Four different appeals to the Ontario Municipal Board have been filed in regards to a controversial proposed apartment/condominium complex on the hill overlooking Downtown Guelph.
The deadline for appeals of decisions by Guelph City Council regarding a proposed development at 75 Dublin St. N. was 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
On Nov. 30 council rejected a zoning amendment application by Rykur Holdings and its owner, prominent local developer Tom Lammer, that would have seen a five-storey apartment/condo complex - including 20 affordable seniors' apartments - built on the northeast corner of the Dublin Street North/Cork Street intersection. But council did clear the way for a four-storey complex that would likely contain no affordable seniors' units.
City clerk Stephen O'Brien confirmed Thursday that four appeals from three parties have been filed.
Rykur Holdings has filed an appeal of the zoning decision and also an appeal regarding the city's Official Plan as it relates to this proposed property.
The Old City Residents Association neighbourhood group, the Upper Grand District School Board and Rykur Holdings have also appealed the zoning ruling.
Lammer wants to get it changed to allow five storeys, the Upper Grand District School Board, who owns the adjacent Central Public School, and the neighbourhood group are fighting to not allow four storeys there either.
The school board and resident's group's concerns centre around shadows that a four or five storey building would cast on the school property, parking issues and traffic safety issues.
There has also been concerns expressed regarding the inappropriateness of an apartment building on a property so close to historic Catholic Hill, home of Basilica of Our Lady.
The project had been fast-tracked by city council in an attempt to allow Lammer to access federal funding grants that would have contributed $3 million to the project. Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield even showed up at an initial council meeting in support of Lammer's application.
But criticism and opposition quickly mounted in the community and eventually City Council held a special meeting to allow the parties to express its concerns.
City staff initially recommended the five-storey plan but later recinded that recommendation to allow four storeys.
