(03-12-2019, 11:24 AM)panamaniac Wrote: Too bad the developers didn't acquire the entire block. There's nothing there worth saving and the extra space would have enabled them to add some transitional (3-4 storeys) residential buildings around the perimeter of the site, with the tower and parking garage as proposed. And the neighbourhood could have gained a hard edge beyond which the SFHs could be preserved. Although personally, I'd allow six storeys anywhere in Mt Hope neighbourhood.
That would have been a much better situation, but it would not have solved the problem. There are people in the neighbourhood who are just opposed to development. If the situation you describe arose, they would successfully goad someone on the other side of Wellington or Waterloo into getting upset about the four storey building proposed across the street from their home.
The City should be more clear about what is expected near Ion stations. The Midtown PARTS study area, for instance, ends at Moore. I have neighbours who think that that means everything will stay the same on the other side of Moore, and should.
That's not realistic, but the City is not plainly saying what is expected or will be accepted for Mount Hope and other central neighbourhoods.