[J_Murphy]

http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Loca...hool-council/1

The school council at Mary Queen of Peace Elementary in St. John’s is concerned a proposal to build two tall buildings next to it to house seniors will cast a large shadow on school grounds.

In a letter sent to the city clerk’s office, school council chairman Tony Roche says the move to increase the height of the buildings for the Tiffany Village seniors development while reducing the number of buildings constructed there will block sunlight “to varying degrees throughout the school year.”

As an example, he said the amended proposal’s shadow studies show that in December, portions of either the play field or school will be covered all day by shadow, with a portion of the play field covered by shadow during the lunch period.

Coun. Danny Breen, whose Ward 1 district includes many of the school’s students, said the proposal to build two 16-storey buildings will reduce the size of the shadows in comparison to what was initially proposed for the area — five 10-storey buildings along with 30 townhouses.

“I don’t really understand that, because No. 1, you’re talking about two 16-storey buildings and a 10-storey building (that’s already built) as opposed to five 10-storey buildings,” said the councillor.



“Secondly, the playground and the soccer pitch are on the MacDonald Drive side of the school. They’re not on the side closest to Tiffany Village,” Breen said.

Breen said the view plane analysis included in the land use assessment report for the project shows the current proposal reduces the effect of shadowing when compared with the original proposal.

“From my perspective, what’s being proposed now is an improvement over what was approved in 2007. Is it going to cause more shadowing than it is now? Absolutely, but it’s going to cause less than what could be going there.”

Breen said the current proposal is preferable to the original when considering its effect on the local area.

“There’s less units, less density, more green space. It’s a lower-impact development, but the two new buildings are higher.”

The developer for Tiffany Village is KMK Properties Inc.

Amendments were adopted by council on May 13 that would permit building the 16-storey structures. That height exceeds current regulations in the area for a height not exceeding 10 storeys, therefore the amendments must be registered with the Department of Municipal Affairs.

A public hearing on the amendments is scheduled for June 4 at city hall. In a separate letter to parents at Mary Queen of Peace, Roche suggested parents contact city council members or write to the city clerk’s office if they share the school council’s concerns.

Roche stated in his letter to the city clerk’s office that the school council’s objections do not question the merit of the project, going on to note the shortage in accommodations for seniors in the city. Tiffany Village will provide independent and assisted living options.

Parents had previously ex-pressed concerns about traffic around the school in relation to the Tiffany Village project. In his letter, Roche said concerns remain about the project’s effect on traffic during the construction period for Stage 2 and in the long run.

Breen said the city is prepared to sit down with the developer, school administration and the school council to address any concerns that may arise relating to the construction phase — pending final approval for Stage 2 of the project

Better put the brakes on this project. We can't have a shadow being cast on a portion of a playground for part of the year in the middle of winter.