Thanks for the input everyone.
Keith I tend to agree on your point of the design, yet the design itself isn't taller, more slender, and less likely to cause shadow impacts, because this same group of people they are trying to oppose it wouldn't have it - it's been five years for this developer trying to get this going.
When someone shows up in my city to spend $70 million, I don't have my knee jerk reaction set to "No". Their input is valuable, as everyone's is like you said. But as an extreme. At that meeting they made sure to spend like 15-20 minutes each telling off city staff and just making general asses of themselves. I can't imagine that plays well to city staff or council. If I am the counterpoint to that, so be it
We can't continue to have development policy driven by ignorance, bigotry (which reared it's ugly head a few times at the meeting, like when an openly gay home-owner and friend of mine who lives right across the street from the development finally got his chance to come up to the mic in support of this project).
I know there are way more people focused on productive, positive improvements in this city. I know this project, especially with the involvement of the Sackville Rivers Association (they want to build a salmon ladder as a part of this project to give fish their route to the lake back), with the Canal commission (as they want to daylight the Canal as a part of this project) has a lot of promise, and that bonusing is happening because of the developers flexibility and vision, not because they are being forced by the city.
All in all - if I am simply a stooge for development, so be it. I'd rather be that than the opposite any day of the week.
We've had more than 260 years of "growth management" happening in our city, from various levels (The English crown, Canada, Nova Scotia, and our own city council - not to mention those with selfish vested interests because of ignorance and mis-information). Not any longer!