Corbyville Village is located in Cannifton, Ontario and is the site of the historic Corby distillery on the Moira River.
Henry Corby moved to Belleville in the early 1830s and established one of its first bakeries. By the 1850s, Corby was running a gristmill and, by the end of the decade, had incorporated a distillery operation into what was locally known as Alma Mills, named for his late wife. Although modernized by his son (and partnered with JP Wiser), Corby’s distillery closed its doors in 1989 after 132 years in business.
For almost 25 years, the site was abandoned until the Signal Brewing Company began restoring the old buildings and bringing the brewery back to life. Today, Signal runs a successful craft beer business, restaurant and event venue.
Ontario Heritage Trust
At its height, Corbyville claimed a population of around 200.
Corby Spirit and Wine Limited was founded in 1859 and is still operating as a publicly-traded company.
Belleville Official Plan
Corbyville Village is designated as Specific Policy Area #3 as outlined in Belleville’s Official Plan:
It is intended that this area be redeveloped as a village accommodating a broad range of housing with supporting and complementary uses, while recognizing existing non-residential uses.
Uses permitted in Corbyville Village include a combination of low and medium density residential uses, commercial uses geared primarily to service the residential community, and open space, recreational and community facility uses. It is intended that these uses combine to create a largely self-contained village providing a broad range of housing types and styles, recreational opportunities and ancillary uses. The existing industrial use would be recognized also, but could be redeveloped for residential purposes.
The maximum residential development within Corbyville Village should not exceed 850 dwelling units on the basis that the industrial area is redeveloped for residential purposes. If the industrial area is retained for non-residential uses, the maximum number of residential units should not exceed 700 units. Development would consist of low and medium density residential uses.
Commercial uses permitted within the Corbyville Village would include facilities and services that are ancillary to and supportive of the village concept including a hotel/motel/inn, retail convenience stores designed to serve the needs of the community, speciality type retail stores, postal services, bank, medical and dental clinics, restaurants and other similar uses.
It is made up of the following parcels of land:
- 134 River Road – 120810004004400
- 84 River Road – 120810004004401
- 86 River Road – 120810004004410
- 71-79 River Road – 120810004004500
Ownership
The property at 134 River Road (120810004004400) is currently owned by 1382921 Ontario Inc, which purchased it on June 30, 2000 for $855,000 according to the Parcel Register. According to the Articles of Incorporation, the registered office of 1382921 Ontario Inc. (James) is 21 Albert Street, Trenton and the sole director is Harold Van Winssen. 21 Albert Street is the address of Trenton Cold Storage whose CEO Eben James is a director of TCS Realty Co. Ltd.
On May 13, 2010 it was leased to manufacturing tenant CPK Interior Products Inc, a supplier of automotive interior components wholly owned subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Canada, now known as Stellantis, that produces their own plastic resins in their compounding facility in Corbyville.
