Council members eyed the proposed height of Pearle Hospitality's waterfront condo and hotel buildings with heavy skepticism at the public meeting held around the project on Tuesday.
"We stand to lose too much if we continue on this path and go forward and allow these buildings in our community," said Coun. Jan Liggett. "We can't get it back."
That was the same concern Coun. Mike Devine had where the height of the project was brought up.
"We're all mixed emotions about this," he said. "The development community spoke very well. I understand that's their bread and butter and I understand we need people living in core areas for the businesses to survive and thrive. I'm surprised this came through before all the other reports have come forward. This will open floodgates for others."
Coun. Nicholas Ermeta expressed some of the mixed emotions.
"I do think it is an exciting proposal as far as the concept goes," he said. "I do have concerns around the height. It is a major change for downtown. A lot of cities, such as Guelph, in particular, put their tall buildings in areas that aren't obvious. I'm just concerned about that. I would like a lower height. How they accomplish that, I don't know."
There were others on council that were in support of the project, along with the proposed heights at 37 storeys for the condo building and 28 storeys for the hotel.
"I know it seems like too much of a change," said Coun. Pam Wolf. "I know change is difficult for most people, but I think we have to look to the future in terms of architecture and what it can do for the downtown core density and sustainability. I'm anxious to hear the staff report. There are all sorts of details we can add to the project."
Earlier in the meeting, things were moving along smoothly for Pearle Hospitality's highrise project for downtown Cambridge when it received support from a number of residents and representatives of local organizations.
A slew of delegates presented at the statutory public meeting held June 29 to talk about why they would want the project to go ahead.
Dan Clements, who is a resident of Waterscape, a condo building that neighbours 130 Water St. N., said he was representing residents both from his building and the Grand Condominiums.
The new building plans show that the towers are angled away from the Grand's building, he said, adding that compared to the proposal submitted in 2015 this is a much better design.
"It helps with the view implications for the folks in the south side of the Grand condos," Clements said, adding, the slimmer design avoids a bulkier building as the one proposed six years ago.
His enthusiasm was mirrored by Darren Drouillard, chair, Cambridge Chamber of Commerce.
"I cannot be more excited for a development as this one," he said, adding he lives in the west Galt area of Cambridge. "The chamber of commerce supports progressive changes in the community."
Scott Higgins president, HIP Developments, who is working on the Gaslight Condos project across the river was also in support of the fellow developer.
"It's important to know those that can do and those that just want to sell the property to others that can do it," he said. "I can tell you Pearle group is a very real developer. I think it's really important that we support the application and move it forward so we can capture the investment."
Douglas Craig, who was representing the Foxrun Community Group, said he could understand people being hesitant about the design and build and gave an example of historical buildings that were initially shunned due to their architecture and design but are now considered iconic.
Craig also talked about the pedestrian bridge that connects the east and west ends of the Galt area, pointing out that the initial proposals were met with resistance as people called it a 'bridge to nowhere.'
"The pedestrian bridge to nowhere is now a bridge to everywhere," he said. "Sometimes what's best for the city isn't always popular. I think the delegations that have come, and presentations made, are excellent. We have a quality development for our community.
"Look at past history, reflect on lost opportunities and then reflect on where this city wants to go," Craig said.
Manuel Goncalves, property owner on Water Street, supported the project but had issues with the off-site garage, which abuts his commercial properties on Water Street.
"I have apartments that have windows on that side of the buildings and depend on sunlight and air," he said. "One of the entrances to the garage is next to my apartment and will cause noise and fumes from the cars in and out. If they can address the issues of the garage and deal with it in that sense, I have no problems."
The favourable review didn't go on forever.
Michael Bean, a homeowner in the vicinity, said he moved to the area because he and his wife were struck by the charm and character of the downtown core.
"We immediately fell in love with Galt," he said. "With respect to this application, I believe strongly that the placement of the two alarmingly highrise towers would be inconsistent with the historic character and charm of Galt. I am strongly in support of growth and development, provided it is consistent with the nature of the surroundings."
Jen Clarke, a resident of Waterscape, stressed the need to lower the environmental impact.
"We need you to move forward with proposals that support the environment that we share with the wildlife," she wrote in her letter submitted in addition to her presentation as a delegate. "We need you to look at proposals that take into consideration the carbon footprint of the proposed buildings. Huge skyscrapers, like the proposed 130 Water Street North buildings, do not fit in with environmental initiatives that we need to move forward with to protect our world for future generations. We need growth that fits into our city. I ask that you please fight for us and make sure that this building is a smaller scale, better to fit in with what we need here."
Karen Scott Booth, vice-president of the Architectural Conservancy Ontario, Heritage Cambridge Branch, added to the reasons why the development wasn't a good idea.
"We all will suffer greatly if this is allowed to go ahead as it is," she said, adding, "We are not opposed to development and revitalization of the downtown core."
Aaron Ciancone, president of Pearle Hospitality, was also in attendance to help clarify any concerns.
"We will be providing attainable housing units in this development," he said. "It targets the middle class. We've seen this done in other areas. This is a brownfield site and we've been working on this for a number of years. This gives 20,000 square feet of new dining and waterfront retail and a destination spa."
The development, Ciancone said, will bring in an estimate $4.7 million in revenues, increase tourism, provide 250 short-term jobs and 300 long-term ones, and lend support for future development and transit expansions.
The report and public comments were received for information. Staff will be bringing back a detailed report at a future meeting, before which council members are hoping other studies, such as those looking at appropriate building height for the core area, Galt core heritage district boundaries, and Cambridge Fire Department's capability of tackling highrise fires, will also be available for review.
