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LETTER: Proposed affordable housing hub plan 'way over the top'

Letter writer says the 130-unit project is incompatible with the neighbourhood in size and the degree to which it 'presses its blockish mass into the low-profile streetscape'
2020-06-23 ODCVI JO-001
Preliminary conceptual designs for the Orillia affordable housing hub project, which will be located on the former ODCVI site. Contributed image

OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor. This letter is in response to our article, published March 12, titled 'Public gets glimpse into extremely important $80-M community hub'. Send your letters to [email protected]
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It's too bad the County of Simcoe couldn't build affordable housing on the vast and long vacant property on Atherley Road, east of Giant Tiger.

That location, close to downtown shopping, the Common Roof social service hub, recreational trails and spacious waterfront parks, would offer far more amenities for the fixed-income residents than the more remote site on West Street North where ODCVI used to be.

I am on record as opposing the proposed development, which at four and six storeys is totally out of keeping with the surrounding neighbourhood of single family homes and two-storey commercial buildings.

I'm not saying higher density townhomes or even some multi-residential units wouldn't fit in nicely on the OD site. They would. And based on the overnight sales of such projects on James Street behind the Atherley Road beer store and the old community centre property on Penetang, this type of housing is in high demand in Orillia.

As I said in an earlier letter the 130-unit project, as designed, is incompatible with the neighbourhood in size and the degree to which it presses its blockish mass into the low- profile streetscape.

No consideration was given to minimizing impact by stepping back the elevations and breaking up the solid mass of the structure into smaller components. I am told the county simply reproduced designs they used two other communities. Shame.

For Peter Street residents downhill from the OD property, the four-storey wing will effectively be the height of of a six-storey building and twice the height of the former school's south wing.

It's just way over the top!

Again I appeal to the county to modify the design so it has some passing regard for the project's surroundings and is complementary rather than obtusely unsuited.

Let's make it an addition to the neighbourhood and city of which we can all be proud.

Colin McKim
Orillia
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