A petition opposing the construction of a tower that would provide housing for people with mental illness at Venables and Commerical Drive surpassed 1,000 names this week
Barbara Cameron, one of the organizers behind the No Tower Coalition, said the names are being collected online and door-to-door. The petition aims to stop a proposal by developer Boffo Properties and the Kettle Society to redevelop land at that location. The proposal includes a 12- to 15-storey building.
The Kettle Society, which provides housing and support to people with mental illness,needs to expand its services at 1725 Venables. It couldn’t get government funding so it formed an arrangement with Boffo Properties.
The developer owns buildings on either side of the Kettle, while the city owns the parking lot to the north, which could be amalgamated into the proposed redevelopment that envisions 150 units of market housing, 30 supported housing units for the Kettle to own and operate, and a larger space for the society’s other services.
