The high-rise versus heritage debate continues.
The second week of an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearing on the proposed Capitol Condominium Project in downtown Kingston resumes on Tuesday. Next on the agenda, those in favour of the residential development will get to state their case for the 16-storey building.
Opponents were given their say last week, one of them John Gerretsen, formerly mayor of Kingston and a local Member of Provincial Parliament, who said it just doesn’t work for him.
“A 16-storey tower there, it simply overpowers the whole area and is simply too much. Too high, too bulky. I’m a great believer that everything should be done in scale.”
Gerretsen said there are a number of “very nice developments” in the downtown area, including the Anna Lane condominiums at the corner of Queen and Bagot Streets. Paul Fortier owns a couple of downtown businesses located in historic buildings, and is scheduled to make his presentation to the hearing on Wednesday.
“There’s so many economic benefits that this building is going to bring to the downtown core, including added taxes that go into the municipal coffers. Having 200 units and the residents from these 200 units spending in the downtown core — this is going to obviously benefit local business.”
The OMB hearing on the Capitol Condominium Development is scheduled to wrap up the week of Apr. 9.