The planning committee of Greater Sudbury's city council greenlit Panoramic Properties’ 530-unit residential Paris Street project, which is slated to replace the old hospital building.
The unanimous decision came during the Nov. 25 planning committee meeting, at which Panoramic Properties, through representative and Tulloch Engineering planning manager Kevin Jarus, pledged to proceed with the project “as soon as feasibly possible.”
Anticipating questions around the project’s timeline, Jarus reiterated his comments from April, when he shared that they’re expected to break ground “within five years.”
Shave several months off that timeline due to several months having passed, and he said shovels should be in the ground in just greater than four years.
“As with any development initiative there are all sorts of factors that can go into whether it proceeds or not,” he later clarified when pressed further, noting that factors both internal and external to Panoramic Properties could always affect timelines.
Still, he clarified, the present intention is to continue through the process, navigating such things as site-plan control and an agreed-upon upgrade to the area’s transportation infrastructure to accommodate changes to traffic flows, in order to break ground within five years.
Baked into the planning committee’s approval is a holding symbol, which delays projects until such time as requirements are fulfilled, to be in place until the transportation network is improved.
This includes accommodating the Paris/Notre Dame Bikeway project, turning lanes, modifying an intersection and urbanizing Facer Street. City Planning Services director Kris Longston clarified that these projects would be at the developer's expense.
The project is slated to consist of three buildings totalling 530 units.
The southernmost building is a 12-storey, 109-guest-unit retirement home, with 85 square metres of restaurant space for a café on the ground floor, open to the public.
The middle building is to be a 20-storey, 222-unit condominium project with 288 square metres of restaurant space on the top floor, plus 139 square metres of covered rooftop terrace space.
“The restaurant will be open to the public and will feature panoramic views of Ramsey Lake with capabilities for outdoor dining and private events,” according to a document submitted by the developer.
The majority of the vehicle parking will be located below grade in a three-storey underground parking garage. A total of 648 parking spaces will be included.
During Monday’s meeting, eight members of the public walked up to the microphone to weigh in on the project.
Area resident David King said the high-rise buildings wouldn’t be compatible with surrounding neighbourhoods, referring to it as “the mistake by the lake.”
Canadian Association of Retired Persons (Sudbury) chair John Lindsay suggested the city trade York Street parking lot land for the old hospital buildings, while area resident Dan Colton suggested the city purchase the property for the common good.
Area residents Phil Hopkins and Brenden Rodriguez expressed support for the project, with Hopkins suggesting it could help boost Greater Sudbury’s reputation and “really lift us up.”
Charles Tossell suggested that some units be made affordable, and Judy Angeloff said the buildings' scale doesn’t fit the neighbourhood.
Asked when the old hospital building would be torn down, Jarus said that he wouldn’t hazard a guess, but that it would be within the less-than five-year timeline to break ground.
“It sure would be a beautiful gift to the citizens of Sudbury if that building could be torn down prior to four-and-a-half years,” Ward 4 Coun. Pauline Fortin said.
Last month, city council members voted to grant Panoramic Properties $1.7 million toward their redevelopment of the Scotia Tower building in downtown Sudbury, contingent on them tearing down the old hospital building.
The planning committee’s decision still needs to be ratified by city council as a whole, but their unanimous approval on Monday points to a likelihood it will be passed.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
