Three proposed condo buildings in the Distillery District are rankling residents and raising questions about what kind of development is appropriate for the national historic site.Some locals say the proposals will increase congestion and hide the district’s marquee squares in shadow.But the architects for Cityscape, the developer on two of the projects, say the development is needed to continue revitalizing and preserving some of the city’s most important heritage resources.The proposals will add around 1,000 new condo units to the district, pushing the density above the target set by the official plan, according to Gooderham and Worts Neighbourhood Association president Michael Brewer.“It brings a lot of density to the neighbourhood that isn’t needed and can’t really be supported,” Brewer said.That extra density means more people in the district’s public spaces, especially during high-traffic periods like the Christmas Market. In 2015 market organizers started charging a $5 admission fee in an attempt to curb the crowds that were cramming into the district’s narrow Victorian laneways.The other major concern residents have is the shadows that would be cast by the proposed towers. As Brewer points out, one of the big draws to the Distillery District is the sunlight the area’s squares and laneways get in the summer.Adding a 49-storey tower at 31a Parliament will drastically reduce that sunlight, Brewer said.“It would shade Trinity Square which is the main feature at this national historic site,” he said.A shadow study presented at an Ontario Municipal Board hearing on May 15th showed that at 2 p.m. on June 21, the tower will cast a shadow over about half of Trinity Square. At that time on that day of the year, the sun is near it’s highest in the sky — the further from that day the calendar gets, the longer the shadow cast will be.But aside from these issues, the development ...
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