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She lives in one of about a dozen homes on the south side of Norman, which runs west off Preston and dead-ends at the O-Train tracks. She said she fears the proposed building will add an unmanageable amount of traffic to her street.

She’s particularly worried about emergency vehicles and speaks from experience. She had to call 911 last December after her 14-month-old son fell into anaphylactic shock and said emergency vehicles had a difficult time reaching her house and even asked for advice on how to get their vehicles out.

Holmes said the committee was essentially asked to fit Tamarack’s request for rezoning into the new development plan instead of establishing the planning policy first.

The Norman site abuts a multi-use pathway the runs parallel to the O-Train tracks.

“What is going to stop more nine-storeys marching down that railway track?” she asked.

If council approves Tamarack’s request, the whole matter could end up at the Ontario Municipal Board.

“If we have to go to the OMB, we’re prepared,” said Lori Mellor, executive director of the Preston Street BIA and also a resident of Norman.

“Everyone is going to waste time and money on something that’s not appropriate for the community,” she said.

The Tamarack building would transition down from nine storeys to five and include a row of townhouses that attempt to replicate what’s across the street, said architect Rod Lahey.

As for firetrucks and other emergency vehicles getting on and off the street, he said they could back down the street and turn around at Preston. “This is a situation that exists and it’s been deemed to be appropriate,” he said.