Revised Victoria Park Secondary Plan

February 2, 2020

Members of the Planning & Environment Committee:
Maureen Cassidy (Chair) - mcassidy@london.ca
Jesse Helmer - jhelmer@london.ca
Arielle Kayabaga - akayabaga@london.ca
Anna Hopkins (Chair) - ahopkins@london.ca
Stephen Turner - sturner@london.ca

Dear Councillors

Re: Revised Victoria Park Secondary Plan

On behalf of the London Region branch of Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO London), I am writing yo you regarding the revised Victoria Park Secondary Plan. ACO appreciates the city’s efforts to balance intensification within and adjacent to downtown while ensuring compatibility with cultural heritage resources around the park.

However, I would like to make the following comments:

  • Immediately north of St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica, heights of up to 30 storeys may be permitted, transitioning down to 25 storeys further north of St. Peter’s. London, England has skyscrapers, but not adjacent to iconic landmarks like Big Ben or Buckingham Palace. Should London, Ontario encourage a high-rise behind St. Peter’s Cathedral?

  • Although there has been much consideration of “view corridors,” there is little mention of policies and potential zoning rules to protect silhouette views for buildings like St. Peter’s. We would have liked a statement indicating some concern for views of St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica, especially from the south to the north.

  • In North Part A, zoning would allow for buildings of 2 storeys to 16 storeys, which seems too high for the north side of the park. A 16-storey building directly behind the existing houses would be overpowering and detrimental to the traditional view of the north side. A maximum of 8 storeys would be more appropriate for area north of Central Avenue.

  • There are many suitable development sites on the southern edge of downtown, and numerous surface parking lots currently exist both near Victoria Park and elsewhere downtown. They city should encourage development on these surface parking lots as much as possible, rather than surrounding the park.

Thank you for considering our comments.

Sincerely

Jennifer Grainger
President
Architectural Conservancy Ontario - London Region

Copies: Cathy Saunders, City Clerk (csaunder@london.ca)
Heather Lysynski, PEC Committee Secretary (hlysnsk@london.ca)
Chair of LACH through Jerri Bunn, LACH Committee Secretary (jbunn@london.ca)

Marty Peterson