At 8/25 Council there was a public meeting to receive a report for a zoning amendment application submitted by Seneca College. The need has been triggered by Seneca’s plans to execute a significant expansion at the King Campus. They are now ready to start construction of 2 new buildings; one will be an athletic facility and the other for academic purposes. The specific amendment requested is one of height, namely to increase the maximum to 30 meters versus the current 11 m. which applies across the Township. You can read the full report here. Council did agree to accept the report; it has gone back to Staff now for more assessment. Once completed it will be brought back to Council for consideration for approval.
Seneca is asking for this higher height as they may want to execute a design with 6 floors. If they have this flexibility they will be able proceed with their Request for Proposal (RFP) in near term which in turn will enable them to meet the target completion date in 2017.
My first response to the amendment request was one of apprehension. But with reflection I can see the wisdom of such.
- There is the fact that Seneca’s success is very much a success for King Township; a vibrant post secondary institution in King is valuable for us. Our economic development strategy includes a strong, growing Seneca.
- If Seneca is going to grow I believe it is better that their new buildings going vertical rather than sprawling across the landscape. Whether they build vertical or horizontal the number of students remains the same; but building horizontal results in a greater foot print. The latter is less desirable from an environmental perspective and for Seneca it is more costly to operate.
- Given the planned specific location of the new buildings I believe that they will be barely visible for someone on Dufferin or on the 15th SDRD; and because of distance the buildings’ height will be less evident.
I have heard concerns of “setting precedent.” I don’t believe the precedent set is of great concern as the precedent being set is a 30 m height allowance by an educational institute and in a manner which is barely visible from the road.
I am thrilled that Seneca has set a target for achieving LEED-gold status.
At the public meeting I asked about the built heritage structures on the campus, the most famous being Eaton Hall and Villa Fiori. The good news is that Seneca leadership is very aware of these important building and they welcome the opportunity to review with us their status and plans. The bad news is that their condition is poor;
Eaton Hall suffered in the winter ice storm.
While I share some of the concern about height for a building in a more rural area, I appreciate the importance of not sprawling over a lot of land to achieve floor area, and that the proposed building is set far back from the road, and hopefully screened by some taller trees. The residence on the Seneca King Campus is well over 11m, and is barely noticed by people driving on either Dufferin or the 15th Sideroad. The goal to achieve LEED Gold is very encouraging. JBC