I was able to be at the meeting for the first forty minutes before heading over to the Joe Cressy meeting on the 8 - 20 Widmer project. IBI / Page & Steele are the architects on the 2 Tecumseth project. A review of the Niagara South precinct plan and the context of the 2 Tecumseth lands was presented by City Planning. The initial part of the Easton / Gupta presentation addressed the massing strategy for the site. Of note, the western part of the site is not planned to be developed, but to be integrated with the City's overall park plan for the area. In terms of massing for the building - the plan for the area identified an overall building envelope consisting of mid-rise along the south edge of the area which could be developed, and moving up to a taller point at the south west end. the building envelope would taper down towards the north of the site, as it approached the existing residential context on Niagara. As appears to be normal these days - the developer took the overall envelope as a right to build framework, which would be a totally impractical slab of a building. Sections were cut away to open up the structure into two mid rise and one taller tower, adding back the space which had been cut out from the mid sections of the structure to the tops of the tower components. Still, at the south end of the project, the overall building heights appeared to be fairly modest, if I recall correctly, eleven stories for the east and centre wings, and sixteen stories for the west tower.
Two other notes - mention was made of the requirement for a twenty-five meter set back of sleeping accommodation from either the railway corridor (I think that was what was said), or from the closest rail line - not sure which, and the degree to which the difference is material would depend on how much buffer land is contained within the rail corridor itself. Secondly, a portion of the property extends to the south side of Niagara - the intention is use the piece of the property with the Niagara frontage for townhouses, consistent with the rest of the homes along Niagara.