WHAT IS IN JEOPARDY?
Right in the center of Kingston's historic downtown, a residential high-rise is being proposed and will diminish what we love about our city: the urban character and human scale of what makes our downtown unique. Most buildings in the area are between 2 and 4 storeys and the proposed project The Capitol would construct a massive 20-storey tower. If approved, this will establish a precedent for future similar high-rises!
We support a respectful downtown densification that enriches and strengthens the urban character of what makes Kingston a desirable city to live in. Let's reserve the big buildings for the ones we will all love and that are aligned with our best ambitions and long-term needs.
We support a respectful downtown densification that enriches and strengthens the urban character of what makes Kingston a desirable city to live in. Let's reserve the big buildings for the ones we will all love and that are aligned with our best ambitions and long-term needs.
ABOUT THE CAPITOL PROJECT PROPOSAL
The Capitol is a proposed 20-storey, 220+ unit condominium complex by IN8. The irregularly shaped property is located right in downtown Kingston and this project will have frontage both on Princess and Queen streets. Important functions in this mixed development include some commercial activities on the first three floors on Princess St. and 132 parking spaces distributed on a four-level parking structure as well as a high-rise residential tower on Queen St.
The developer is currently seeking several worrisome zoning bylaw amendments to get this project approved. The most important one would bring the maximum building height from 6 storeys to 20 storeys on Queen St. This huge increase in height will cause many negative impacts on the quality of life of Kingstonians and will create an incoherent skyline in the downtown core. Furthermore, the Official Plan of the City of Kingston is one of many official guidelines this project is in conflict with and approving it means opening the floodgate for future similar out of scale developments. To read our arguments in more detail, go to our Why? section, or go to the Resources page to explore the different documents related to this project. |
WHY WE ARE AGAINST
1. The loss of a human-scaled environment
2. The negative impacts for the urban space
3. The erosion of the urban character of downtown Kingston
4. The establishment of a precedent for future high-rises
5. The conflict with the City of Kingston's Official Plan
2. The negative impacts for the urban space
3. The erosion of the urban character of downtown Kingston
4. The establishment of a precedent for future high-rises
5. The conflict with the City of Kingston's Official Plan