Article content

A landmark of the downtown core, London’s Victoria Park, could be caught in a development crunch as city hall mulls designs for the area that would allow towers up to 35 storeys to border the park on two sides and close by a third.

Squaring the vision of a popular park and political goals for greater intensification — inward and upward growth to help curb costly urban sprawl — may be a tall task. Despite zoning that allows for towers between two and 35 storeys around the park, many residents aren’t pleased with the thought of intense highrises overlooking a beloved park.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Neighbours fear development could create Victoria Park 'fishbowl' Back to video

“I don’t think we can just wake up one day and decide to turn Victoria Park into a mini Central Park,” said Ward 13 Coun. Arielle Kayabaga, whose ward includes the downtown.

“It should be left as a place where you can still breathe, with the park still accessible, not shadowed by these tall buildings.”

An Auburn Developments proposal for a 17-storey tower at Wellington and Wolfe streets prompted concern, and politicians directed staff to begin a larger review of the area around the park. The application remains on hold, staff say.