Officials praise 35-storey downtown tower pitched by London hotel owner
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A 35-storey tower pitched for the heart of the city, next to a longtime London hotel, would bring much-needed density and vibrancy to the downtown, leaders say.
The proposal for 300-320 King St., beside the DoubleTree by Hilton, would add 435 new housing units to the core. The highrise planned for King and Waterloo streets would replace a two-storey parking garage used by the hotel.
Holloway Lodging Corp., the owner of the DoubleTree by Hilton, recently filed the development application at city hall. City council will have to rezone the site to allow for the tower.
“Adding more density in the core, with foot traffic, will help boost the vibrancy of downtown as more businesses are locating here,” Kapil Lakhotia, head of the London Economic Development Corp. (LEDC), said.
The project would represent a huge redevelopment for the site, and for the core.
A planning report prepared for city hall describes the tower as a “positive addition to the downtown London skyline.”
“We have a parking structure that’s clearly underutilized in an area that could really use some revitalization. We want to maximize the re-developability of these lands through the policies of the London Plan,” Matt Campbell, a Zelinka Priamo planner working on the project, said of the proposal.
The city’s blueprint for growth includes a 45 per cent intensification target, meaning that portion of all new builds should be in already-developed areas instead of the outskirts of London. Downtown parking lots, vacant land and other low-density sites are prime targets for higher-density builds.
City hall, downtown merchants and business groups also are working to revitalize downtown by drawing consistent foot traffic, luring new businesses, and launching programs and events.
London’s future rapid transit system will run on King Street, directly outside the hotel and the proposed highrise.
The DoubleTree by Hilton will remain next door. The hotel is connected to RBC Place through an overhead walkway, making it an important draw for conferences and other events at London’s convention centre.
“That’s a big part of their sell, having those type of accommodation for anybody coming in (for events at RBC Place),” Ward 13 Coun. David Ferreira said.
He said the highrise is proposed for “an appropriate spot” and emphasized the importance of adding to London’s housing supply.
“The underground parking right there, it’s pretty much falling apart. There has to be work done there anyway. I feel like it’s a pretty good choice to not just repair it, but put something there, especially when it helps with our housing needs.”
Campbell said the owner is hoping to have building permits in hand by next spring or summer.
“Our client is quite ambitious and has a very aggressive timeline for trying to seek development approvals on this one,” he said.
That timeline would be incredibly quick for such a significant downtown project. London’s seen a slew of apartment and condo towers built or in progress during the last few years. Between planning, city hall approvals, and construction, highrise projects typically take years to come to fruition.
The King Street highrise proposal already is getting a good response, Campbell said.
“We have an excellent team of designers and professionals that are working on it and so far we’ve received some really positive feedback,” he said.
“We’re pretty excited for this one to go to planning committee in the near future.”
mstacey@postmedia.com
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