[Dundas] 51-55 Cootes/101 King E. | 22m | 6 fl | Proposed

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[Six storey mixed-use building planned for corner of Cootes Drive and East Street[/URL]
(Dundas Star, Craig Campbell, Feb 7 2018)

The Beer Store is in talks with the owner of 55 Cootes Dr. about its future in Dundas while an application to redevelop three properties at the corner of Cootes and East Street North is reviewed by city planners.

Hamilton Conservation Authority staff have no significant concerns about the plan for a six storey, 22-metre building with 55 residential units and 1,115 square feet of ground-floor commercial space that will cover 51 to 55 Cootes and 101 King St. E., but it will require an HCA permit in addition to site plan approval before moving ahead.

Flood plain regulations require the six-storey structure to be flood proof — with no openings, no electrical or heating equipment — at least two metres above the current ground elevation. The building will be raised on a podium above the ground.

“Based on the information submitted with the site plan application, HCA staff are of the opinion floodproofing is achievable, and we requested some further details in this regard to confirm,” said conservation authority watershed planning manager Mike Stone.

The proposal includes 105 parking spaces divided between a ground-floor garage and one above-ground parking deck. All vehicles will enter and exit the property from King Street East.

If the project moves forward, it will involve demolition of three existing buildings — the plaza including Beer Store and the temporary library branch, Hello Cannabis at 51 Cootes Dr., and a former dentist office at 101 King St. E. The temporary library branch is anticipated to close within a month as the renovated permanent branch prepares to re-open.

The project only requires site plan approval, and because there is no rezoning application, there is no official public meeting.

Planning staff say the property was previously zoned Highway Commercial, but was changed to Mixed Use Medium Density by city council, and that change has been appealed. The proposed density of the building is 206 units per hectare.

A Beer Store spokesperson said there is a current lease in place until 2022 and the company is talking to the developer, but there is nothing definitive to report.

All three properties are owned by Dr. Allen Greenspoon, a Dundas resident who operates a medical practice on Victoria Avenue North in Hamilton.