergate Homes
silvergatehomes.com

LUNA
By Silvergate Homes
silvergatehomes.com

Lusso Urban Towns
By Lucchetta Homes
lucchettahomes.com

Merritton Mills
By Silvergate Homes
silvergatehomes.com

On the Ridge
By Homes by DeSantis
centurycondos.ca

One Fonthill Condominiums
By Mountainview Homes
mountainview.com

Riverside at Hunters Pointe
By Lucchetta Homes
lucchettahomes.com

Saffron Estates
By Lucchetta Homes
lucchettahomes.com

Shelter Cove
By Shelter Cove
sheltercove.ca

The Oaks at Six Mile Creek
By Blythwood Homes
blythwoodhomes.ca

Village on the Twelve
By Silvergate Homes
silvergatehomes.com