City council has unanimously approved a massive-mixed use development for a long vacant property at the gateway to Hespeler.
Kitchener firm Blacks Point Development got the go ahead from the city Tuesday to convert 410 Queen St. West into a phased mixed-use shopping and residential complex featuring seven towers from 10 to 16 storeys in height with room for commercial, office and retail space below 1,300 units.
A centralized linear park space is proposed within the development, with a series of supplementary park spaces and plazas.
The developer is working toward a parking to unit ratio of 1.1. Road widening is proposed along Goebel Avenue.
Early contention over the proposal, first submitted in December 2021, has been mitigated with a "dramatic" reduction in building height and number of units.
The original proposal was for buildings up to 30 storeys in height and 2,000 dwelling units.
The brownfield site was the former home of a series of businesses including Woods Transport, Dominion Consolidated and then Challenger Motor Freight.
The idea of bringing a project of that scope to the corner of Groh Avenue, Goebel Avenue and Queen Street prompted Coun. Mike Devine to remark at an early public meeting that he didn't want the community to end up looking like "Dubai."
Planning staff said the most recent submission from the applicant addresses several concerns from nearby residents and businesses about compatibility with the surrounding neighbourhood, shadow impacts, heavy servicing capacity demands, and traffic impacts.
"I'm just head over heels with the last drawings you've done, Dave," Devine told Dave Aston of MHBC Planning. "You asked questions and you listened and I think you've done an absolutely great job."
Construction is proposed in three phases that won't be defined until the site plan is submitted and approved.
Staff also noted that a determination about affordability hasn't been confirmed and that an affordable housing contribution may be collected as a condition of a future site and/or condominium plan.
Paul DeMelo, a lawyer representing the owners of Samuel and Sons Co., a steel distribution firm located on Groh Avenue, said his clients’ main concern with the proposal, as before, is the proximity of three 12-storey towers that were originally proposed 28 metres from their client to the east.
He said the revised site plan realigns the buildings, potentially exposing more residential units to noise from Samuel and Sons, and fails to satisfy concerns about noise and compatibility issues.
He recommended council not approve the development until a noise study has been completed.
A stationary noise study, however, has been completed and was included in the recommendation from staff.
Coun. Devine said the company doesn't generally make a lot of noise and he doesn't believe it will be a problem, but he asked staff to make sure something is in place to ensure complaints against the company aren't permitted.
"They were there first, they employ a lot of people," he said.
The council vote unanimously supported the staff recommendations to adopt the proposed zoning and official plan amendments allowing higher density, increased maximum building height and an increased permitted floor space index.
The project will now be submitted to the Region of Waterloo for approval.