Open House (Comment Card) - 'What We Heard' Summary

1. Do you have any comments on the proposed built form and heights contemplated for the Intensification Areas in North King’s Town?

• All high-rise buildings on a main street should include a mix of retail and services, including health.

• The required ground floor commercial in certain areas will be a benefit to the area.

• Suggestion to have required ground floor commercial along Montreal Street to give the opportunity for the City’s economic hubs to grow out from the downtown. In twenty years, the City will be more vibrant and walkable if there are commercial strips on these main streets.

• Support towards the proposed inclusion of mixed heights throughout the study area, including single detached homes, duplexes, townhouses, four storey, six-storeys, etc.

• The intersection of Division Street, Concession Street and Stephen Street should be identified for 4 to 6 storey mixed-use developments. If this area were included on the ‘Building Height Plan’ it would entice developers to invest in the area.

• Concern around the inclusion of higher storey buildings and their proximity to each other due to the creation of wind tunnels, amplification of noise, reduction of privacy, and impacts to views.

• Suggestion to reduce height of the highest buildings proposed for the area to be no higher than 10 storeys.

• Support towards the suggested floor plate sizes (~750 square metres and ~1,200 square metres) and configurations identified. The proposed setbacks and stepbacks are beneficial, and there should be strong consideration for the locations and typologies of mid-block connections.

• The NKT study area has a lot of capacity to absorb more residents and has great bus connectivity. It was recommended that minimum height requirements be introduced on appropriate pieces of land. For example, new buildings along Montreal Street and Division Street should be a minimum of 4 storeys, which could also be applied to intersecting side streets.

• Need to build more rent-geared to income housing so every person in the City of Kingston is able to be housed.

• The article “How to Build a Friendly Building” by Frances Bula in the April 25, 2024 edition of The Globe and Mail should be reviewed to ensure future buildings create a sense of belonging and social connections through outdoor courtyards with picnic tables, community gardens, play areas, walkways, etc., that are also accessible to the general public.

• There needs to be acknowledgment of the Belle Park encampments.

• Higher story buildings should be situated away from green spaces and the waterfront as the height affords them access to better views of the city, and to limit the shadows cast on lower storey dwellings.

• General worry around the full build out of the area and subsequent need to include additional community infrastructure, such as schools and more city recreation facilities. Especially to accommodate the development within the Montreal Street / Rideau Street and Montreal Street / John Counter Boulevard nodes.

• The City should be considering potential purchases for these future uses now before the property becomes significantly more expensive.

• Request to secure the toboggan hill behind the former St. Patrick’s Catholic School as a public park so the community can continue to enjoy it after redevelopment.

• Need to protect existing parks and green space (e.g., K&P Trail and Douglas Fluhrer Park) within the study area.

• The general intensification of the area is supported, particularly around the identified nodes.

• Suggestion to extend Russell Street east to the water with no trucks permitted on River Street.

• Encourage infill where environmentally appropriate but have these new homes and buildings respect the present character of the neighbourhood

• Height compatibility with heritage resources should be considered.

• The implementation of additional public parks and tree canopy must be considered as new buildings are built as part of the future intensification of the area.

2. Do you have any comments on the proposed future pedestrian, cycling, transit and road networks within North King’s Town?

• Higher density housing results in more traffic and congestion on existing roadways. Car sharing options associated with mid- to high-rise buildings will offer residents flexibility in their transportation options.

• Parking for commercial developments and recreational facilities, such as Caton’s Field, need to be considered as these facilities also support residents who do not live within walking distance.

• More frequent bus services will help to reduce congestion.

• Ascot Lane and the road into Village on the River, contribute to congestion at Montreal Street and the Waaban Crossing. Consider making Ascot Lane and road access to the Village one way so that the traffic light can be removed. Consider extending the westbound left turn lane for Montreal Street to the base of the bridge.

• The vision for the transportation plan clearly identifies a prioritization of active modes of travel.

• Strategic corridor analysis and microsimulation results presented indicate potential for a New Road #1, but the key implication of this road extension would be the loss of an existing trail. The analysis of New Road #1 does not seem to indicate particular benefits to non-car users nor the pedestrian realm.

• There is a shared sense that there are limited benefits to the implementation of New Road #1” (e.g., financial impacts) as the New Road #1 appears to save little or no time for drivers within the study area.

• Significant support towards the promotion and facilitation of active transportation by including more traffic calming measures so it is safer for pedestrians and people riding bicycles and pedestrian crosswalks (e.g., the crossing on Rideau Street by the K & P trail).

• Concerns raised around several existing intersections. Currently, it is difficult, and at times dangerous, for pedestrians to cross at these intersections within the study area, including:

• Stephen Street at Patrick and Cowdy Streets.

• Montreal Street at Ragland Road, Thomas Street, Russell Street and Hickson Avenue,

• Division Street at non-signalized intersections.

• Significant support for the proposed speed limit reductions within the study area.

• Additional traffic lights or pedestrian crossings should be included along Montreal Street between the Legion and Cassidy Street. This area was flagged as being challenging to cross, especially when trying to use the bus stops.

• More assertive traffic calming measures are required to improve the pedestrian and cycling safety, especially on residential streets that are used as “through” streets such as Stephen Street, Patrick Street (both north and south of Stephen St), Pine Street and Barrie Street.

• Ensure that wider sidewalks are considered, especially when a street is re-done.

• Need to have bike lanes that are physically separate from automotive traffic, such as with concrete lane dividers. At this time, without them, it is scary to bike on Barrie Street, Bagot Street or Patrick Street with younger children.

• Improvements are required to the intersection of Montreal Street and John Counter Boulevard to reduce congestion, connect cycling facilities and improve pedestrian experience.

• Ensure that the proposed active transportation routes and new road designs incorporate space to include more trees.

3. Do you have any comments on the proposed conservation strategies for North King’s Town?

• Conservation of the general lot fabric will contribute to the area's tangible heritage.

• Support events that encourage neighbourhood involvement and connection (Skeleton Park Music Festival, mural painting on the wall in Douglas Fluhrer Park, etc.).

• Kingston has a distinctive architectural heritage and culture that helps build continuity in the social fabric of the city. Need to conserve and integrate what remains, and design structures modeled on historic features to promote some continuity.

• Evaluations of heritage resources to be protected under the Ontario Heritage Act are necessary, given recent legislative changes which have weakened provincial direction for conservation.

• The recommendation to undertake a Heritage Conservation District Study is supported.

• The Natural Cultural Heritage of the area is important.

• Protect heritage buildings in the area and develop by-laws to protect heritage trees and mature trees in the area.

• Seek to protect the UNESCO designated Rideau Canal, the natural river edge and views to and from the shore.

• Leave a natural corridor along the river edge and shore for birds, turtles and other wildlife.

• Significant concerns around the former Tannery land being developed according to the developer’s present proposal, now before the Ontario Land Tribunal. It would have a catastrophic impact on tree canopy, wetlands, and biodiversity in that area. This is an example where the built form is too dense and not appropriate for the area.

• Seek to ensure that any development is set well back from the river’s edge and does not destroy views and the wetland.

4. Do you have any other comments that don't fall into the categories above?

• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and general accessibility can be more clearly outlined, particularly design of public space.

• Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) should be considered.

• The inclusion of some form of "town square" for NKT is recommended. With the possibility of including more than 7,000 new homes within the NKT study area, a whole new town added to Kingston, there will be a need to increase various facilities in the area. The potential use of the outer station for this purpose was suggested.

• Library and recreational services appear to be missing from the plan.

• Need to protect and expand the tree canopy in the area by preserving present mature trees and planting more trees.

• It will be important that the NKT plan considers and prepares for the impacts of a changing climate so that the area can adapt and become more resilient.