Plans to develop a five-storey building complex with both retail and residential space in Cook Street Village has a community group voicing its concerns before the issue heads to council next week.
About a year ago a development proposal was set in place for the building to be put up at the corner of Cook Street and Oliphant Avenue.
The group called “Cook Street Village” has been working on a number of initiatives over the past year, including a petition that garnered 700 signatures.
On Tuesday, more than a dozen volunteers distributed 1,500 flyers around the Fairfield area, asking individuals to send emails to the city’s mayor and council.
“We thought prior to this meeting at City Hall we should do one more push so that City Hall is aware of the neighbourhood opposition to such a large development on this corner,” group member Jane Ramin said.
One of the main concerns is over the commercial space proposed for the ground floor.
“It’ll draw more and more commercial vehicles further down Cook Street, closer to ecologically sensitive areas in Beacon Hill Park,” Ramin added.
According to the group, the new rental units won’t appeal to families.
“Any new building will not be affordable,” Ramin told CTV News. “The current proposal has 53 units, 20 of which are 410 to 430 square feet each, so we’re not sure who might rent those. Somebody did suggest it would be suitable for Airbnb type rentals.”
Ramin noted that the new complex would also change the face of Cook Street.
“We’re not anti-development, we recognize that there will be development over the next 25 years, but we would like to have an influence on what is developed here. Our view is that what’s proposed at the moment looks like an extension of downtown and is not consistent with the character of the village,” she said.
A public hearing on the development is heading to council on July 14.
You can read more about the group here.
More information on the proposal can be found here.
