A petition to reconsider a highrise development next to Kingston’s historic drydock has collected over 800 signatures so far.
The petition is in the form of a personal letter addressed to Brit Smith, the founder of Homestead Land Holdings, which is behind the proposal.
The letter was read at Kingston’s July council meeting by Samantha King, president of Building Kingston’s Future, a grassroots group opposing the development.
“Would you please transform your property at 5 Lower Union Street into a waterfront park,” the letter requested.
“Without a doubt, we need more greenspace on the water in downtown Kingston to match other great cities of the world. All residents and visitors would benefit and enjoy this.”
The development includes a 14-storey apartment building next to the Marine Museum, along with a possible deep-water dock.
The letter outlines Smith’s dedication to the Marine Museum, stating that a park would compliment the area.
“The waterfront is already very crowded and so we would not like to see an another multi-storey residential tower pressed into that space,” King said in an interview Tuesday.
“We need more open space, especially in these pandemic times but also because of the climate emergency, it’s important to save as much of that green space as we can,” she continued.
Global News was not able to reach Smith for comment, but Homestead’s CEO Alf Hendry said:
“It’s really too early to comment. We are still waiting for (city) staff comment on the proposal. We would like to wait until council makes a decision.”
— With files from Global News’ Alexandra Mazur.