Project will break ground this fall
Jun 24, 2008 - 02:50 PM
By Jillian Follert
OSHAWA -- Oshawa's first dedicated student apartment building is a go.
On Monday night, council approved an application from Dundurn Edge Developments Inc. to build a 126-unit project at the corner of Simcoe Street North and Niagara Drive.
"This is the gap that's existed since the university opened," said Councillor April Cullen. "Unless we plan to close the doors at the university, we need to recognize the students need a place to live."
Viable student housing options are desperately needed in light of the new rental licensing bylaw that took effect May 30, limiting the number of bedrooms in rental homes near the Durham College and UOIT campus.
When it opens in May 2010, the Dundurn project will house 551 students.
But not everyone is welcoming it with open arms.
The final approval came after months of backlash from neighbours near the site, who said the building would be too tall, house too many students and offer too few parking spaces -- even after Dundurn scaled back the original height and cut 250 bedrooms out of the design.
Lynda Morgan lives directly across from the apartment location and said the building will block her line of sight and invade her privacy as upper floor tenants will be able to see into her backyard.
Niagara Drive resident Joanne Ferguson said the concessions made by Dundurn don't go far enough.
"On a political level it may appear to be a compromise but to the residents of the community and neighbourhood it continues to be extremely objectionable," she said in a letter to council.
An estimated 100 residents signed a petition demanding the project be downsized even further, to the four-storey height allowed under existing zoning.
Dundurn's original plan included nine stories, 183 units housing 800 students, as well as 249 parking spaces and 1,785 square metres of commercial space on the ground floor.
The scaled-down version submitted last month proposes six storeys along Niagara Drive and Simcoe Street North and four storeys in the back, as well as 126 units housing 551 students and 167 parking spaces. The ground-level commercial space would stay the same, with a new requirement that a maximum gross floor area of 5,000 square feet be permitted for the sale and consumption of alcohol.
"I think the community recognized some significant concessions were made," said Carlo Di Gioacchino, vice president of business development for Dundurn. "The City has now provided an alternative form of housing for students, I think this will be a win-win for everyone."
Mr. Di Gioacchino added he will continue to work with residents opposed to the project to find ways to alleviate their concerns.
A ground breaking is expected to take place in the fall.
Recommend :