St. John's gives OK to condo, parking garage

Councillors in St. John's have given approval-in-principle to a plan to put condominiums and a parking garage on a chunk of Duckworth Street.

"You know what it's going to do? It's going to be part of the whole revitalization of the downtown," said Mayor Dennis O'Keefe, commenting at Monday evening's meeting on a proposal that involves 90 condos and 385 parking spaces.

The plan, which has been years in the making, involves the old CBC Radio building on Duckworth Street, and will effectively cover nearby Bell Street, a small thoroughfare connecting Duckworth with Henry Street.

At 18 metres, the proposed structure is three metres above the city's own height restriction. Some residents in the Henry Street area don't like the height, saying it will cut off their sunlight.

But Deputy Mayor Shannie Duff defended the decision, noting that downtown St. John's needs hundreds of new parking spaces.

"It was our parking study that actually targeted that particular site and the Woolworth's site [on Water Street] as appropriate for the 500 deficient units that we have in the downtown," Duff told fellow councillors.

The project, which now awaits final council approval, would set aside 200 parking spaces for public use.

The project is one of several developments in the area. Condos are also planned for the old Newfoundland Telephone building across the street, and a smaller complex nearby.