Significant infill housing coming to the Laurel Street area in Preston has Tim Marshall contemplating his future in the neighbourhood. Besides a proposed 1,215-unit development slated for 777 Laurel St. and 308 Dolph St.
, with six residential towers ranging from eight to 16 or 19 storeys — currently on hold for a neighbourhood meeting on June 13 — a 54-unit stacked townhouse development is being delivered across the street at the former FedEx Freight property. Its official address is 247 Lowther St., but it sits at a corner that will be loomed over by the Laurel Street high rises.
Council will get a peek at the plan during a public meeting June 18. Marshall, who lives on Laurel Street, said while he has been against the 777 Laurel St. development from the get-go due to the height, density and visual aspect, the new Lowther Street proposal, on its own, isn’t cringeworthy.
But put both developments together and it’s nightmarish. “Our infrastructure here isn’t going to handle all this,” Marshall said. “It would be a shame that I would feel the need to have to move my family from this beautiful area if these monstrosities are approved.
” The Lowther Street build contains three, three-storey blocks of housing, with two blocks fronting on Lowther Street. Those two blocks contain 24 and 18 units, respectively, with a third block fronting on Laurel Street with 12 units. The breakdown of units is 12 one-bedroom, 24 two-bedroom and 18 three-bedroom homes.
There will be.
