People wanting to jolt themselves out of a state of contentment may want to watch the angst-ridden proceedings tonight aka the public hearing for 508 Helmcken, the current site of Jubilee House social housing and the future site of a 36-storey tower.
I did a story in the Globe today summarizing the surge of pros and cons over the deal, with those opposing saying it’s another snake-oil deal by the city that will jam a too-tall tower into a too-small space, while those in favour will say it’s a rare chance to build some social housing that’s desperately needed.
A few hours after I filed, I also got this letter (508HelmckenUDP) from a group of prominent planners, begging the city to take this project back to the urban design panel because it is too big for its setting.
4 responses so far ↓
1 IanS // Apr 16, 2015 at 9:49 am
I notice that the appeal from the judgment of Justice McEwan is set to be heard April 16-17, 2015, which is very fast. Not sure whether these new hearings will render McEwan’s decision moot before the appeal is resolved.
2 Norman12 // Apr 16, 2015 at 11:37 am
How about reprinting Michael Geller’s article in the Courier? I think that sums it up very well.
3 logan5 // Apr 17, 2015 at 5:27 am
Is the opposition to this tower motivated purely by political reasons? Quote from the letter to the City… “In this regard we are very concerned that the proposed development at 508 Helmcken Street is out of scale with its surroundings.”
How does that make any sense when this proposal sits amongst a sea of towers? There just doesn’t seem to be any rational set of directives or decision making by anybody – UDP, neighbourhood action groups, developers, or whoever. I don’t think any of these groups truly cares about what the wider public thinks, we’re just pawns for their cause.
4 TM // Apr 17, 2015 at 8:14 am
Remember there is NO NEW social housing……just replacement of existing….it’s only a 1 for 1 trade.