Latest news with #highrise
CBS News
a day ago
- Business
- CBS News
Neighbors in Little Italy concerned of proposed 12 story high-rise building
A parking lot at the corner of President and Fawn Street in Baltimore's Little Neighborhood is a hot topic once again. Lisa Regnante is the president of the Little Italy Neighborhood Association. She explained that many neighbors have been concerned about a developer's proposed plan to construct a high-rise building at 301 President Street. "That land, as described in the zoning code, is 125 feet max, which is about 12 stories. And why did they zone it that way? It's meant for low-density neighborhoods of historic and traditional character," Regnante explained, "The developer who would like to develop the land wants a rezoning change to a Which is a most intensely developed portion of downtown, with no height restrictions." Baltimore's Planning Commission was scheduled in 2024 to consider legislation to rezone this parcel of land after months of discussion with the developer and the community. But it was taken off the agenda at the last minute. Now, the conversation continues once again as neighbors and the developer work to find common ground. "If you look at a map and you look at zoning, our character is low density. That has been that way for over a hundred years, and this would be a parcel of land that would stick up twice as high as it is zoned for over that land," said Regnante. "The difference is, should it be twice as high? That's all that the disconnect is. How tall should the building be?" Regnante was clear that the neighborhood association is not against the new development; their priority is to protect the historical charm of their neighborhood. "And the majority of Little Italy residents said last year, as we had meeting after meeting, and we did a survey that they would prefer the current zoning," said Regnante. District 12 city councilman Jermaine Jones explained to WJZ that the rezoning process is long and complex. But he wants to see the community on the same page before anything can move forward. "I would like to see a combination of those folks coming together and have a meeting where their larger membership of the neighborhood will have a say in whether they support or oppose the re-zoning to allow the project to happen of the size in which the developer is proposing," said Jermaine Jones, Baltimore City's District 12 councilmember.
CBC
4 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Council committee approves controversial densification plan in southwest neighbourhood
Social Sharing A controversial zoning application passed the first hurdle toward becoming a reality, Tuesday evening, bringing it closer to paving the way for a strip of 17 highrise apartment buildings in a neighbourhood consisting almost entirely of single-family homes in the city's southwest. The application submitted by Southside Construction Ltd., was approved by the City's planning committee in a 5-to-1 vote, despite protest — and the occasional heckle — from a full house of residents that packed the council chamber's visitor gallery. The change to zoning rules at 6309 Pack Rd., would add capacity for roughly 4,000 new dwellings housing as many as 7,000 people to the stretch of Pack Road between Colonel Talbot and Bostwick roads. The dwellings would be spread across 206 single family houses, 36 street townhouse units, and five high-density apartment blocks, served by six new streets. If approved, maximum building heights along Pack Road will be as high as 16 and 12 storeys, with medium and low density zones farther south. The North Talbot Homeowners Association (NTHA) opposed the changes vehemently. Neighbours living in the area near the potential future development site created the group in direct response to the proposal in question, according to John Kononiuk, co-chair of the NTHA. "We ask [councillors], for 30 to 60 seconds, please take off your political hat and think to yourself, how would you feel if this was your community being impacted in this manner," he said during the public participation portion of the meeting. Kononiuk and other residents expressed significant concerns over traffic, noise, environmental impacts and more. "We're not anti-development. We support the London Plan and the SWAP (Southwest Area Secondary Plan). The new proposal for Pack Rd. is a 180 degree change in a direction with an extreme focus on high density development," Kononiuk said. Existing plans like the London Plan and the SWAP, which lay out requirements for developments throughout the city and in London's southwest respectively, were at the centre of the debate over the proposal. The SWAP in particular has significantly lower density allowances than the 300 units per hectare density planned for the Pack Road property. While residents and councillors in opposition to the development questioned the disparity, city bureaucrats and councillors in favour of the application said the plans currently in place don't reflect the current needs of the city. "What we have is outdated plans that we ... are forced to modify," said Mayor Josh Morgan. "We far exceeded where we thought we would be in population projections [when the plans were made] ... these plans are not reflective of the pressure that we face today." Morgan said the large swaths of single family homes in developments from London's past are being necessarily replaced by developments that have mixed density. The concerns raised by residents echoed those raised by Coun. Anna Hopkins both before and during Tuesday's committee meeting. Hopkins said the current application, as proposed, leaves too many questions unanswered, including how well the area will be serviced by transit and whether local sewer capacity is up to the challenge. "I support increased density ... but this development will drastically change the look and how we move in this community. We can still develop in a thoughtful and well balanced mix of housing to meet the needs not only of residents that are living there, but for future residents," she said. Hopkins, while not on the committee, encouraged its members to address concerns before approving the application. Councillors in favour of the application said there are provisions in place to ensure future development in the area doesn't overwhelm infrastructure. "These conditions around things like stormwater management, the capacities on the sewers, the traffic impacts, those all roll out over time," said Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis. "Yes, some of the questions asked today are not answered. They will have to be addressed, though, through the process. "Before ... building permits can be issued and shovels can go in the ground, those requirements will have to be addressed by the applicant," Lewis said. Some also noted the extra traffic capacity that could be brought to the area through a future widening of Pack Road to four lanes, and the future extension of Bradley Avenue to Bostwick Road. The whole of council will make a final decision on the application on July 22.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Major development site near Croydon town centre put up for sale
A prime development site in Croydon has been put on the market. The 0.53-acre site on Edridge Road was previously home to the Colombus House office development but has now been demolished. Agents Watling Real Estate have been appointed to find a buyer. Jamie Lamond, who is leading the sale process, said: "An earlier planning consent for a residential tower block development expires this month, but importantly the site is promoted within Croydon's Local Plan as suitable for residential uses and we expect that prospective parties will be putting forward their own revised schemes." He continued: "There is a clear demand for modern high-quality residential accommodation popular with young professionals, key workers and students of London South Bank University's Croydon Campus." Watling Real Estate unveils CGI of future Croydon high-rise proposal (Image: Watling Real Estate) The site is currently being used as a short-term car park, providing potential buyers with a source of income. Situated to the south-west of the town centre, it is close to the A232, one of the main routes into central Croydon. It sits between Edridge Road Community Health Centre and Leon House, an office building converted to residential. The site is surrounded by successful residential developments, such as Ten Degrees, College Road Tower, Aspect Croydon, London Square and The Fold. Read more Thousands of homes in Croydon and Streatham face second day without water Aldi officially opens its new Caterham store The 'extraordinary' Sutton McDonald's worker serving chips for 45 years The Fold is less than 100 metres from the Edridge Road site. Interested parties are invited to view the site and make offers for the freehold. Further details and viewings can be arranged by contacting
The Sun
7 days ago
- The Sun
At least three dead including 3.5- month-old baby after horror blaze breaks out at 26-story apartment block in Turkey
AT least three people including a three-month-old baby have reportedly died after a fire broke out at a high-rise apartment in Ankara, Turkey. The inferno tore through a 26-story building after starting on the fourth floor at around 10pm on Saturday, local media reported. 1 20 people were hospitalised, with one in critical condition, according to Anadolu Agency. They also reported that firefighters took about four hours to put out the raging blaze. .
CTV News
09-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Firefighters warn Atlantic Canada isn't equipped for high-rise emergencies
As high-rise towers continue to reshape skylines across Atlantic Canada, firefighters in the region say they're neither properly equipped nor staffed to respond safely when emergencies strike above the seventh floor. 'Our resources that we currently have are being overtaxed,' said Glenn Miller, president of the Atlantic Provinces Professional Firefighters Association. 'Call volumes are increasing for all the fire services across eastern Canada.' Miller points to the region's opioid and housing crises as major factors driving that surge — but says the rise in vertical development has added a new layer of concern. 'More recently, across the major cities in the Atlantic provinces, we're seeing exponential growth with construction and high-rises,' he said. 'As we develop these high-rise structures, the manpower required to mitigate an emergency in them needs to rise exponentially. And unfortunately, we haven't been doing that, so it jeopardizes both public safety and firefighter safety.' High-rise building in HRM A high-rise building in Dartmouth, N.S., is seen in July 2025. (Hafsa Arif/CTV Atlantic) 'There's just not enough resources' Halifax Deputy Fire Chief David Meldrum says the national standard for a high-rise fire response is 43 firefighters — a number the department struggles to meet even with 22 round-the-clock stations. 'For instance, if we had a fire in a high-rise in the day on the peninsula of Halifax … it would take us eight or nine of those stations to assemble the 43 firefighters,' he said. And even with the department's 100-foot aerial ladder trucks, the reach is limited. 'They can reach about five to seven storeys,' Meldrum said. 'Beyond that, all firefighting and rescue in high-rises is done from inside the building.' That means crews must climb floor after floor — in full gear, carrying tools, hoses, and air tanks — before they can even begin battling a fire or evacuating residents. 'You're talking 34 storeys, you're looking at a 10-minute climb to get to the fire floor,' said Joe Triff, president of the Halifax Professional Fire Fighters Association. 'And that's all time that that fire can grow.' Halifax Fire The Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency fire department on University Avenue in Halifax is pictured on Oct. 29, 2024. (CTV Atlantic/Joel LeBlanc) Triff said Halifax now sees high-rises in areas far beyond downtown — from Bedford and Sackville to the rapidly-growing Larry Uteck area. 'We haven't kept pace with the resources,' he said. 'We're sending the same number of firefighters to a potentially 40-storey high-rise building that we would send to your home. There's just not enough resources to manage that situation.' Meldrum said Halifax's model relies on escalating alarm levels — dispatching more crews as the severity of an incident becomes clearer. 'We'll send an alarm level one to start off … but they can call for more alarms,' he said. 'Alarm level two gives them two more engines and an aerial … alarm level three adds another two engines and aerial. This is how our people respond to what they see.' But every added alarm pulls more resources from across the municipality. 'Where's our backup coming from? Is it available? Or are they sending neighbouring stations?' said Triff. Not just a Halifax issue The staffing shortfall stretches across the region. Miller said Moncton, N.B., now has more high-rise buildings — but still sends single-engine responses to them. 'That is not enough to mitigate an emergency when it happens,' he said. 'It's not uncommon for incidents to deplete their resources in the whole city to respond to an incident … then they're put in a position of having to require mutual aid from either the City of Dieppe or the Town of Riverview.' Moncton Fire Jackets for the Moncton, N.B., fire department are pictured. (Derek Haggett/CTV Atlantic) Triff said Halifax's fire management has focused on infrastructure and accreditation — while failing to address front-line needs. 'We've seen investment in a new headquarters campus in Hammonds Plains … but we haven't seen investment in getting four people on our ladder trucks,' he said. 'Those trucks are more and more frequently going first into these incidents.' In some cases, he said, the first responding truck has just two firefighters on board. 'It's just not enough to effectively do our job,' Triff said. 'We really need to see those units staffed with four.' He added that staffing levels in Halifax's urban fire stations have dropped since the 1990s — even as high-rise development accelerates. 'We haven't reinvested in the downtown to deal with incidents in a multi-storey high-rise building,' he said. 'As tragic as a single-family home fire can be, an incident in a high-rise is going to be far worse.' Miller agrees that cities across the region are growing faster than their fire departments. 'It appears the population growth is going to happen regardless,' he said. 'What we're challenged by is the fact that they're not keeping municipal resources up with those growths and then we're playing catch-up.' He urged residents to take a closer look at the emergency services in their communities. 'I just think it's important that the public is aware that the services they may think they have … they need to ask questions to make sure they're actually receiving the service they think they're getting,' he said. Triff said it's a message Halifax council needs to hear, too. 'In all of HRM, we have roughly 102 firefighters on duty in the day — and that's from Sambro to Sheet Harbour,' he said. 'Downtown, we would not get 43 firefighters in the allotted amount of time.' For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
