‘They’re going to ruin our downtown’: Delegates prepare to voice concern over proposed 28-storey tower in west Galt

A developer is hoping to get approval for a big proposal – a 28-storey tower in Galt. CTV’s Heather Senoran reports.

A developer is hoping to take the Galt skyline to new levels by building a tower that is more than four times higher than what is currently allowed.

Patterson Planning Consultants is proposing a 28-storey mixed-use tower on Grand Avenue South, near the Grand River Pedestrian Bridge. The proposal includes 328 residential spaces, mostly bachelor units, and some commercial space. Currently, six-storeys is the limit that’s allowed in the area.

Cambridge city council will hear about the project for the first time Tuesday night. Multiple residents and business owners are scheduled to speak as delegates and some aren’t impressed by the proposal.

Coleen Boland owns Barnacle Bill’s, a restaurant less than 500 metres from the proposed development. She said west Galt isn’t the right place for a tower this tall. She will be a delegate at the public meeting.

“Why do they have to cram it into our little street on the west side? There’s Hespeler Road. It seems to be where they got the biggest buildings,” she told CTV News ahead of the meeting.

She said traffic and safety are among her top concerns.

“We don’t have the infrastructure for that much more traffic. They’re going to ruin our downtown,” she said. “My husband has congestive heart failure. How was an ambulance ever going to get through? It’s ridiculous. It’s too busy down there.”

Leslee Urquart is another delegate. She said she also has concerns about the proposal.

“Our area is unique and historic. This monolithic structure would completely ruin the look of the core,” she told CTV News, ahead of the meeting.

Sheri Roberts is the city councillor in that area. She has her own concerns.

“We need density. We need housing. We certainly do. Do we need hundreds of bachelor apartments? I don’t think so,” Roberts said.

Roberts said she is trying to keep an open mind but hasn’t been hearing positive feedback from residents so far.

“We do have to be open to change. We can’t stay in the same position we’re in forever. But I think that to go from a two-storey building to 28 directly beside it is jarring,” Roberts said.

She said the area is already quite busy and parking is another major concern.

“Folks are already having trouble finding parking. This proposal is coming with less than a half a parking spot per unit, which I know is going to potentially be problematic,” she said.

Tuesday’s meeting is just the first step. Roberts said a lot can change before it is up for approval which likely won’t be until the fall, after staff come back with a recommendation.

“We need to hear from residents about what their concerns are so that staff can make a good recommendation coming back to us,” Roberts said.

CTV News reached out to Patterson Planning Consultants but did not hear back. A representative is expected to present at the meeting.

In the agenda notes the developer said the proposal is “appropriate for the site” and “represents good land use planning”.