City seeking input on development at 525-555 Princess Street
The City of Kingston’s Planning Services Department is asking for resident input on potential community benefits for the development proposal for 525-555 Princess Street. (City File Number D35-001-2019).
According to a release from the City, staff will be collecting resident feedback from Tuesday, Feb. 15 to Tuesday, Mar. 8, 2022, at which point input will be compiled into a report to be presented to the Planning Committee on May 5, 2022.
“In exchange for height or density that exceeds a property’s zoning permission, municipalities can negotiate community benefits as part of a project’s approvals process,” said Tim Park, Director of Planning Services for the City of Kingston. “Community benefits are an opportunity for residents to help determine how densification can have a positive impact on the immediate area experiencing the increased height or density.”
The proposed project at 525-555 Princess Street has yet to be approved by the City, according to the release, and must meet the tests of good planning for a community benefit agreement to be established.
The following information was presented by the City to encourage residents to share ideas for community benefits:
Residents are invited to share their ideas for possible community benefits for 525-555 Princess Street on Get Involved Kingston until Tuesday, Mar. 8, 2022.
The dollar value of the community benefit contribution for this development is estimated to be in the range of $100,0000 to $150,000. The City will be asking for suggestions under the following categories, selected from Section 9.5.25 of the Official Plan:
- Providing public art – for example, including art as part of the development or within the general vicinity of the development site that have some significance or relation to the area and its history
- Providing parkland dedication beyond what is already required – for example, allocating additional funding for existing parkland capital improvement projects in nearby parks
- Providing/contributing to community and open space facilities – for example, day care centres, community centres, recreation facilities or cultural facilities
- Providing street greening of Alfred Street, in accordance with the Williamsville Main Street Plan and Schedule PS-1
According to the City, this is the first in a multi-step process:
- Staff will collect and assess all suggestions, and will present them to Planning Committee, while making recommendations based on feasibility. Council is the approval authority.
- Should Council approve community benefits for 525-555 Princess Street, the specific design details are expected to undergo additional community engagement with residents, the district councillor and interested community groups.
The City said that community benefits are finalized through a Council-approved, site-specific amending zoning bylaw that implements a proposed development and a community benefits agreement.
Visit the Get Involved Kingston page for 525-555 Princess Street here: https://getinvolved.cityofkingston.ca/community-benefits-525-555-princess
Is it not time for Kingston to get serious about climate change? There is much hullabaloo about how sensitive we are to sustainability but little evidence of how effective we are. May I suggest that ‘Kingston’ asks all developers of buildings over three stories in height to include solar panels, or the like, in their properties so that there will be some contribution to our electrical grid rather than an increased use that will be a future burden to us all.