Councillors hope an informal public meeting between neighbours and the developer will help iron out concerns over a plan to turn an industrial site on Laurel Street into a six-tower apartment complex.
The plan for 777 Laurel St. met opposition at a public meeting Tuesday, where council expressed their own concerns before hearing from three registered delegations worried about the impact on the surrounding neighbourhood.
“I trust the developers have asked for an extreme version of what is really needed to justify a profitable development for their shareholders," John Cressman told council before urging them to “stop this bizarre proposal” and ask for something better.
E Squared Developments Corp. has submitted applications asking for zoning bylaw and official plan amendments to turn the property, bordered by a CN rail line and Laurel and Dolph streets, into a massive residential complex featuring over 1,000 one, two and three bedroom apartments.
The towers are between seven and 14 storeys and would rise out of three podiums that would house the majority of parking spaces planned for the site at a ratio of .9 per unit. That includes 921 spaces within the parking structure and 127 spaces on the surface.
With 233 two-bedroom units and 47 three-bedroom units, Coun. Mike Devine said the one parking space per unit ratio is going to fall far short of the needs of residents.
“It’s easy to say we’re getting light rail transit, but in that area it’s going to be at least a 25 minute walk,” he said. “I really do believe we need to do a better job with parking.”
A total of 326 bicycle parking spaces are also built into the plan.
Shared amenity spaces and at-grade patio areas are planned for ground floor units but some councillors didn't think it's enough for a project that will attract a lot of families with young children.
But concerns about parking and traffic topped the list for many councillors.
Coun. Sheri Roberts said she's worried the only road modification proposed to alleviate congestion is an all-way stop at Laurel and Duke streets and wants to see the narrowest point of Laurel widened.
"I'm surprised it wasn't flagged in the transportation study," she said. "I feel that’s going to be a pinch point for a lot of people coming in and out of this development."
“We’re not in a place right now where we can rely on public transit, unfortunately,” Roberts said.
Coun. Corey Kimpson agreed, calling Laurel Street a "racetrack" and Duke Street a busy alternate when King Street backs up during rush hour.
She's concerned the volume of cars will impact the safety of residents, particularly children crossing the streets to get to schools and nearby parks.
She's also adamant the developer work with staff to consider adding more parking.
“I realize it’s a very convenient location and there’s lots of transit nearby and it’s very walkable and hopefully this will provide people that will shop in our downtown core and really give the Preston Towne Centre the boost that it needs. But that being said, there’s still an awful lot of people that drive cars.”
"The ION is not a done deal at all. We might not even get that," agreed Coun. Adam Cooper.
“That’s an awful lot of people,” Mayor Jan Liggett added. “I think it’s great we’ve got that many people coming into the community…but I am concerned with the amount of traffic on the road and the lack of parking.
“We need homes in the city, we need apartments in the city. We’re a growing community, but I’m very concerned about this particularly development," she said.
Neighbour Nate Whalen, however, called it a “wonderful thing” and hopes shovels can get in the ground as soon as possible once concerns about parking, traffic congestion and speeding are addressed.
Safety measures also need to be considered around the train tracks, including train noise cessation, he said.
He also wants to see a portion of the units allocated for affordable housing.
“There’s a great opportunity here for Cambridge to have a wonderful development, but it’s really important we do it the right way.”
Coun. Scott Hamilton said amenity areas need to be improved and playgrounds added. He would like to see more two and three bedroom units, and affordable housing included in the proposal, but overall he's pleased with the first draft.
"Turning what is essentially a potpourri of an industrial site in an area where families can live, that’s walkable to parks, to schools to the core of Preston; I think it’s a tremendous opportunity," Hamilton said. “We need the Preston core to be revitalized, so how are we going to do it? We need people living there and we need them in close enough proximity where they can walk to things.”
“If someone gets in their car, they’re going to shoot right up Shantz Hill and they’re going to go to Costco. We need people in walking distance of downtown cores and with that, we do have an increase in density.”
Council voted to accept the public meeting, asked council to set up a meeting between neighbours and the developer, and referred the application back to staff for a report and recommendation.
