New plans for controversial MacDonald Avenue apartment building surface

A revised proposal for an eight-storey, 65-unit apartment building for independent senior living at 22 MacDonald Ave. will most likely be brought forth to city council by developers Joe and Dave Ruscio and John Martella early in the new year. 

The initial pitch for a 12-storey, 90-unit apartment tower was abandoned by the developers earlier this year amid pushback from people living in the Collegiate Heights neighbourhood surrounding the site. 

Joe Ruscio tells SooToday that the rezoning application associated with plan - which would change the property designation from ‘parks and recreation’ to ‘high-density residential’ - should be submitted to the City of Sault Ste. Marie within the next week, in order to to be heard at city council Jan. 6. 

“Generally, the building is going to be the same - just smaller,” he said. 

The developers are still seeking an exception to a requirement that 30 per cent of apartments in the building be set aside as affordable housing. 

“We’re applying for an amendment to the official plan to allow for an exception on the affordability housing component,” Ruscio said. 

Developers hosted an information session at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish Nov. 21 about the revised site plans for 22 MacDonald Ave. in order to solicit feedback from area residents. 

But from the sounds of it, initial concerns about the height of the proposed apartment building have yet to dissipate even though the proposed building would be two-thirds its original size.   

Ruscio says that yesterday's information session for the Collegiate Heights neighbourhood will be the only information session on the revised building plan. 

“They still have concerns with the height of the building. I don’t think that went away,” said Ruscio. “I had some informal discussions with some of the neighbours previously - originally it seemed to me that they were okay with the compromise.”

“But I didn’t get the impression that they feel the compromise is enough.”

Ruscio says that a drone was used earlier this year in order to take aerial, 360-degree views of all 12 storeys in the original apartment building pitch. 

“Even at the top of 12 storeys, you really couldn’t see any of the houses on Lansdowne [Avenue] - any of the backyards or anything like that,” he said. “The ravine and the trees really obstructs the views, so with eight [storeys], it’s obviously that much better.”

“We’re confident that it’s going to be a good development, but there’s still a handful of neighbours that still have some concerns.”

The proposed building site, which is the former site of fields associated with Sault Collegiate Institute, has been vacant since 2001.

- with files from David Helwig