Dear editor:

Most people don’t understand that if the old Parliament Oak school site is rezoned commercial, allowing a building height of 19 metres, then all adjacent properties can assume the same zoning as “areas in transition,” with the same heights.

All of the houses in the Old Town between King and Mississagua streets, and Queen to Mary will be eligible for consideration as seven-storey, 65.6-foot-high apartment buildings or hotels.

Heritage designation doesn’t appear to provide any protection from development. Note the approved subdividing by Rainer Hummel of the designated property at Queen and Simcoe streets.

It’s unlikely that anyone will buy the homes on Centre, Regent or Gage streets if there’s a hotel on the school site.

This could devalue all of the homes around the hotel to the point where they become cheap enough that they can be acquired by another unsympathetic developer for commercial uses or even as seven-storey apartment buildings.

I have created some photo renderings of locations in Old Town showing fairly realistically how the land could look if the zoning is changed to commercial, allowing other seven-storey buildings.

I need to get this information out to council and residents because town staff has refused my request to speak on the matter at Tuesday night’s council meeting.

Wayne Murray
Architect
NOTL