The City of Waterloo has approved a significant development in the uptown core that will change the King Street skyline.
And at least one city councillor is worried that it could cast a shadow on the nearby Waterloo public square.
At a special council meeting Monday night, councillors agreed to rezone the city block containing 80 King St. S., as well as 87 Regina St., to conform with the development.
The project includes a two-storey addition to the current four-storey building at 80 King St. S., which will include 68,000 total square feet of office space. To the east of the retail and commercial development will be a 19-storey tower on top of a six-storey podium, containing 216 residential units and 252 bedrooms. The podium will contain a parkade for residents of the building.
Outstanding details still have to be addressed, including a safe access plan. Since the building is in a flood plain, it requires an emergency access. The current plan is to have a pedestrian tube run from 80 King St. S., through 87 Regina St., to the south and eventually run south near William Street and Regina Street, but that still needs final approval. The safe access plans are required by the Grand River Conservation Authority.
“There are other options and we will continue to work through that,” said Dan Currie of planning firm MacNaughton Hermsen Britton Clarkson (MHBC), adding that it will need to be completed before planning can continue in a major way. MHBC is representing the developer, Torgan Corp.
With the podium along Regina Street and Willis Way, as well as the retail space retained along King Street, the development will provide a strong street-level presence, said Currie.
“It will have street-fronting retail and, in that regard, it will be an active streetscape,” he said.
The top floor of the parkade is expected to be a multi-functional space for residents.
Coun. Angela Vieth said that while the project doesn’t seem to have a major effect, she is concerned about intensification and how it will affect the nearby uptown square in the future.
“Is our public square going to be in the shadows of all buildings down the road?” she asked.
When a rezoning application is submitted, developers are required to submit a shade study, which examines the sun and shade levels at certain times of year.
Coun. Jeff Henry was skeptical about the design and said that although it looks nice in the rendering, he is concerned about how the final product will look.
“I’m very confident that what you see is very close to what is described here,” said Currie.
At the informal meeting for the project about a year ago, councillors asked the developer to rework the facade of the tower to make it more visually appealing. Henry said he was pleased with what is now proposed.