Despite opposition, massive construction project likely underway
Plans are being set in motion for the development of new student housing buildings near at U of G. The corner of Stone Road and Gordon Street, where the Best Western Hotel and Conference Centre is currently situated, is the proposed site for new set of student high-rises. According to the Guelph Tribune, the developer, Adobe Varsity Living, which is not affiliated with university, has submitted a preliminary design proposal for five towers that range from six to 11 stories high.
This is a change from the original proposal that sought to build just two large high-rises, one with 16 storeys and the other with 14. However, the Ontario Municipal Board struck that proposal down and decided to limit height of the buildings to 11 storeys.
The newest site plan application proposes two long residential buildings with five towers rising at intervals out of the buildings. In the coming weeks, the preliminary application will be considered by the city’s internal site planning committee. The purpose of the preliminary site plan is to get the city’s feedback before the developer goes to the expense of doing detailed design work.
These plans have been in the works for some time, and they have been cause for concern among Guelph residents. Two years ago, local residents gathered at a city council meeting to voice their opposition to the new student development. Most of the concerns about this project were to do with the development disrupting the peace and quiet of the neighbourhood. Additionally, a formal letter of objection to the project had been sent to the City of Guelph, including a petition that contained over 600 signatures.
Community members were not the only ones to voice their concerns about this proposed project. The University of Guelph itself is opposed to the development of the high-rise. According to the Guelph Mercury, the university expressed concerns about the sheer size of the project, stating that the plans represent an “overdevelopment” of the property that would not be compatible with the nearby campus or the adjacent residential neighbourhoods.
Don O’Leary, the Vice President of Finance and Administration, explained that the university had plans for the proposed site, and once attempted to purchase the property but to no avail. The university hoped to convert Macdonald Hall into academic space while moving those students to the hotel site, all while operating an “executive management school” at the hotel during the summer.
In September, Abode’s Kitchener-based planner, Chris Pidgeon, stated that Abode was hoping to begin construction of these towers during the first half of 2014, and to have it finished in time for the start of the 2015 to 2016 academic year. Despite the backlash from Guelph residents and the concern of the university, this project is nearly underway and students can expect to see construction commence in the near future.