Downtown tower for Mac students approved by planning committee
Hamilton Spectator
By Carmela Fragomeni
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/63...ing-committee/
A proposed residential tower downtown geared to house McMaster University students is the final chapter in the redevelopment of the Lister Block, says its developer.
"This is an exciting project … and I know how important it is for the downtown," said Urban Solutions planning consultant Sergio Manchia at city council's planning committee meeting on Tuesday.
Urban Solutions and the Hi-Rise Group applied on behalf of LIUNA Local 837 Lister Property Corp. for zoning amendments to permit the L-shaped development on vacant lands at 46 to 52 James St. N., opposite Jackson Square. The proposed development is a mixed use 21-storey building comprised of ground floor commercial units and the 146 residential units geared to students.
The property also has 19 metres of frontage on Rebecca Street. It had been originally proposed as a 16-storey condo tower.
Plans for the $45-million project include rebuilding the original façade of the 1855 William Thomas building into the development.
"Every piece has been labelled and they will put it back together as best they can," Manchia said.
Laborers' International Union of North America is building the project, which includes terracing. A key component, said Manchia, is the building's retail development along James Street.
Manchia extolled the virtues of the development, telling the committee, "It provides a compact and efficient land use. It increases the number of people living downtown … it is (now) a vacant site, a brown field that will be cleaned up."
The only catch is that it will have less parking than a building of its size would normally have.
Reduced parking is requested due to its closeness to transit and cycling lanes, but money will be paid by the developer in lieu of parking spaces and the money will be used for a future parking garage, said planning general manager Jason Thorne.
"It's a tremendous investment in the downtown," said Coun Marie Pearson before the planning committee approved the amendments on Tuesday. Approval is still needed from council.
"We need people downtown. It's coming, but I think this will be a huge influx."
Coun. Chad Collins called the project "the poster child" for intensification in the city. It is being built on a brown field site, it has heritage value, is generating tremendous revenue for the city and, by bringing more people downtown, it will enhance commercial activity in the core, he said.
"This accomplishes so many things on so many levels."
Prev
Linear Mode
