A new apartment complex for Gordon Street was given council's approval at a planning meeting Monday night.
The Carousel Estate Homes Ltd. proposal will see a six-storey, 32-apartment building built at 1300 Gordon St., on the east side of Gordon just north of Arkell Road.
Council voted 8-2 in support of the staff recommendation endorsing the proposal (In favour: Cam Guthrie, Mike Salisbury, Bob Bell, Dan Gibson, Cathy Downer, Christine Billings, Rodrigo Goller and Mark MacKinnon; against: Phil Allt, James Gordon; absent: Dominique O'Rourke, June Hofland, Leanne Piper Caron).
The 0.6-acre site is currently home to a bungalow that will be demolished.
The apartments would all be two-bedroom units. There are 46 enclosed parking spaces.
The developer required an Official Plan amendment and a zoning bylaw amendment from the city to allow the development.
The proposal, first submitted in 2017, has undergone some minor changes following concerns over parking, height and density of the development.
Design changes were made to refine the design of the building to better suit the site, say city planning staff, although the number of storeys of the building remains the same.
The city would ganer an estimated $639,371 in development charges and estimated annual property tax revenue of $123,700.
Planning consultant Astrid Clos, on behalf of the applicant, said the property is surrounded by five and seven storey buildings, is part of an intensification corridor and "is appropriate for the property."
Council heard from one delegate on the issue, Claudia Espindola, a nearby resident who expressed concerns over the density of the area and particularly its effect on traffic for those living in the area.
Two others voiced their opposition via correspondence.
"Making 1300 Gordon St. a HIGH Density site is simply wrong both in and of itself, and in the precedent it so clearly and obviously establishes for breaking the rules on up-coming developments along Gordon Street," wrote Gord Jones.
"What bothers me most about this is the request for High Density, rather than the Medium Density designated in the official plan. All surrounding apartments / townhouses are Medium Density," wrote Peter Baggio.
"We understand Gordon is part of the intensification corridor but having high rise buildings does not fit the area. 3-5 storeys maybe; 6 plus stories is too much."
