Batory Management, along with the building owners, held their Public Information Meeting to outline their plans for re-development of 435 Reynolds St. on the evening of April 6 by Webex.
The group presented their plans to build an 8-storey residential building with 19 units and two levels of underground parking with 33 parking spaces (conceptual image above). The group confirmed the site was not zoned for this type of project and would need significant changes to the City’s Zoning By-Laws and represented a departure from the City’s current Official Plan.
Most alarming about the proposal was the proposed height of the building at 26.4 meters. If completed the building would tower over the adjacent residential properties, some of them with heritage designation, on both sides of Reynolds, Pine, and the north side of Maple with a significant loss of privacy and sunlight for the homes impacted.
The group made many references to the site as a “transition” property leaning on the province’s desire to increase density around Go Stations and citing the planned development in the area the City calls “Midtown”, on the North side of Cornwall, to justify their proposal.
A total of 56 residents attended the call and were given the opportunity to provide feedback. The comments from residents illustrated unanimous and vocal opposition to the proposal citing numerous negative impacts to the neighbourhood as follows:
· Loss of privacy for many homes surrounding the proposed building
· Loss of sunlight for many surrounding homes
· Significant loss in property values, particularly for adjacent homes
· Increased traffic in the neighbourhood
· Significant disruption during construction including traffic congestion and large trucks staging near homes given the challenges of constructing an 8-storey building on a very small building site,
· Dramatic change in the neighbourhood south of Cornwall and West of Trafalgar which today is predominantly residential with a few low rise commercial buildings
· Establishing a precedent that would lead to the development of other nearby commercial properties with even taller buildings.
The group has not submitted an official proposal to the City and no date is set for next steps. For more information and to connect with concerned neighbours feel free to contact Bob French at french.robert@ymail.com