WATCH ABOVE: As Carolyn Kury de Castillo reports, the hearing into a larger than permitted hotel proposed in Kensington has been put on hold while an investigation into an incident between the land owner and city planner has been launched.
CALGARY – Some big changes could be ahead for what one city councillor calls one of the most important corners in Calgary.
A hotel that is larger than zoning permits is being proposed for the corner of 10th street and Kensington Road.
In a strange twist, the hearing into the matter has been suspended while an investigation is launched into an incident between the land owner and a city planner.
It’s a busy corner for residents, shoppers, diners, and commuters of every kind.
“That is one of the most important corners in the city of Calgary and it deserves special treatment,” Councillor Gian-Carlo Carra of Ward 9 Planning Commission Member said.
The owners of the Osteria de Medici restaurant have applied to the planning commission to rezone the property for a building taller than the permitted eight stories, which could include a hotel.
The ten story project would have a public plaza partly in exchange for a zoning relaxation.
“It really is a high-quality public space that is being proposed by Sturgess Architects. Jeremy Sturgess is a guy who loves Kensington, has started his career there and I was personally persuaded by his passionate presentation of the vision,” Councillor Carra said.
But at a planning commission meeting on Thursday, discussion on the subject was abruptly halted after an alleged encounter involving a city planner and an Osteria de Medici representative.
It prompted city manager Jeff Fielding to issue the following statement:
“All I can say is that everyone who enters or works within City Hall deserves to be safe. I will take all necessary action to ensure that our city policies are adhered to. I take this matter seriously and we will investigate further,” Fielding wrote.
Carra said the incident is being dealt with by community association management.
“While we certainly will not tolerate this behaviour, we also don’t want to inflame the situation further,” Carra said. “So the debate on the floor of planning commission when we suspended deliberation of this matter until incidents tangential to it are resolved, was that we had to get the bonusing a deal right.”
Councillor Carra says a bonusing deal would include paying into a community benefits program, in exchange for packing extra density onto a site.
“It’s in a really interesting proposal and it’s a really interesting time in the city’s history where we get to debate really interesting projects like that,” Councillor Carra said.
In a letter sent to the city a few weeks ago, the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association opposed the plan to go beyond the allowed size, stating the community is undergoing unprecedented developmental pressure as a result of increases in density and height.
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