Students and residents alike uneasy about high-rise development

Written by Zamir Merali

Photo Credit: Courtesy
If you’ve had your ears open around campus lately, you’ve no doubt heard about the plans to build two high-rise student apartments at the corner of Stone Road and Gordon Street. This double condo would stand in place of the Best Western hotel and tower over Guelph, being visible from as far away as the 401. The apartment complex is to be made up of four and five room luxury style suites with the capacity to hold 1500 students. It’s hard not to see the clear convenience of living steps away from campus in a building that will have everything from a gym to a mini shopping center.

However, it looks like this project is dying before it’s even started. City Councillor, Leanne Piper, expressed some serious doubts about the complex.

“A proposal to take 1500 students and put them all on one location, as some sort of a magic wand solution to student rowdyism in neighbourhoods, I don’t believe that’s the solution nor do I believe that it’s going to happen.”

The developer responsible for this project, Abode Varsity Living™, is marketing this condo as luxury apartments, according to their website. “This is high end luxury condo style living with amenities that students have become accustomed to … affordability is not an issue.”

But undergraduate student, Adam Leblanc, believes otherwise. “Well affordability is an issue. Tuition is going up, lets face it. It is not cheap to get a university education these days and affordability is very important.”

It is very true that, compared to surrounding cities such as Waterloo and Kitchener, Guelph has a unique, rustic feel.  University of Guelph undergraduate students, Kelsey Richards, expressed concern over how the proposed apartments would impact Guelph’s distinct ambiance.

“I don’t want the first thing that people see when they drive into the city to be a high-rise condo. I chose to come to Guelph because of the small town feel,” said Richards.

Piper also expressed apprehension about Guelph opening up to large-scale, high-density developments, especially in central areas of the city.

“There is a vibrancy to the arts and culture. The heritage architecture is something that promotes tourism and business development… Any residential development that happens in the downtown is going to complement and add to what is already there and shouldn’t take away from the attributes that people love about Guelph.”

As big North American cities continue to grow and grow, it may seem as though Guelph’s cozy ideals can only hold for so long.  But Piper expresses her devotion to protecting Guelph’s roots.

“We’re not Toronto and we don’t aspire to be Toronto. In fact, I think we owe it to our future generation to not become Toronto, because I don’t think Toronto’s form of development is sustainable,” said Piper.

For the student condo to get built, it will first have to get past a concerned City Council and because of that, it looks as though the urban landscape of Guelph will remain unimposing for now. But even if this development gets tossed aside, Guelph’s development is by no means at a standstill.  Other high-rise condo proposals coming before council include an 18 storey condo and shopping center for the downtown core. While it’s hard to say what Guelph will look  like10 years from now, Piper is committed to sustaining Guelph’s down-to-earth feel.

“I don’t have all the answers and I know that Guelph will grow and that Guelph will need to grow in a way that will allow us to still have that feeling of good iconic architecture and green space,” said Piper. “I think that’s what attracts people here and if we fiddle with that too much, we’ll regret it.”

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