A proposed 15-storey condominium tower near Stoney Creek’s lakeshore that shrinks the paved footprint by having no surface parking is being criticized by neighbours as still being too big for the area.
“This is something we call a tower in the park,” architect Reza Eslami said of his design, noting the 214-unit tower, driveway and loading area will cover just 31 per cent of the 0.65-hectare property at the northeast corner of Millen and North Service roads.
Parking for 246 cars and 112 bicycles is provided in a three-level underground garage, leaving the rest of the property for “privately-owned public space,” he told an Aug. 14 neighbourhood meeting hosted by Burlington developer Valour Group Inc.
Eslami said potential building design options are limited by a required 14-metre setback from North Service Road, space that will be turned into an active woodlot.
The smaller building footprint, meanwhile, preserves mature trees along the property’s northern boundary and provides room for “a big children’s play area,” he said.
Eslami said the condo tower will be V-shaped to allow all units to view the lake and have staged setbacks so it won’t cast shadows on the lake-facing backyards of townhomes in the Bal Harbour survey to the north, though driveways will be affected.
The building’s southern side will have similar setbacks, he said, with the overall design juxtaposing different architectural features and colours to create “a landmark, an iconic building that is recognizable when you’re driving along the QEW.”
But Bal Harbour resident Brian Sweeney said the development is too big and will exacerbate traffic issues in the area, which includes the nine-storey Seasons retirement home to the immediate west.
