Neighbour Art Osborne derided it as "twin sore thumbs sticking into the sky," but city councillors tonight voted unanimously to grant zoning approval to a 230-unit residential project at 22 MacDonald Ave.
Builder Sam Biasucci said he hopes to start work on the site in mid to late summer, well before next winter.
The nine-storey buildings are to be built on property owned by Joe Ruscio's Bellex Corp.
The land is the former Sault Collegiate Institute sports fields at the corner of MacDonald and Gladstone.
"Pardon the metaphor, but these two sore thumbs sticking into the sky are in the middle of a primarily single-detached-home neighbourhood area established about 125 years ago and adjacent to two city designated heritage areas," said Osborne, who's lived in the neighbourhood for more than four decades.
"This massive complex should not be built here. Most will admit, it doesn’t fit," Osborne said.
He warned that tonight's approval, by councillors meeting as the city's planning committee, can be taken as a signal that the Sault has a new building policy.
"Call it Triple A," Osborne said. "Any development. Anywhere. Anytime."
"Citizens in every neighbourhood should be watchful for something like this coming their way."
"The planning committee has now set a precedent that it’s okay to build a nine-floor building right next to a lot with a single-family dwelling.”
The new housing project will not have bachelor apartments, but 70 of its 230 housing units will have rents no higher than $900.
Additional information will be added to this article.