Guelph developer proposes city’s tallest tower

From Link2Build

A Guelph developer recently announced plans for a new mixed-use development that, if built, would be the city’s tallest building.

Skydevco Inc. is a subsidiary company of the Skyline Group of Companies, a Guelph-based real-estate management firm, and provides real-estate development services to its parent enterprise. Skydevco announced plans for the new multi-use development in early December.

Located at 70 Fountain Street East (the current site of a Skyline corporate office) and 75 Farquhar Street, the proposed building would stand 25 storeys tall, and provide approximately 4,000 square feet of ground-level retail space, three floors of office space totaling 70,000 square feet, and 180 rental apartments. It would also offer four levels of underground parking, as well as access to multiple modes of transit.

“Guelph is where Skyline was founded, and 20 years later, we are still proud to call the downtown its home,” said Martin Castellan, co-founder and chief administrative officer of Skyline. “We’ve seen significant growth and changes to the city over the years, and we’re excited to bring a new property development to the downtown core that will attract new residents and commerce.”

“Skyline has always had a focus on reducing its environmental footprint,” said Greg Jones, president of Skydevco. “With a long-term view on ownership, this project is planned to be the most sustainable building of its kind in Guelph, and one of the most efficient buildings in Skyline’s portfolio.”

Planning is one thing, executing is another. The City of Guelph has a bylaw in place that prohibits the construction of any building taller than the city’s Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate. The city wants to keep views of the building unobstructed and maintain the structure’s significance as a local landmark. SkyDev’s proposal would challenge that 40-year old bylaw.

Guelph has allowed construction of buildings up to 18 storeys on four separate occasions, but generally limits building heights to six storeys in the downtown core, and 10 outside.

SkyDev has submitted an application to the City of Guelph to amend the Offical Plan and Zoning By-law to allow for the development. It will also host a public open house on January 9 to provide further information.