City Council Approves Zoning By-law Amendment For East City 17-Storey High-Rise

City Council has endorsed rezoning 90 Hunter St. E. which would include a 17-storey mixed-use building, during their meeting on Monday evening.

With a proposed 205 residential units, the 90 Hunter St. E. proposal would represent approximately four per cent of the City’s housing target. Photo courtesy of Raw Design Inc. and the City of Peterborough.

The rezoning involves changing its current designation from church use to include residential use.

The property is at the northwest corner of the intersection of Mark Street and Hunter Street East. Currently, Mark Street United Church occupies the property, which is subject to the Downtown Core Area Designation and partially subject to the Residential designation of the Official Plan.

The 17-storey, mixed-use building, built on the western portion of the property, would contain 205 residential apartments and 232 square metres of ground-floor commercial space. The eastern portion of the property would accommodate the retained church on a smaller lot. The zoning boundary would follow the proposed line of severance.

The property is centrally located along the primary commercial street of the East City neighbourhood. The street is currently primarily made up of low-rise commercial with three storeys or less, with many properties having large surface parking areas. Properties to the north are predominantly low-density residential.

Recent planning approvals have introduced mid- and high-rise mixed-use and residential developments to the area, including the Railyards residential-commercial mixed-use development at six storeys, the 195 Hunter St. E. development at nine storeys and the Skyline – Times Square building at 12 storeys.

According to the City, various technical studies have been submitted in support of the application, such as an urban design analysis, an environmental assessment, a heritage impact study, a noise impact study, a traffic impact study and a hydrogeological assessment.

On Nov. 27, 2023, Council pledged to support the construction of 4,700 new dwellings by 2031 as requested by the Minister on June 16, 2023. Provincially, municipal housing pledges are a key tool for ensuring the construction of 1.5 million new homes by 2031, addressing the ongoing housing supply and affordability crisis. At this time, the City is 29 per cent of the way towards the target (1,356 of 4,700 units).

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.