At the June 14 Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee meeting, the development application for 1120 Cooke Boulevard moved another step forward with a public meeting. All committee members approved the staff recommendation to “continue to process the submitted applications for Official Plan and zoning bylaw amendments.”
Readers will recall Rick Craven’s previous articles about this development application from WND Associates Ltd. for Adi Development Group that proposes three buildings: two 36-storey buildings and one 26-storey building. The statutory deadline for council to respond to the application of 120 days is June 29. Staff noted that written comments had been received from two residents as of May 17 and one citizen, Tom Muir, spoke at the public meeting (via Zoom). The development proposal includes 1139 residential units and five underground parking levels. Primary driveway access will be from Cooke Blvd. Thomas Douglas, senior planner, noted that the current Official Plan and the new Official Plan (subject to appeal) permit a maximum height of six storeys in this mixed-use area.
Staff are finalizing a new Aldershot GO Central Precinct study, which contemplates up to 30 storeys in this location. Mike Bennett, planner with WND Associates, shared a number of photos in his presentation (see photos). He described the 36 storeys proposed for the northwest and southwest towers as “slightly above” the 30 storeys being contemplated in staff’s preferred precinct plan. In answer to a question, he noted that the plans indicate one retail unit.
Tom Muir commented “This application is too much of a challenge to assess the merits and make a reasoned…decision.” He noted that the height is “not really that far out” but expressed concern about the small amount of commercial area proposed.
Staff responded to questions about the size of the retail area proposed and the parking proposed, noting that the area is currently classified as mixed-use. There are no specific policies developed yet for the Aldershot GO Central Precinct, and parking ratios vary based on the number of one- and two-bedroom units (848 and 290 respectively in the presentation). Most of the work by the agencies involved in the technical review of this application is outstanding, so staff do not have a timeline when they will be in a position to report back to committee. Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith noted that it is “very early in the process” and that he is hoping that a “mutually beneficial development” can be achieved. He also noted that he is excited to see the park starting to form. Mayor Marianne Meed Ward noted that this is an area where we expect to see some density and that the timeline is a “highly unrealistic 120 days.”
