City council has now approved plans for a landmark condo building on Yonge Street, one block south of Sheppard Avenue, but not without strings attached. The Emerald Park design, which features two towers, 30 and 40 storeys, atop a four-level base, called for substantial amendments to the official plan and the site’s zoning, to accommodate its size.

Council gave the 565-unit building, which will dedicate the first three floors to commercial uses, the green light on a list of conditions. Out of the arrangement, the community will see a new building for Lansing United Church, a community centre and a child care facility. The developer must also create a pedestrian tunnel that links to the transit terminal.

Coun. John Filion put forward a motion that hiked the public art contribution included in the terms from $250,000 to 0.5 per cent of the project’s value, which amounts roughly to $750,000. If the developer decided not to proceed with the flair design for the building, this would be increased to one per cent. Coun. Filion characterized the community’s feedback as mixed.

“People are concerned about the overdevelopment in the area and the amount of traffic it generates,” he said. But he indicated that overall people like the look of the design and the benefits that are tied to it.

Kevin Beattie, president of the West Lansing Homeowners Association, described the plans as reasonably positive, provided that they go ahead as approved. He said that, from his understanding, the conditions won’t allow the developer to do anything but this. “We’re fairly pleased,” Beattie said. “At this point, we’re still waiting to see that the developer actually does proceed — given the approvals that have been granted — with the application."