City council’s planning committee today approved the revised design plans for Cathedral Hill at 412 Sparks St.
The above rendering features the new design for the 12-storey office building. The curved face represents one of the major new designs for the project.
While not much has changed in terms of height and setbacks from the original in May, staff reports indicate that further design work was planned to mitigate the impact of the building on the Church Christ Cathedral.
The 12-storey office building for example, that is planned be built beside Christ Cathedral, is “different in design and expression,” said staff in the report. This new design features a curved front.
The site development on Cathedral Hill is to also includes a 21-storey condominium, and a row of four townhouses that will surround the cathedral between Bronson Avenue and Bay Street, connecting to the west end of Sparks Street.
Back in May when the planning committee originally approved the plans, Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes argued against the project, along with residents who opposed the project’s proposed height.
In the staff report provided at today’s meeting, Holmes’s opinion had not changed. In fact, her opposition has only grown.
While she indicates that she was prepared to accept the previous version of the project designs, “the taller and more aggressively-shaped version . . . is excessively tall and will in my view overwhelm the cathedral,” said Holmes.
“Nationally significant views from the west and north would be forever destroyed,” said Holmes.
With no other opposition on the planning committee, the project was quickly approved. The project will go before city council at its next meeting on Aug. 25.
More background on the project is available at:
Council approves Cathedral Hill developement over Holmes' objections