Victoria and Park | 25, 36, 38 fl | Proposed

[bravado]

“Three-tower development in Kitchener expected to go ahead after settlement reached”

Paywalled but I don’t know how to get around it anymore

https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-...ached.html

https://archive.is/X76Jt

KITCHENER — A plan to build three highrise towers at Victoria and Park streets in Kitchener is expected to proceed, after a settlement was reached in an Ontario Land Tribunal appeal.

Council rejected the development proposal last year in a 6-3 vote (with two councillors declaring conflicts) despite support from city planners, prompting Toronto-based developer Dov Capital Corporation to appeal the decision to the OLT, which adjudicates planning issues.

Minutes of settlement obtained Thursday by The Record show the City of Kitchener and the Region of Waterloo reached an agreement with the developer, referred to in the documents as Innovation Developments Kitchener Limited.

The settlement still needs to be approved by the OLT; the agreement is expected to be reviewed at an OLT hearing next week.
The plan calls for a total of 1,124 units in three buildings of 25, 36 and 38 storeys, with ground-floor commercial space, 675 secure bicycle parking spots and 699 vehicle spaces.

Many of the project details originally proposed by the developer have not changed as a result of the settlement.
However, a promised donation toward affordable housing in Waterloo Region appears to be less than half what was pledged at the council meeting last year.

At that time, Dov Capital announced it would give $1.5 million toward the development of 48 new affordable housing units at the Rohr Chabad Centre for Jewish Life in Waterloo; that was in addition to a previously-promised $500,000 contribution to a local non-profit affordable housing provider.

The developer’s representatives also said there would still be a number of smaller condo units in the Kitchener project that would meet affordable housing pricing criteria.

The settlement only outlines a total of $750,000 for affordable housing — a donation of $500,000 to the Rohr Chabad Centre, and $250,000 “to support the advancement of affordable housing” in the region.

Members of council reached Thursday afternoon said they either hadn’t yet seen the settlement, or couldn’t comment until after next week’s hearing.

“The City is unable to comment on matters that are the subject of litigation with members of the public,” a spokesperson said in an email Thursday.

While resident Sheldon Atos said he expected some type of development at that intersection, he said he was disappointed about what he saw as a “total lack of meaningful public consultation prior to the development being announced.”

In an email, Atos said he fears the large project will set a precedent “for ignoring virtually all of the city’s” planning and zoning regulations.
“We’re very disappointed with the secretive manner that the city has dealt with the developer in this matter,” he said. “It was frustrating for us to be shut out of any discussion on the single largest development proposed for Victoria Street.”

The height of the buildings and increased traffic volumes were among concerns raised about the project, although other residents liked what they saw at a virtual neighbourhood meeting a year ago.

The settlement calls for the project to have at least 80 larger units — 50 two-bedroom plus den units, 13 three-bedroom units, and 17 three-bedroom units that would be made available based on demand.

The settlement also outlines a ground-floor outdoor plaza at Park and Victoria streets, and “enhanced streetscape features” along both streets.

These amenities and the larger unit breakdown were in the final plan presented to council last year.

If this is true, it's a truly embarrassing failure for city council. The project remains unchanged but the affordable housing donation is halved and lawyer fees were wasted. Every time council overrides staff recommendation is just another petulant outburst that we all end up paying for.