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“It is zoned for it, it would be hard to change that. They can go tall and narrow, or short and fat but the 18-storey density is allowed,” said Mary Ann Hodge, founder of Friends of Victoria Park.

Kate Rapson, chairperson of the Woodfield Community Association, was even more blunt.

“There is nothing we can do, it is zoned. We are hoping to add some green space around it.”

But GWL still wants to work with area groups to refine the plan, said Greg Priamo, partner in Zelinka Priamo, the private planning firm working with the company that owns the parking lot.

“It is a great location where people can live close to downtown, close to the park, it is very desirable,” he said. “It will be a real asset, a real positive attribute to the inventory of housing downtown.”

Great-West Lifeco is the parent company of what is now known as Canada Life, formerly called London Life.

Both Rapson and Hodge would like to see residential units on the street level and have concerns the parking garage, with 572 spaces, would be accessed by Wolfe Street, leading to traffic woes on the narrow road.

“We hope to provide feedback, we want dialogue with Great West on this,” Rapson said.

Priamo said GWL is working with the city to make a “strong architectural statement” with the design that the city wants for all buildings around Victoria Park.

“It is looking to challenge the development industry to come up with building designs worthy of being present around the central park in the city. This is a very good expression of that.”