Delhi Foundry redevelopment approved
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The investor who intends to redevelop the old Delhi Foundry property hopes to cut the ribbon on the project in 2020.
Robert Malinowski, operations manager at Diematic Tooling Solutions of Breslau, said this year will be spent levelling the one-acre property and getting the grading right.
Diematic intends to construct a three-storey building with 14 apartment units and five street-level commercial storefronts. There will be onsite parking for 40 vehicles.
The shell of the main building will go up in 2019. Most of 2020 involves installing the interior features, amenities, trim and other finishing touches. Malinowski said the building should be ready to receive tenants in late 2020 or early 2021.
Norfolk council cleared the way for the project last week by granting minor adjustments to the property’s zoning.
Diematic decided to invest in the property at 171 King Street following the positive response it received to the redevelopment of a residential property at 334 James Street.
Malinowski said the building on James Street was in poor shape. Four years ago, the building received a makeover that included new plumbing, new kitchens and new bathrooms. Demand for units was unexpectedly strong.
“We ended up with a waiting list,” Malinowski said. “That’s what made us think about the foundry. We intend to make it a beautiful place in the community. We hope people will come to our property and enjoy the landscaping.”
The old foundry property is strategically located in the core at the intersection of King Street and Talbot Road on the west side of Delhi’s central business district.
In its day, the foundry was a leading manufacturer of farm implements, kiln units and other accessories to the tobacco industry.
The foundry was levelled several years ago and the soil remediated. There were plans to build a 63-unit apartment building there with underground parking. However, that project never got off the ground.
Council’s approval came during a public meeting under the Planning Act. Among those speaking in favour of the project was Joe Murphy, long-time owner of the Murphy Funeral Home on Talbot Road next door.
Murphy said it is important for Norfolk to take this opportunity to get the road allowance right. Talbot Road, Murphy said, is a busy street whose 20-metre road allowance should be entirely free of encroachments when the project is done.
“Talbot Road is two times as busy as it was 10 years ago,” Murphy said. “This has to be done very carefully.”
Delhi Coun. Mike Columbus expressed similar sentiments when he noted that the Ministry of Transportation has provided $1.25-million in connecting-link funding for the reconstruction of King Street on the west side of Delhi.
Columbus reminded Malinowski that is important for him to co-ordinate his grading plans with what the contractors have in mind when they rebuild King Street.
“This project has been a long time coming,” Columbus said. “If it moves forward it will really improve the community of Delhi.”
MSonnenberg@postmedia.com