Redevelopment of 2 Beverly Street West in St George

Thank you for your participation! 

The Outcome

Following the County’s purchase of 2 Beverly Street West in St. George, Council directed that a public engagement process be held to see if the public had any concerns with the County’s plan to demolish the automotive repair shop on the property. An additional option noting that the eastern half of the building was first built as a Supertest gas station in the 1930s that could be kept and renovated was raised, and the consultation requested the public’s comments regarding the proposals and how the site would be redeveloped.

Following the end of the public consultation period, it was determined that the public preferred the original option to demolish the buildings, create a larger parking lot, and beautify the area with 64% of those commenting in favour of this option, and 30% in favour of keeping the Supertest station. 84% of those who responded regarding additional parking wished to see more parking in downtown St. George, and 53% of people who mentioned whether or not they wanted to keep the building were in favour. County staff put together cost estimates that determined that parking lot option would cost about $397,000, while the option to keep and restore the building would cost about $757,000.

In support of the public’s comments, County staff recommend that Committee and Council approve Option 1 to demolish the existing buildings, create a larger parking lot, and beautify the area.

County of Brant Council is seeking input on the future of the property of 2 Beverly Street West located on the southwestern corner of the intersection of Beverly Street West and Main Street South in the Village of St. George. The County of Brant acquired the property in October 2021 as it frequently reviews properties that come for sale in areas of strategic value to the County and its citizens, in this case the main intersection in St. George.

The Site

According to research undertaken by the South Dumfries Historical Society and County staff, the site now known as 2 Beverly Street West was originally developed in 1834 as a wagon works, which eventually became the Snowball Wagon Works and the Jackson Wagon Works. In the early 1930s the land was acquired by the Department of Highways to complete the construction of Highway 5 through the Village, and rest of the land not needed for the highway’s construction was acquired by Supertest Petroleum Corporation Limited. In the mid-1930s Supertest constructed a gas station and lunch counter on the site until it became an automotive repair shop. A large garage was added to the structure in the late 1970s and associated modifications have been made to the building from its original construction.

Where We Are

This public engagement process is the first step towards determining the future use of the property.

The County acquired the property with a view to redeveloping it to provide additional parking and to enhance the main intersection and commercial core of St. George with a parkette and additional green space. Since the acquisition, other options for the future use of the site have been identified, including keeping a portion of the existing building and restoring it to look like the original Supertest station, for community uses.

Pictures are also available in the photos section of this page. This section is located on the bottom of this page if you are on a mobile phone or tablet. 

Engage with Us!

County staff prepared drawings to outline the site, and what it may look like following its redevelopment. Before that happens, we wanted to hear from you. Comments were gathered about what you would like the site to look like.

The opinions expressed by community members were compiled and considered by County staff when making a recommendation to County Council on the future use of the property which happened in March 2022.