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This article was published 1/12/2016 (1392 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

City hall wants to loosen height restrictions for the construction of high-rise towers adjacent to rapid-transit stations.

The city is holding a public hearing on the proposal Monday, which would lift the allowed heights adjacent to rapid-transit stations — from 15 storeys for residential towers and 10 storeys for mixed-use buildings — to a maximum of 20 storeys for all building types.

A rendering of the SkyCity downtown condo development slated for construction downtown next year.

There are no height restrictions on buildings constructed in the downtown area.

An administrative report supporting the change argues the change would result in increased density for development projects near transit stations, which would be officially designated as transit-oriented development zones.

Included in the proposal is a provision that would reduce the number of required parking spaces at the developments.

Mayor Brian Bowman would not comment on the proposal until after Monday’s hearing at the property and development committee meeting, but he said he supports the type of higher-density developments at transit stations the change is designed to achieve. Bowman said high-density developments are necessary to generate the property taxes needed to offset the cost of expanding the city’s transit corridor network.

"This is what we want to see along the transit corridors," said Coun. Janice Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert). "Higher density means more revenue from property taxes and less reason to increase property taxes. These developments will become hubs attracting other development. We want to see this kind of development all along the transit corridors."

The new height limits would apply only to transit stations that have been designated as a TOD zone. A developer would have to apply to get a designation from the city. The report said the boundaries of a TOD zone at any specific station would depend on the immediate amenities and available servicing able to support the designation.

"The public service acknowledges that this scale of development may not be appropriate for all transit station areas," the report states. "However, it is possible to use secondary plans, planned development overlays or zoning agreements to tailor the density down to fit the individual context through the development application process."

The proposed change would reduce minimum parking allocations by 50 per cent for TOD zones. The city’s current regulations allow parking reductions of up to 20 per cent for areas designed as urban infill and sites adjacent to transit routes.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca