Plaza 88 Developments will have to address some concerns of its existing residents before getting the green light to build its fourth and final tower.
About a dozen residents attended Monday night’s public hearing at the Sapperton Pensioners Hall to express concern about a proposed pedestrian link between Tower 4 and the three existing towers, which are located on the other side of the McInnis Street overpass. They fear the link, as it’s currently proposed, could result in security issues for existing buildings because people who don’t live in those towers would be able to gain access to their parking lot and stairwells.
“They can basically go anywhere in the building,” said James Harrington, a Plaza 88 resident. “There is no way they are going to be able to stop people.”
Residents’ parking would be provided in the podium of the proposed building, but 40 visitors’ parking spaces are located under towers 1, 2 and 3. Those visitors would use the pedestrian crossing to get to Tower 4; Tower 4 residents would also use the pedestrian overpass to get to parking and commercial space at the Shops at New West.
Plaza 88 Developments applied for a rezoning and a special development permit to build a mixed-use commercial/residential development at 900 Carnarvon St. A 35-storey rental building would be built on top of a five-storey podium containing parking.
The city received 49 written submissions on the application, with 35 being opposed, nine expressing concerns and five supporting the project.
Following a nearly two-hour public hearing, city council gave third reading to the zoning amendment bylaw for 900 Carnarvon St. Council, however, added an amendment that specific issues raised by Plaza 88 residents must be addressed before the project comes back to council for fourth reading.
“There was an amendment made that the issues relating to the pedestrian crossing, security and the parking issues need to be resolved before it comes back for fourth reading and adoption to council,” said Mayor Jonathan Cote. “That was put on as a restriction before it comes back, for those issues to be resolved.”
According to Cote, staff and the developer will be working with the individual strata councils at Plaza 88 to address the very specific issues raised in the public hearing – such as the issues related to building security.
“I think the public hearing certainly did bring those issues to attention that they did need to be looked at and gave us an appreciation that pretty much only a resident would have been able to articulate.”
Cote told the Record he doesn’t know what the solution is but thinks there are some options that staff are going to be able to work on with the residents and the applicant.
In addition to the concerns about security and parking, residents cited some concerns about traffic congestion and pedestrian safety on Carnarvon Street, litter around the Plaza 88 site and the need for more garbage receptacles and police parking near the parking access to Plaza 88 so they can pop into Tim Hortons.
