5 Reasons the Capitol Condo Approval is Good News for our Downtown
After more than a year of community discussion, debate and several design revisions, the proposed Capitol condominium development was approved by City Council at our September 20th meeting. Here are 5 reasons why this is good news for our downtown.
- The future residents of the Capitol will shop downtown. Estimates suggest spending by the future residents of the condo will support over 100 full time jobs in the downtown core. This will help limit the number of empty store fronts on Princess Street.
- The Capitol adds to the diversity of housing options for residents, both current and future. Condo living is an attractive housing option that appeals to both young professionals and older residents looking to downsize with the opportunity to live, work and play downtown.
- The Capitol development will serve as a catalyst for more redevelopment along Queen Street, contributing to a stronger and more vibrant downtown.
- With more residential intensification in the downtown, there will be less pressure to expand existing suburban areas, which are more car dependent. With everything in walking distance, we will see fewer cars on the road and reduced greenhouse gas emissions overall.
- The Capitol will bring with it a number of community benefits, including more public parking, affordable housing units and a community studio space to strengthen our local cultural scene.
2 Responses
Intensification in the downtown core could easily by done by sticking to the legitimate height restrictions and building 7story condos on empty lots. The greed of the developer is pushing for a high rise that will set a precedent and ruin the downtown. I know that the developers woo the council, but this city belongs to the residents who pay taxes, not to opportunistic developers. Another question is who is going to afford to live in these abominations? I was recently in TO and was horrified to see the ugliness of the downtown!
My knowledge of the Capitol project is that it is an investment property for people who do not plan to live there but will use the site management company to find renters, collect rent, etc. for their investment property A building with a high percentage of absent owners offers different community issues than a building that the owners live in and care about. The units are the size of Toronto tiny condos and will certainly appeal to students. What impact will the high turnover of students have on the downtown in September and April? Even though the main access is on Queen street this will change traffic patterns in the downtown. One of the agents for the property very excitedly told me that they were selling units to people who did not even need to come to Kingston to purchase them. I do hope city council is prepared for the community problems this building is going to bring to the downtown. Tourists come to Kingston because of the heritage buildings and lack of sky scrappers dotting the city view in most Canadian cities. I do hope the local supporters of this building experience the financial support they are anticipating because what the city is losing will not be regain. I hope the cost is worth the result.