WELLAND — City officials have granted an occupancy permit that allows more than 70 residences at the Upper Vista condominium as work continues on the five-storey, 226-unit project that partially collapsed in February 2023.
Permit allows residents to move into finished portions
Evertrust Development Group has announced the permit covers not only the more than 70 residential units but also the common and service areas required to support people moving into the building at 350 Prince Charles Dr. S. The sold-out condominium has been undergoing a phased process of deconstruction, replacement, reconstruction and completion under municipal oversight.
Following the partial collapse, Evertrust retained independent technical experts to support the review and remediation work. CEP Forensic and Kalos Engineering, working in cooperation with the City of Welland, conducted extensive reviews of the structure before the municipality issued the necessary permit to advance work.
“We concentrated on solving the problems. We co-operated with the relevant authorities, organized the required professional reviews, completed the remediation and reconstruction work, and remained committed to safely delivering a high-quality development to our purchasers.”
The comment was provided by Evertrust president Dr. Ted Jiancheng Zhou in an email interview with industry media. He said the incidents, investigations, professional reviews, permitting and reconstruction materially affected the development schedule and required significant additional resources. He did not disclose the additional capital that was needed.
Ongoing oversight and next steps
The project remains under municipal oversight and established safety protocols as the remaining floors and units proceed through final commissioning, regulatory approvals and purchaser closings. City-issued permits allowed the developer to move forward with the controlled deconstruction and replacement processes that were required after the structural incident.
- Location: 350 Prince Charles Dr. S., Welland
- Size: Five storeys, 226 units (sold out)
- Permitted occupancy: More than 70 residences plus common and service areas
- Technical reviewers: CEP Forensic and Kalos Engineering
Evertrust said its team remains focused on safely delivering the development to purchasers and that the company’s management and professional systems were strengthened by managing the incident and reconstruction. The developer described the experience as testing its leadership, accountability and ability to execute.
Local context and consequences
The permit allowing initial occupancy is a significant step for purchasers waiting to move into Upper Vista and for neighbours who have followed the site remediation closely since the partial collapse in early 2023. The phased approach — issuing occupancy for completed portions while other work continues — is designed to balance safe re-occupation with the remaining commissioning and approvals that must be completed before full handover.
Municipal oversight will continue as the remainder of the building progresses toward completion. The involvement of external forensic and engineering firms reflects the complexity of returning a partially collapsed building to service and the need to meet regulatory and safety standards before residents occupy finished units.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Project | Upper Vista Welland |
| Address | 350 Prince Charles Dr. S., Welland |
| Units | 226 (five storeys) |
| Current permit | Occupancy for more than 70 units and supporting common/service areas |
| Technical firms | CEP Forensic, Kalos Engineering |
For purchasers and neighbours, the important milestones ahead include final commissioning of the remaining units, completion of any outstanding remediation works, and the municipal and regulatory approvals required for full building occupancy and purchaser closings. Evertrust has indicated those processes are underway as the project advances toward completion.
The step to permit occupancy of a portion of the building marks a concrete development in a project that has been closely watched locally and provincially since the February 2023 incident. Municipal authorities, professional engineers and the developer will remain key players as Upper Vista moves toward full restoration and delivery to buyers.
