Council approved Official Plan and zoning amendments on January 24, along with an application to alter three properties on Kent and MacLaren streets, facilitating development of a 289-unit, 27-storey building within the Centretown Heritage Conservation District.
The zoning change would permit a Landmark Building at the site, prohibit surface parking, increase required bike parking and establish a schedule of permitted heights and setbacks. The applicant would still need to submit a site plan application to ensure they deliver promised public space, use sustainable building methods, have the design reviewed by a special review panel and retain existing heritage resources. These amendments are in line with Landmark Buildings policies, which allow for additional height when buildings are deemed to make significant and exceptional contributions to the public realm and the overall identity of Centretown.
As part of the proposal, the five-storey heritage property at Kent and Gilmour streets known as Legion House would be dismantled and rebuilt on the same site. Once reconstructed, it would be integrated with the new building, and the ground floor of Legion House would be used for institutional or community purposes. Landscaped privately-owned public space is proposed to the north, where two existing MacLaren Street heritage buildings would be integrated with the overall site design.
Council also approved several heritage designations, including:
- The church at 415 Kenwood Avenue
- Bible House) at 315 Lisgar Street
- Southminster United Church at 1040 Bank Street
- The former W.C. Edwards and Company building at 290 City Centre Avenue
- The Westboro Masonic Temple at 430 Churchill Avenue North
More designations will come forward this year due to changes to the Ontario Heritage Act. Staff have been identifying properties across all wards that are strong candidates for designation under Part IV of the Act. Those properties will then be prioritized based on risk, program diversification, geography and architectural significance.
