Development
Batawa Development Corporation

The Batawa Development Corporation was created in 2005 by Chairman Sonja Bata, to develop the 1600 acres of land formerly owned by the Bata Shoe Company. The General Manager oversees community development activities and welcomes development inquiries. Residential, commercial and light industrial development opportunities as well as live/work opportunities form a part of the master town plan now in development. 

If innovation and creativity were at the heart of Batawa’s past, so it is with the future. Our development will set a new standard for connecting a community with its natural environment and use that mission as a common purpose that brings people together as a community. We’ll do that by rejuvenating the factory, building new homes, and bringing commercial life back to Batawa, all with a focus on great design, sustainability and community. 

The centerpiece of the development will be the rejuvenation of an iconic Canadian building – the Bata Shoe Factory. We plan to redevelop the building as a multi-use. The Batawa Development Corporation is seeking to revitalize the Bata Shoe Factory in a manner which respects and celebrates the historical importance of the factory's original Bauhaus architecture. The building will look and feel like the original Bata plant from the outside and maintain the special character of the original building on the inside, with its large open floor plates. Our objective is a concept that creates clean, modern, timeless architecture that takes full advantage of the factory's layour to create a multi-purpose building that can evolve in use over time.
 
The building must reflect our guiding principle of sustainability. We are committeed to creating a building that reflects a commitment to energy efficiency both in the building envelope and in the energy systems used  in the building, and we are willing to consider new technology from the world over to reduce the net energy use of the building. The site is fully zoned and ready for redevelopment.
 
The mission of the BDC is to develop in Batawa a sustainable, well designed community in cooperation with the residents. 

By joining hands, our community has the unprecedented opportunity to design and build an exceptional rural community that is unique in Canada. The Batawa Development Corporation will build upon the rich history and strong community spirit of Batawa to achieve excellence in town planning, community development, and design.