The last meeting of London City Council before the municipal election on Oct. 22 was a productive one.
Councillors met on Tuesday and worked through their agenda, which included approving zoning changes and amended plans for a proposed high-rise development in the SoHo community. The project by JAM Properties, an 18-storey, 246-unit building, will take up the properties at 147-149 Wellington St. and 253-257 Grey St. The land is currently occupied by the Family Circle Restaurant.
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Because the building exceeded the 12-storey height limit for the area, staff recommended certain “bonusing” measures, including a $200,000 contribution by the developer to London’s Bus Rapid Transit plans, underground parking, enhanced landscaping and 10 units of affordable housing at 95 per cent of the market rate for a 20-year term.
Councillors also approved changes to London’s vehicle for hire by-law in the form of deregulating fares for taxis and limos in order to compete with ride-sharing company Uber, which uses surge pricing. The minimum fare will continue to start at $3.50 per trip. Companies will also no longer be required to have cameras in cabs.
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The group also approved an increase to the mayor’s salary that will take effect in 2019. The group voted 7-5 in favour of increasing the wage to $138,025. The increase will make up for the phasing out of the non-taxable portion of the earnings. It means the take-home portion of the mayor’s salary will remain around its current level at $83,678.
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