Parkbridge has changed its plans for a new headquarters building and reduced the height from four storeys originally proposed to three in the newest submission.
Robert Voigt, director of planning for Parkbridge told council he and his team worked to find efficiencies in the design of the building and are now proposing a three-storey office building.
“We heard loud and clear what the citizens were saying,” said Voigt. “[They said] 17 metres is too high. Through our internal design, we’ve been able to bring the building down to 12 metres, which is essentially what would be allowed in the zoning.”
Earlier this year, Parkbridge announced it was going to build a new head office and bring its operations from Calgary and Wasaga Beach to Collingwood. The company bought property at 70 Huron Street, which was a former landfill, and proposed a four-storey building for the site.
At a June 15 public meeting neighbours crowded into the council chambers and presented a list of concerns led by passionate opposition to the increased building height request for four storeys.
Parkbridge is no longer asking for a zoning bylaw amendment to allow for a fourth storey, but they do need an official plan amendment to allow commercial development on the land.
Currently, the land is designated for medium-density residential use. Staff is recommending the land be rezoned to a downtown commercial core exception, which would restrict the land’s use to commercial offices and accessories such as storage and a cafeteria.
Voigt presented to Council’s Development and Operations Services Standing Committee on Monday, Sept. 17. Members of the public also attended, and those who spoke did so in opposition to the building.
A couple presenters suggested there was ample serviced land elsewhere already zoned to permit offices and asked why Parkbridge couldn’t build there instead. Others expressed concerns about traffic and pedestrian safety in the area.
Council will vote on the commercial designation at its regular meeting on Sept. 24, if approved, the official plan amendment still needs to get approval from Simcoe County council, which may or may not happen before the election as the county only has one more regular meeting before it shuts down until after the municipal election.
Parkbridge owns and operates land-lease communities, RV parks and cottage resort properties across Canada.
Locally, Parkbridge operates nine communities in the region including Park Place, Wasaga Meadows, Wasaga Pines, and Wasaga Dunes. There are also projects in the works on Grey Road 19 in Craigleith and on Christie Beach Road in Meaford.
