My Point of View: Is Wortley Village the right place for luxury condos? Part 3

[The following continues a series of thoughts about the development process as it pertains to an empty lot at the corner of Wortley Rd. and Bruce St. in Old South, London]

As I said at the outset, and at the tail end of Part 2, I would say yes to some form of development where a muddy parking lot now sits at the corner of Wortley and Bruce.

But, to answer the question, ‘is Wortley Village the right place for luxury condos,’ I would heartily say no, not as it stands at present.

A Feb. 17 meeting at City Hall that was attended by one hundred Old South residents and that focused on certain features of the proposed four-story commercial-residential building hardened my feelings.

After thinking about matters for a week I’ve concluded that three main things stand out in my mind.

First, each of the four variances the developer (David Tennant Jr., Hampton Group) requested very clearly indicate the proposed building is too big for the lot.

Tennant’s request to construct a residential/commercial building with a rear yard setback of 1.5m, whereas 6.6m is required, says the building is 5.1m too long.

His request to cover 92% of the lot, whereas 70% maximum is permitted, loudly proclaims the building covers too much area.

Tennant’s request that the building be 13.4m high, whereas 12m maximum is permitted, again reveals it’s too big.

And his request only 36 parking spaces be included, whereas 44 are required, clearly indicates the building is too big for the area. (E.g., if the building was smaller, then adequate parking could be accommodated).

No one attending the meeting re variances on behalf of the city or developer saw the facts - the building is too big related to depth, area, height and space available for parking.

How could any of them see or think otherwise?

That the city would allow such ‘minor’ variances indicates it has either a ‘major’ blind spot when it comes to inner city development, or it has an agenda that has not yet been fully shared with the residents and businesses already located in Old South.

Perhaps the city’s agenda for Wortley Village (reportedly one of the most desirable types of neighbourhoods in Ontario and home to (chiefly) two and one-half story buildings and smaller) is to move it into the modern age, one larger than average building at a time.

Perhaps the agenda is to set a precedent, to allow Wortley Road’s first (taller than allowed) four-story building so that more will follow, some perhaps even bigger.

That the developer would push to build beyond every conceivable limit says something about his experience as well, as it pertains to building in and dealing with well-established neighbourhoods.

Foremost in Tennant’s mind is likely the following credo: Bigger is better.

Though he may think ‘bigger is better’ is an indisputable, winning, modern-day philosophy, so many others would say (have said) it is the philosophy of dinosaurs.

Are bigger big box stores better than Village store fronts? Dodge Rams better than Civics? Modern days buses better than smaller electric trolleys on streets (particularly downtown) designed in the late 1800s? Arguably not.

That the city and developer would shake hands on such a proposal tells me they haven’t spent much time, if any, in Old South, and that other things occupy their minds.

Second...

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Please click here to read Part 4.

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