Urban Academy is teaming up with Wesgroup Properties on a potential new site in Sapperton for a bigger school.
In response to community concerns, city council rejected the school’s plans to expand its current school at 101 Third Ave. by constructing a new four-storey building at the adjacent site at 228 Manitoba St. in the Queen’s Park neighbourhood.
City staff recently presented council with a report stating that Urban Academy, in partnership with Wesgroup, is proposing to develop a 60,000 square foot school and a future 195,000-square-foot residential building at 100 Braid St. While there was “strong competition from other potential purchasers,” the report said Urban Academy and Wesgroup were successful in obtaining an option to purchase the site at Braid and Brunette.
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr said the 100 Braid Street Studios is “an incredible facility” at that site and should be consulted about impacts if the site is redeveloped. He also questioned whether the city would consider a 20-storey residential tower at that location if a school wasn’t part of the proposal.
Bev Grieve, the city’s director of development services, said tenants will be consulted as part of the process. A laser tag business is among the other tenants at the potential development site.
Coun. Patrick Johnstone said the density being proposed is close to what’s being considered across the street at the Sapperton Green development.
The city has asked the applicant to provide a number of items as part of its formal application for an official community plan amendment and rezoning application.
This includes examination of the heritage consideration for buildings on the site and how that can be addressed through the proposed development; a memorandum of understanding about the community’s use of school facilities such as a gymnasium, theatre and classrooms; information about off-street parking at the site; and the results of community consultation, including input from existing tenants.
Heritage agreement sought
The city is set to consider a heritage revitalization agreement for a Sapperton home that would allow the homeowners to add an extra floor in exchange for heritage protection.
The owners of 335 Buchanan Ave. are seeking to designate the property and replace some “historically inappropriate windows and doors” with some more appropriate ones, in exchange for adding an upper floor to the house. The city’s community heritage commission and advisory planning commission support the application, which will be considered at a public hearing on Feb. 29.
The one-storey plus basement Nordenmark residence was built in 1937.
