Visual Impact Assessment Zone Change Application. 282 MacNab St N Ontario Inc.

Transcription

1 Visual Impact Assessment Zone Change Application 282 MacNab St N Ontario Inc. June 2018

2 mccallumsather page ii

3 282 macnab st n - visual impact assessment 1. BACKGROUND POLICY CONTEXT 2.1 Need for Visual Impact Assessment Policy Direction METHOD 3.1 Scope of Visual Assessment Defining Views and Vistas for Assessment Visual Impact Modelling and Simulation EXISTING VISUAL CONDITIONS VISUAL OBSERVATIONS 5.1 Vistas Views ANALYSIS CONCLUSIONS...21 page iii

4 mccallumsather 1 SITE Location Map page iv

5 282 macnab st n - visual impact assessment 1. background 1 West Harbour GO Station Subject Site Workers Heritage 40 Murray Street MacNab St N looking south toward the subject site. The West Harbour Go station is to the left and the Workers Heritage Museum is on the right. The following report is created to analyzed the proposed 13 storey residential building on the site known municipally as 282 MacNab St N. The proposed building design employs a podium and tower form and includes ground floor space for a lobby as well as below and ramped parking structure that ramps down two (2) levels with residential units in the tower. The site previously contained several small industrial buildings which will be demolished to clear the site (date to be determined). The proposed building requires a Zoning By-law Amendment to rezone the site to a site specific High Density Residential in the City of Hamilton Zoning Bylaw No to address building height, podium façade treatment and setbacks of the proposed design. The formal Pre-Consultation Record for the Zoning By-law Amendment, dated February 3, 2017 requires the preparation of a Visual Impact Assessment. mccallumsather were retained in June 2017 to prepare the Visual Impact Assessment. page 1

6 mccallumsather 2. policy context 2.1 NEED FOR VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT The subject property is designated J for light industrial thus the Owner is required to provide a Record of Site Condition as well as a Zoning Bylaw amendment to allow residential uses. The subject site is designated Medium Density 2 in the West Harbour Setting Sail Secondary plan. The policies of Medium Density 2 designation establishes a density range of units per gross hectare and height of 4-8 stories. As the proposed density is approximately 827 units / gross hectare and 13 stories + mechanical penthouse, a Zoning Bylaw amendment is required to change the designation to High Density Residential. Section of the Secondary Plan allows increases to heights above 4 storeys for the site in the event of comprehensive redevelopment, new buildings shall be more compatible with surrounding lower-density housing than existing buildings, in terms of their built form, and shall generally comply with Policy A (iv)-(xv) of this Plan iv) existing grid patterns of streets, blocks and open spaces, and/or those proposed by this plan, shall be respected; v) front yard setbacks shall be generally consistent with the setbacks of adjacent buildings; vi) for streets where a road allowance widening is required, the setback under the zoning by-law must be taken from the widened road allowance; vii) parking areas shall be provided at the rear of sites, underground and/or in above-grade structures, with access from public streets or laneways; viii) above-grade parking structures shall be located within buildings and fronted on all levels by residential uses; ix) front yard parking shall not be permitted; x) the main entrances to buildings shall face public streets; xi) private amenity space shall be provided on balconies and terraces, at the front or rear of individual ground-floor units, and/or within internal courtyards outdoors and indoors; xii) common amenity space shall be consolidated on the site to create useable spaces; xiii) the design and massing of buildings shall minimize shadow and wind impacts on the public realm; xiv) the design of new developments shall have respect for the light, views and privacy enjoyed by residents in adjacent buildings and areas; and, xv) approval of rezonings for new residential development within the Zone of Noise Influence, as delineated on Schedule M-3, shall be contingent on submission of a Noise and Vibration Study to the satisfaction of City staff and the Ministry of the Environment and agreement by the proponent to implement the recommendations of the study. 2.2 POLICY DIRECTION Direction for visual impact analysis comes from the Urban Hamilton Official Plan and to a lesser degree, the West Harbour Secondary Plan - Setting Sail. Section of the Urban Hamilton Official Plan generally describes public views and vistas as significant visual compositions of important public and historic buildings, natural heritage and open space features, landmarks, and skylines which enhance the overall physical character of an area when viewed from the public realm. Vistas are generally panoramic in nature while views usually refer to a strong individual feature often framed by its surroundings. Examples of existing significant vistas include the panorama of the Niagara Escarpment, Hamilton Harbour and the Downtown skyline as viewed from various vantage points throughout the City. page 2

7 282 macnab st n - visual impact assessment 3. method 3.1 SCOPE OF VISUAL ASSESSMENT For the purposes of this Visual Impact Assessment (VIA), visual impact is meant generally as the extent of change in the visual landscape created by a proposed development. Per the City s policies, the visual landscape for this purpose includes both the natural landscape as well as the built landscape. This VIA is meant to be read in conjunction with the other support designrelated reports prepared as part of the complete application, including the Urban Design Brief, Shadow Impact Assessment, Heritage Impact Assessment, and Wind Impact Study, for a fulsome discussion of the proposed building s impacts. 3.2 DEFINING VIEWS AND VISTAS FOR ASSESSMENT The above policy context and direction places a significance on both the longer focus vistas and the shorter focus views for new development that exceeds the base height permissions within the existing zoning designation. Recognizing this significance, this VIA considers and assesses both per the below definition Vistas The subject site falls within the West Harbour Secondary plan which does specifically identify significant vistas, the downtown Secondary Plan, of which the site is only a few blocks north, identifies the Niagara Escarpment, Hamilton Harbour, and overall Downtown skyline as significant vistas. Section of the Secondary Plan identifies vistas of the Hamilton Harbour from James Street and views of the Niagara Escarpment from James Street, Bay Street, Catharine Street, and Wellington Street as particularly important; none of which expected to be directly affected given the site s location and the urban context. Rather, this VIA takes the direction of the draft Hamilton Tall Buildings Study in utilizing the following three identified points for assessment of the proposed\ development on vistas: page 3

8 mccallumsather 1. Bayfront Park looking south (to the Niagara Escarpment and city skyline); 2. York Street bridge looking southeast (to the Niagara Escarpment and city skyline); 3. Sam Lawrence Park looking northwest (to the city skyline and waterfront) Views Section d) generically indicates the view impacts on streetscapes, landmark structures, or heritage buildings as viewed from the public sidewalk as the focus of visual impact analysis. Accordingly, this VIA assesses the built form siting and design impacts on the following from the public sidewalk. (a) Streetscapes The most prominent potential impact on streetscapes are to MacNab Street North, given the site s frontages this street and to a lesser degree Murray Street E, Stuart St, and James Street North. (b) Landmark structures Landmark structures are not specifically identified in the West Harbour Secondary Plan. The draft version of the Hamilton Tall Buildings Study identifies the Holy Resurrection Roman Orthadox Church and Christ Church Cathedral and All Souls Church as landmark places or worship, Liuna Station Campus as a landmark schoolyard, West Haboour (James North) GO Station as a landmark transit hub. (c) Heritage buildings The most prominent potential impact on identified heritage resources include those which the proposed development shares the same viewline along MacNab Street, James Street or Stuart St. Thus, this VIA includes the following properties for assessment: 51 Stuart St (Custom House), 252 James St North (Christ Cathedral), 360 James Street North (Hamilton CN Rail Station), 256 MacNab St N and 260 MacNab St N are all designated under the Ontario Heritage Act and are within Landmark Diagram: Places of Worship from Downtown Hamilton Tall Building Study 500 m of the site. 262 MacNab St N is listed in the Register as non-designated property. page 4

9 282 macnab st n - visual impact assessment 3.3 VISUAL IMPACT MODELLING AND SIMULATION The City of Hamilton does not have a defined method or approach for undertaking visual\ impact analysis for the above policy considerations, so this VIA employs a method that has been used on other projects in urban settings to present an accurate reflection of the visual impacts on the surrounding built environment. The below outlines the progression of the method used for the modelling and photo-simulations used in this VIA. 1. A 3D Model of the proposed building was prepared by McCallum Sather Architects using SketchUp software in support of the proposed Zone Change application. This model was geo-referenced using survey and base CAD information. 2. McCallum Sather inserted the 3D Model using Google Earth Professional software to create an interactive viewshed model, which allowed the proposed building to be placed into the existing built form context of the surrounding area using coordinates to accurately position the new building. This viewshed model was used to determine primary viewpoints where the proposed development form is clearly visible and most apparent. This scoping exercise began along the major north south corridors on MacNab Street and East West from Stuart to Murray Street East, through the GO Station and leading to the site, noting at what the proposed building is visible and to what degree, and then was subsequently undertaken for surrounding streets 3. From this viewshed model and considering the relevant policy direction of the Urban Hamilton Official Plan and Downtown Hamilton Secondary Plan, specific view and vista points were selected to illustrate potential visual impacts for assessment purposes. Figure 2 illustrates the location of the selected vista and view points for detailed modelling. 4. Site visits and photographs were taken on August 26 and 29, Photographs were taken on both sides of the street at each view point to demonstrate those situational views, and were taken mid-point on the sidewalk, looking parallel to the sidewalk, at a height of approximately 1.8 metres from the ground surface. Camera settings were set to a 16:9 format to better replicate a pedestrian s wider views. 5. McCallum Sather prepared a 3D Contextual Model using SketchUp software that established the massing and heights of the built form fabric within the affected vantage points identified above. Building footprints were positioned using available base digital mapping, and building heights and forms were verified using Google Earth Professional and site photographs to ensure currency of the built form and landscape fabric surrounding the site. The surrounding built form is generically shown to illustrate the visual impact of mass and form of the proposed building, rather than architectural detailing and treatments. 6. The model of the proposed building was inserted into the 3D Model to visually demonstrate potential impacts of the proposed building on the surrounding environment. Views from this combined model were exported to simulate the selected viewpoints identified on Figure The assessment of each view point illustrates: the existing view using the photograph on the far side facing the site (which demonstrates the most visible, worst case position looking to the site; the existing view showing the 3D Model view mimicking the view 8. Further to the analysis of the proposed building, the 3D Model was modified to demonstrate the change in visual impact resulting from changes to the building mass and form. This was meant as a complementary analysis tool to assist the assessment. page 5

10 mccallumsather 1 West Harbour GO Station Subject Site Workers Heritage Museum 40 Murray Street 4 Subject Site MacNab St N looking south toward the subject site coming over the bridge from the North End. The West Harbour Go station is to the left and the Workers Heritage Museum is on the right with a 6 storey building beyond. MacNab St N looking north Murray St 5 Subject Site MacNab St N looking west, across the street from the subject site. On MacNab there are several 1-2 1/2 storey single family homes with approximately 6 m setbacks. The multi-residential building on Murray St can be seen beyond is 6 storeys tall. Stuart St looking east. Railway Tracks are on the left (north) and the Workers Heritage Museum is on the rest (south) and the West Harbour Go Station is straight ahead. The subject site is beyond the brick building. 3 Subject Site 6 Liuna Station Stelco Tower West Harbour GO Station Subject Site MacNab St N looking south. A primarily residential street with the Othodox Church to the right. The street has some mature trees and continuous sidewalks but the character is not consistent throughout. page 6 James Street Bridge looking south towards the Downtown with taller buildings such as Stelco Tower in the distance. The Liuna Station is situated on a lower level to the left (east), The West Harbour GO to the right (west) to the north of the Subject Site

11 282 macnab st n - visual impact assessment 4. existing visual conditions 7 West Harbour GO Liuna Station Wall Wall Subject Site The Subject Site is located on the east side of MacNab Street and lies directly south to the West Harbour Go station. The site is relatively flat with a grade change of.89m subtlety sloping down towards the north end of the site which then changes to an upward slope for the road to span over the train tracks below. North of the site there is an access road with one way traffic leading out to MacNab street for commuter drop off. The West Harbour GO has a paved plaza surrounding it to manage the influx of transit passengers. The station has urban landscaping in the form of light standards, planters boxes and street furniture such as metal benches, signs and bicycle racks. At the gateway into the site, there is a canopy for shelter marked by a change in paving type and arranged in a geometric pattern in three tones. 8 Stelco Tower (downtown) Across the street there is a small surface parking lot, visually obscured by vegetation such as small trees and bushes. Where MacNab veers left to become Stewart street, there is a small brick building and the Workers Heritage Museum, a heritage designated stone building facing the railway tracks. Subject Site 40 Murray St (Whitton Lofts) Directly to the south lies an Orthadox church clad with distinctive yellow brick. The site has greater setbacks that other properties in the neighbourhood creating a outdoor gathering space. The sidewalk has several meters of concrete paving bounded by a metal fence defining a more formal and private landscaped area. 9 Workers Heritage Museum West Harbour GO Go Train Platform page 7

12 mccallumsather A Figure 1a: from York Blvd A Figure 1a: Proposed from York Blvd B Figure 2a: looking from Bayfront Park B Figure 2a: Proposed looking from Bayfront Park C Figure 3a: looking from Sam Lawrence park C Figure 3a: looking from Sam Lawrence park page 8

13 282 macnab st n - visual impact assessment 5 visual observations 5.1 VISTAS Hwy 403 A B York Blvd Figure 2: Selected vista points (above) and view points (below) identified for assessment. James St N Barton St E C Burlington St E Figures 4, 5 and 6 demonstrate the expected visual impacts of the proposed buildings on Vistas A, B, and C, respectively, as identified on Figure 2. The proposed building would not result in a change in the landscape that alters any existing views to the Niagara Escarpment or Bayfront. The proposed building would result in a change to the skyline of Hamilton as viewed from vantage points on the Niagara Escarpment and along Bayfront Park, although they would be minor from a visibility perspective and would fit within the urban context and fabric. Specifically: - The proposed building would be visible from Vista A together with up to 10 mid-rise and taller buildings in the mid-ground and further that are visible along this portion of the skyline, but the Niagara Escarpment is not visible from this vantage point given the topography of the area; - The proposed building would not be visible from Vista B; and, - The proposed building would be visible from the Vista C together with the broader skyline of taller buildings across the Downtown area, but there are no existing views from this vantage point through the site towards the waterfront area. 5.2 VIEWS Figures 7 through 18 demonstrate the expected visual impacts of the proposed buildings on Views 1 through 12, respectively, as identified on Figure 2. The same-side vantage points would be significantly less visible given the angle of viewing in the middle and longer distance views. Recognizing this, the proposed building given its height and mass as well as the topography in the surrounding area would be highly visible from all directions, most particularly when viewed from the west and north. page 9

14 Location Map Go Station 9 SITE Liuna Station 12 Murray Str E Strachan St E James St N MacNab St N Barton St E Colborne St Stuart St mccallumsather page 10

15 282 macnab st n - visual impact assessment View Podium (Level 1-2) Tower (Level 3-11) View 1-3: Looking South Along MacNab Street North The podium is partially obstructed by other buildings on the North Side but the front canopy along MacNab Street is visible. The podium is partially obstructed by the West Harbour GO Station on the North Side but the front canopy along MacNab Street is visible. The podium is partially obstructed by the West Harbour GO Station on the North Side but the front canopy along MacNab Street is visible. The podium is partially obstructed on its south side by the Orthadox Church and single family housing and the east facade fronting on MacNab Street is visible. The podium is largely obstructed on the south side by adjacent building. An oblique view of he east facade fronting on MacNab Street is visible. The podium is largely obstructed on the south side by adjacent building. An oblique view of he east facade fronting on MacNab Street is visible. The entire tower is visible. The entire tower is visible. The entire tower is visible. Most of the tower is visible except for the north west portion where a building obscures the view from Level 3-7 Most of the tower is obscured except for the south west corner of the typical floors and all of the penthouse floors for Level 8-11 Most of the tower is obscured except for the south west corner of the typical floors and all of the penthouse floors for Level 8-11 The podium is complete obstructed and is not visible The tower is complete obstructed and is not visible The podium is complete obstructed and is not visible The tower is complete obstructed and is not visible The podium is completely visible except on the lower portion of Level 1 where it sits behind the existing textured concrete wall. The entire tower is visible. The podium is completely obstructed on Level 1 but visible on Level 2. The tower is largely visible except for the south west corner from Level 3-5 The entire podium is visible. The entire tower is visible. The entire podium is visible. The entire tower is visible. page 11

16 mccallumsather 1 Figure 1: Proposed building at View 1 looking south along Macnab St N at Ferris Street 2 Figure 2: Proposed building at View 2 looking south along Macnab St N at Strachan St W Proposed Proposed page 12

17 282 macnab st n - visual impact assessment 3 Figure 3: Proposed building at View 1 looking south along Macnab St N at West Harbour Go Station 4 Figure 4: Proposed building at View 4 looking north along Macnab St N Proposed Proposed page 13

18 mccallumsather 5 Figure 5: Proposed building at View 5 looking north along Macnab St N at Barton 6 Figure 6: Proposed building at View 6 looking north along Macnab St N at Colborne Proposed Proposed page 14

19 282 macnab st n - visual impact assessment 7 Figure 7: Proposed building at View 7 looking east along Stuart St 8 Figure 5: Proposed building at View 5 looking north along Macnab St N at Barton Proposed Proposed page 15

20 mccallumsather 9 Figure 4: Proposed building at View 4 looking north along Macnab St N 10 Figure 4: Proposed building at View 4 looking north along Macnab St N West Harbour GO West Harbour GO West Harbour GO 40 Murray St 41 Stuart (Proposed) Proposed Proposed West Harbour GO 41 Stuart (Proposed) page 16

21 282 macnab st n - visual impact assessment 11 Figure 6: Proposed building at View 6 looking north along Macnab St N at Colborne 12 Figure 7: Proposed building at View 7 looking east along Stuart St Liuna Station Liuna Station Proposed Proposed Liuna Station Liuna Station page 17

22 mccallumsather 6 analysis As stated in Section 2.1 above, the purpose of a VIA is to assess the potential impacts of a proposed development that exceed the stated heights, or 4 storeys in the case of the subject site. This analysis looks at the visual impact of the quantity of the mass and the form of the proposed tower on the surrounding urban environment, rather than the visual impact of quality of the finishes and architectural treatment of the proposed tower on that environment, the latter which is left to the Urban Design Brief and Heritage Impact Assessment in support of the application. The following summarizes the policy consideration of the Official Plan and Secondary Plan considering visual impacts. UHOP Section views and vistas shall be achieved through alignment of rights-of way, layout of pedestrian circulation and open space systems, and the siting of major features, public uses, and built form. The subject site is a prominent site given the topography in the surrounding area as well as its situation directly south of the West Harbour GO Station which forms a significant transit node and also marks the threshold between Downtown and West Harbour neighbourhoods. The proposed built form is situated and massed on the site in a manner that makes it a prominent and visible feature within the surrounding area, particularly with longer views along MacNab Street N looking towards the site and to a lesser degree, along Stuart Street and James Street North. West Harbour Secondary Plan A Strengthen Neighbourhoods Together with the waterfront, the North End and portions of Strathcona, Central and Beasley neighbourhoods are the defining elements of West Harbour. There is much diversity within the neighbourhoods, physically and socially, reflecting the area s rich and varied history. Where once local industries attracted workers and their families, the attractions for residents now are the area s historic character and waterfront amenities. This character and the neighbourhoods physical relationship to the waterfront are assets to be protected and enhanced. As changes in West Harbour continue, both on the waterfront and in the neighbourhoods, it is important to: i. ensure new development respects and enhances the character of the neighbourhoods; ii. relocate heavy industrial uses and clean-up contaminated sites; iii. encourage compatible development on abandoned, vacant and under-utilized land; iv. support James Street as the area s main commercial street; v. encourage new commercial uses that cater to the local neighbourhood; vi) enhance the amenities and landscaping in existing neighbourhood parks; vi. augment existing parkland with additional publicly-accessible open spaces; vii. ensure existing and future neighbourhoods are well served by community services such as schools, health care, libraries and emergency services; viii. improve access to the waterfront and Downtown from the neighbourhoods; ix. preserve, restore and/or reuse buildings of historic or architectural significance; x. preserve and maximize on street parking; and, xi. Generally avoid expropriation of residential and commercial properties. Design Response: The proposed development is situated on a previously light industrial zoned lot and an underutilized site. The design aims to remediate the land to support the intended residential use and will provide the page 18

23 282 macnab st n - visual impact assessment density to support commercial activity on James Street. It will also bring new residents and an expanded tax base to the area which will serve to support the development of amenities such as schools, libraries, and emergency services. Because this building while be marketed to support an urban modern lifestyle and will provide a proportion of on-site parking underground, it should preserve existing street parking (See Transportation Report for Details). A Enhance Physical and Visual Connections The grid network of streets across most of West Harbour provides for efficient movement in each of the neighbourhoods and links the area to Downtown. Significant physical barriers, however, restrict easy access to the area generally and the waterfront in particular, especially for pedestrians and cyclists. These barriers include the Stuart Street Rail Yard, the main CN line and the bluffs south of the rail yard and east of Macassa Bay. They also include busy streets like York Boulevard, Cannon Street and Barton Street that can be difficult to cross. Physical and operational improvements in West Harbour, particularly to the public realm of streets, parks and open spaces, should strive to achieve the following: i) Mitigate or eliminate physical barriers to the waterfront; ii) Promote a connected open space system along the waterfront, through the neighbourhoods and between Downtown and the waterfront; iii) Extend the existing grid of streets and blocks to the waterfront wherever feasible and appropriate; iv) Preserve and augment important public vistas and view corridors to and from the waterfront; v) Improve pedestrian, cycling and transit connections to the waterfront from Downtown and the Escarpment; vi) Establish a pedestrian connection between Dundurn Park and the Waterfront Trail; vii) Enhance the streetscapes of key north-south and east-west streets; viii) Develop a continuous waterfront trail. Design Response: As a singular site, the proposed design is limited in changing the infrastructure of the area to promote more connection, however the creation of height in conjunction with the proposed design at 41 Stuart Street serves to act as a visual gateway to the waterfront. These buildings may operate as a landmark to help signal increased activity where the existing rail lines lie. The development provides enhancements with paving, signage and lighting to improve the pedestrian realm. A iii Celebrate the City s Heritage Hamilton s rich cultural and industrial heritage are rooted in West Harbour. As the urban fabric of the area continues to evolve, remnants of its past must not be discarded and its history not forgotten. Conserving and celebrating West Harbour s heritage is important and should include: i) conserving and strengthening the overall character of the West Harbour neighbourhoods and streetscapes; ii) conserving, restoring and reusing historic buildings and structures; iii) reflecting and interpreting the city s industrial, marine and cultural heritage in the design of new buildings and open spaces; iv) encouraging the development of cultural institutions to inform residents and visitors about the area s heritage; and, v) providing public open spaces for cultural festivals and other celebratory events Design Response: The proposed design does not directly contribute to the conservation of the West Harbour character. The added density, increased economic potential and tax base indirectly support the desire conserve and encourage the development of cultural institutions that celebrate the City s industrial and marine heritage. page 19

24 mccallumsather A Promote Excellence in Design All urban environments should be designed well; however, because West Harbour is centrally located in Hamilton and conveys an image of the city to the world with its waterfront, the area should demonstrate the highest standard of design. Achieving design excellence will respect the pride of residents, attract tourists and encourage reinvestment in the area. In designing new buildings and open spaces in West Harbour, and enhancing existing ones, citizens, developers and the public sector have an obligation to: i. design and construct buildings that respect, complement and enhance the best attributes of West Harbour; ii. adopt best practice technologies to achieve energy efficient buildings; \ iii. ensure the public realm the area s parks, squares, streets, trails and public buildings is designed, up-graded and maintained to the highest standards; iv. incorporate public art into the design of significant buildings and open spaces; and, v. promote the development of inspiring, meaningful and memorable places Design Response: The design massing creates definition along the base, middle and top, articulating and clearly defining components of the building. While early in the design, quality materials have been identified on the façade which will ensure that the building is durable, air tight and energy efficient. page 20

25 282 macnab st n - visual impact assessment 7 conclusions The following conclusions are drawn from the existing visual conditions, modelling, and analysis presented in this Visual Impact Assessment: 1. The subject site is prominently located at the gateway condition at the West Harbour GO station at MacNab Street and the Rail lands which divide the Downtown and North End. 2. The immediately surrounding neighbourhood context is a mixeduse neighbourhood with residential, light industrial, commercial and some institutional with a general low-rise profile, but with a some taller buildings within a few blocks of the subject site that range between 8-11 storeys. 3. The subject site is situated close to topographical high points within the surrounding area context, with high points generally located near the access of the West Harbour GO plaza and the bridge crossing the train tracks on MacNab Street. 4. The proposed additional height does not negatively impact any significant vistas given the tower form contributes to the Downtown Hamilton skyline when viewed from Bayfront Park and the Niagara Escarpment in that it is visually present without dominating those vistas when viewed together with surrounding taller buildings. 5. The proposed additional height does not negatively impact any direct views at the pedestrian level to surrounding heritage buildings or landmarks, which would be obscured by a building constructed using as-right permissions. 6. The proposed additional height as currently massed on the site presents a large visual mass along the streetscape when viewed from the pedestrian level on MacNab Street and within the pedestrian plaza for the West Habour GO Station. This impact has the potential for overpowering the scale of the streetscape. However, it also has the impact of locating pedestrians to a specific place when leaving the train station and can act as a landmark and orientation device. 7. From a visual impact perspective, a taller building on the subject site is appropriate for a defining high quality landmark building particularly in the way that it mirrors the mass to the proposed development on 41 Stuart Street and functions as a gateway between Downtown and West Harbour neighbourhoods. The building is terraced back on the upper levels and the setbacks are greatest from the south and east to ease in transitions. Further development at Site Plan Approval stage should be used to refine and articulate the detail of the proposed massing. page 21