506-516 Hespeler Rd and 1000 Langs Ave | 5 x 20 fl | Proposed

[bravado]

I've decided to file this as "urban", despite Cambridge being a big mess. This is a relatively big one.

The City has received Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications for 506-510, 516 Hespeler Road and 1000 Langs Avenue.

The Official Plan and Zoning by-law amendments will facilitate the development of the subject lands for a high-rise, mixed-use development. Five 20-storey mixed use buildings generally consisting of 1,366 apartment dwellings, office and retail uses, and a large public park are proposed. A private road network and underground parking are proposed.

The development will consist of approximately 9,200 sq. m. of office/retail floor area, and 1,366 apartment dwellings equating to an approximate residential density of 330 units per hectare.

An Official Plan Amendment is proposed to implement site specific policies to permit a residential density of 3.1 Floor Space Index (FSI) or 330 units per hectare and a maximum building height of 20 storeys. The current Hespeler Road Mixed-Use Corridor designation permits a maximum density of 2.0 FSI with a maximum building height of 12 storeys.

A Zoning By-law Amendment is required to rezone the lands from Commercial (C4) to a mixed use zone to permit multiple residential and commercial uses with the following site specific provisions being requested:

Residential parking rate of 1.22 spaces per unit where 1.25 spaces are required
A residential density of 330 units per hectare
A maximum building height of 20 storeys

Link to Planning and Design Report

Link to Architectural Drawings

Link to Landscape Plan





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[bravado]

To be a bit goofy here the 2nd render shows a hilarious amount of tree cover that does NOT exist in the existing Hespeler Road hellscape.

[urbd]

Not too bad actually... I kinda like those useless arches at the tower tops and I appreciate the variation in facade colours

[ac3r]

Would be nice to see this get built. Correct me if I'm wrong though but since this is Complainbridge there's s good chance it isn't approved or is drastically scaled back

[panamaniac]

1. Absolutely "suburban".

2. I'd be surprised if it receives much opposition, unless the city's services couldn't cope, which seems unlikely.

[bravado]

Would be nice to see this get built. Correct me if I'm wrong though but since this is Complainbridge there's s good chance it isn't approved or is drastically scaled back

I feel like since this one isn’t actually near any existing residential and Hespeler Road is 100% liminal space already, there might not be too much coordinated opposition. But maybe the existing Swiss Chalet is heritage designated…

[mastermind]

To be a bit goofy here the 2nd render shows a hilarious amount of tree cover that does NOT exist in the existing Hespeler Road hellscape.

Haha yes, they put in plenty of effort to model all the surrounding buildings into the correct shapes and then they filled all the parking lots with trees!  

Actual view:   https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.3956713,-...a=!3m1!1e3

If shown properly as asphalt it would really accentuate their new park as a green oasis.

[westwardloo]

How is it that the suburban hell that is Hespeler Rd get one of the nicest proposals in the region? I really like it. From an urban design aspect there is a park space included in the proposal, which if cambridge had any decent urban planners they would try to mandate continuing the park all the way to bishop street when the other properties are redeveloped. There is also the makings of a smaller grid street network, that again hopefully the planners are forward thinking and make go the street go from at minimum bishops st, but ideally from dunbar all the way to pinbush. In terms of the designs, The podiums were actually thought through and the towers although all the same design have some uniqueness due to cladding colours.

[bravado]

How is it that the suburban hell that is Hespeler Rd get one of the nicest proposals in the region? I really like it. From an urban design aspect there is a park space included in the proposal, which if cambridge had any decent urban planners they would try to mandate continuing the park all the way to bishop street when the other properties are redeveloped. There is also the makings of a smaller grid street network, that again hopefully the planners are forward thinking and make go the street go from at minimum bishops st, but ideally from dunbar all the way to pinbush. In terms of the designs, The podiums were actually thought through and the towers although all the same design have some uniqueness due to cladding colours.

I think there is a real willingness here to tear the entire road down, it has no sentimental value to anyone. The LRT will certainly be quite a big fight to install, but this is by far the worst soul-crushing Stroad in the region and I really think that people are willing to see it change in big ways. There are other smaller infill projects going on right now that didn’t justify a new post.

The downtown cores? Absolutely not, don’t touch our heritage parking lots.

[jeffster]

Would be nice to see this get built. Correct me if I'm wrong though but since this is Complainbridge there's s good chance it isn't approved or is drastically scaled back

Who would complain though? It's in the middle of an industrial and retail wasteland. This build won't help, or hurt, the shitscape of that area.

[ac3r]

This proposal will be a nice thing to have nonetheless, should it get built. And I think the LRT will completely transform it. Once that gets underway it's going to transform Cambridge the same way it did Kitchener. I think once that's done...give this are 30 years and it won't have a single useless block that's half parking lot and some building.

[jshamont]

Yes, definitely suburban for now, but the long-term plan is to completely transform this entire industrial park corridor into an urban corridor by directing LRT through the place.  This is a really forward-looking response to the Ion plan.  Looks like a crappy neighbourhood to call home right now, but a generation from now, it could be highly desirable, even if completely lacking in any historical attributes whatsoever. 

[CP42]

Yes, definitely suburban for now, but the long-term plan is to completely transform this entire industrial park corridor into an urban corridor by directing LRT through the place.  This is a really forward-looking response to the Ion plan.  Looks like a crappy neighbourhood to call home right now, but a generation from now, it could be highly desirable, even if completely lacking in any historical attributes whatsoever. 

Off-topic for this thread, but given how far apart those stations are, I sure hope they let the trains speed up a bit!

[ac3r]

They should go fast for a good portion of it. From Fairway Station they'll be elevated well above the ground and highway so they shouldn't have any reason at all to slow down (then again...Hayward Avenue). Once they hit Sportsworld, they'll go down the centre of the road like they do in some areas of Kitchener. And then between Preson and nearer to Pinebush, it'll run on a disused rail corridor so that should allow them to keep up a decent speed.

[Spokes]

An important project no doubt. As ION comes through this project, and others like it will help to support the system. Although, Cambridge residents, more than the rest of WR, love their cars