Representatives of various church communities are expressing their concerns about the controversial proposed Parish Lane Development in the Queen’s Road area.
The Anglican Church put the old Cathedral Parish Hall and surrounding land up for sale. Parish Lane Development Inc. is proposing a development on the land that will include a 150-foot condo.
Representatives from other churches located in the historic Ecclesiastical District met with city officials in December.
The Basilica Heritage Foundation, Gower Street United and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church all indicated they are not against development in Heritage Area 1, however, they do expect that any zoning or development be appropriate for the district.
(Development illustration.)
Chair of the Ecclesiastical Working Group, Dr. Anne Walsh says the district is a public trust, passed down for generations and citizens have a right to expect the city to uphold its long-standing commitments for appropriate zoning and development.
Shannie Duff with the Basilica Heritage Foundation says the city is a trustee of designated heritage districts and has an obligation to citizens to abide by the commitments made in successive municipal plans to protect it against inappropriate development.
She calls a 150-foot condo building “an inappropriate intrusion” that “will diminish the integrity and value” of a special area of the city.
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