KITCHENER — The development proposal of two mixed-use towers from Activa Holdings Inc. for 1198 Fischer Hallman Road returns to the Council.
At a Planning and Strategic Initiative Committee meeting on October 30, 2023, city staff were concerned with the stepback distance from the first tower (14 storeys) to the low-rise neighbourhood beside the subject lands.
Planning staff mentioned at the previous meeting that the change would require a shift in the tower, podium, and underground parking structure.
The city’s planning staff advised the council members that the stepback exceeds the standard guidelines for the required distance and that the transition meets the city’s requirements.
Still, city staff felt that Activa Holdings needed to see if it was possible to change the proposal.
City staff then motioned to defer the development application until planning staff could consult the developer on the concern.
On November 6, 2023, Pierre Chauvin represented Activa Holdings once again.
After many attempts to increase the stepback distance from the first tower (14 storeys) to the low-rise neighbourhood beside the subject lands, the developer could only increase the stepback distance by re-designing the entire phase 2 proposal.
With concerns about the timeline for the development, the council members agreed to approve the application without changing the stepback distance.
The mixed-use development proposal consists of a 22-storey and 14-storey tower with a 4-storey podium connecting the two towers.
The towers would provide 1,200 square metres of ground-floor commercial space and 373 residential units throughout both towers.
MHBC applied for zoning and Official Plan amendments on behalf of Activa Holdings, which the Council approved.
The Council approved several special provisions, including increasing the permitted building height from 25m to 75m and increasing the FSR (floor space ratio) from the required 2.0 to 6.34.
Also, the required parking spaces per dwelling unit decreased from 0.9 to 0.82 for residential parking and 0.1 for visitors to 0.04.
Decreased parking requirements would provide the two towers with 349 parking spaces for residential, commercial, and visitor use in surface and underground structured parking.
Councillors at the meeting questioned if there was any way of making some of the units affordable. Councillors and Chauvin concluded the discussion by considering affordable units for Activa Holdings’ future development projects.
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