“I’m not sure about the exact height or if it’s appropriate for the location, but I often hear people my age calling Burlington, ‘borington,’ and stuff like this brings people and vibrancy to the downtown,” he said.

“These types of developments mean developers are interested in our downtown… people want to live here and people my age don’t necessarily want to live in condo developments, but to get people out of their single family homes, they may need to move into a smaller, more affordable location, which opens up spots for more young people and families,” added Ritsma.

“In addition to that, with the two- to three-bedroom units, it also makes it more likely, I think, for families to move into the downtown.”

Scale, traffic impacts among concerns

The building’s height, parking, traffic impacts, and its scale, precedence-setting nature and relationship to city hall were repeatedly brought up as concerns by members of the public.

Downtown resident Glynis van Steen referenced hearing earlier in the night how 22 sites are currently being targeted for development in the downtown and said how the proposed project can’t be looked at on its own.

“I think your project looks beautiful, but I think we need to have a look at this in conjunction with everything else and how that’s going to affect traffic, walkability and public transit, I think those need to be addressed,” she said.

“If we don’t know what’s happening with the other 22 (development) plans still in their early stages, it’s almost as if we’re talking about something in a vacuum here and that doesn’t make sense…. I think that’s the biggest issue, is that all of a sudden we’re going to end up in a place where you can’t really move,” continued van Steen.

“How can we get this approved if all the other problems are just going to be compounded, no parking, no traffic plans in place?”

City staff reassured van Steen and the public, the planning department would be evaluating the proposal in the context of the “larger area-specific planning work that would be ongoing… to have a better conception as a whole for the downtown as to where we’d like those greater heights and densities to be.”

Downtown intensification targets at 75 per cent

Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward, who acted as moderator at the meeting, informed the audience Burlington was 75 per cent of the way to its intensification targets in 2031.

“Our targets downtown are 200 people or jobs per hectare — we’re about 135 right now,” she said.

Meed Ward told the Post she was extremely happy to see the turnout to Tuesday’s meeting and the level of interest from the community.

“People are extremely passionate about the downtown and its features, and we’ve had some great diversity of perspective tonight,” she said. “I thought it was a very balanced set of feedback, which is very helpful.”

Meed Ward admitted she too had concerns over the height of the tower, saying she thinks city hall should be the prominent building to stand out.

She was also concerned with photos from the applicant detailing sun shadows, which she said would impact residents and businesses, leaving the latter — many with patios — in the shade.

“The people of downtown — and I’ve known this ever since I became a councillor, this is not new — welcome development and investment, they always have. They want to get it right. They’re very protective of their downtown. This is a community, a family of people. We treat our downtown like a family,” said Meed Ward.

Mayor Rick Goldring, who was also in attendance, told the Post what was desirable about the project was the enhancement to ground floor retail, streetscaping and connectivity to the street.

“As well as the office component because there is a need for more offices in downtown Burlington and it’s certainly good to hear there is a focus on two- and three-bedroom units,” he said. “Those are the positive attributes.”

Goldring’s concern, like most of the public, was height — most of the downtown site allows for a maximum of 12 storeys.

“So, the question is, is there merit in going above and beyond there? And I’m going to wait to hear from our planning staff on what their assessment is based on the community and their own professional viewpoint,” he said.

The public also heard from Meed Ward, the city would be hiring a land economist to give more understanding to the financial aspects of development projects.

“Not that that should sway you,” Goldring told the Post, “but you should certainly be aware.”

For Meed Ward, she said all proposals for the downtown are about how to get the “absolute” best developments.

“Not just for us, who live here now, but for the future,” she noted.

“We want the best developments that will bring a good mix of demographics… I want a whole mix of ages, incomes, different people in the downtown — that’s what will make it vibrant. And we do need to turn our mind to that and make sure that we continue to have families down here.”