New student apartment complex proposed

Proposal for housing — which will feature a pool, health centre, tanning salon — approved by City Council

The proposed building would be located at the corner of Princess and Victoria Streets
Image by: Alex Choi
The proposed building would be located at the corner of Princess and Victoria Streets

On Tuesday, Kingston City Council approved the building of a new apartment unit directed at students.

The proposal, for the Princess and Victoria Streets complex, was passed with an amendment to increase the number of rooms by four at the Kingston City Council Meeting.

The five-storey building was proposed by Patry Inc. Developments, and aims to raise the quality of living for students, Jay Patry says.

Patry said he believes the student ghetto isn’t an ideal place for students to live especially, when they’re paying one of the highest rents in the area.

“Our general goal is to provide accommodations over and above what anyone one else is offering,” he said, adding that rent for the proposed building would be offered at a competitive rate. “That way the other attendants will have to raise the quality of what they are offering.”

He added that he’s aware of the concerns over the distance from campus.

“If we build a project that has more than anything else, it will draw the students there,” he said. “Everything the students want will be in [the new building] and it will be worth walking the extra three or four blocks for.”

At the council meeting, there were discussions over increasing the number of parking spots, bedrooms and bike racks for the building to make it more accessible for, but these amendments didn’t pass.

Plans for the building include a health centre, pool, common room, roof top deck, underground parking, tanning salon and a place to park bicycles.

Albert St. resident Joan Bowie said she thinks the proposed housing project, with some modifications, could be good for Queen’s students and the Williamsville neighbourhood.

She said that if there were more housing options, the area would have to adapt to suit a broader selection of people and therefore attract more services, like grocery stores or pubs.

She added that she’d hoped the new building would be a multi-use building, but that it seems that won’t be the case as there will only be one entrance to it and all parking for vehicles and bikes are in the basement.

According to the buildings proposal, the “minimum setback to a bedroom window on the first storey and facing the street shall be 1.2 metres,” which Bowie said has her concerned over parking space

“There is no evidence anywhere where anyone can park, or where a friend would go if they came to pick you up.”

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