The quarry, from which stone was mined to build such landmarks as the Brock Monument and the east block of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa, was first opened up in 1837.

The quarry is still licensed for mineral extraction, although it is depleted and is approved for the disposal of industrial waste, regional staff said in a report to politicians September 17.

The Queenston Quarry Reclamation Company (QQRC) wants to build the housing, golf course and hotel on the property between St. Davids and Queenston, immediately east of Bevan Heights.

But the Niagara Escarpment Commission says that because of Ontario's new Greenbelt legislation, the Niagara Escarpment Plan can't be amended to allow urban uses for lands outside of municipalities' urban boundaries, as most of the quarry is.

The Greenbelt Act also won't allow those urban boundaries to be expanded, regional staff said.

But the development could be allowed under what's known as an 'escarpment recreation area' designation, staff said.

Only the Escarpment Commission can initiative changes to its plan to allow that, and any such change would require detailed studies to demonstrate the need for the development and to look at the impact on such things as the environment and traffic levels.

QQRC president Frank Racioppo told politicians, whose decision was expected to be ratified at the full regional council September 25, that the region giving the nod to tweaking the Escarpment Plan by no means guarantees the development will go ahead.

Instead, it is simply asking the Escarpment Commission -- which asked the region to comment on the proposal -- to consider classing the quarry property as escarpment recreation area, he said.

Even if the Escarpment Plan were altered to allow the development, both the region's and Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake's official plans -- the master documents that oversee land use -- would have to be amended, regional staff said.

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources previously approved turning the quarry into a golf course, the regional report said.

Niagara-on-the-Lake town council endorsed the quarry rehabilitation project in principle earlier this year.