High praise from mayor for what will be London, Ont.’s two tallest buildings

London’s skyline will soar to new heights.

On Tuesday, council approved rezoning the northwest corner of King Street and Ridout Street for a pair of mixed-use skyscrapers that will rise 53-storeys and 43-storeys overlooking the Forks of the Thames.

“Since this planning application came forward, I spoke with other mayors, and they’re a little bit jealous about this type of investment in the downtown core of a city,” Mayor Josh Morgan told council. “This is not something you see every day.”

Most high-rise buildings in the downtown core currently range from about 26-storeys to 35-storeys.

Connected by a single podium at their base, the development will include 800 residential units plus office and retail space.

Morgan emphasized the impact of bringing so many additional residents to the downtown.

“This is what will secure that upward trend of having a vibrant, revitalized downtown,” he said.

Proposed towers at 50 King St. and 399 Ridout St. (Source: City of London)

But support for the rezoning was not unanimous.

Councillor Sam Trosow called the rezoning application “premature”, given unanswered questions about sewage capacity and heritage impacts.

Downtown Councillor David Ferreira reiterated his concern about the development’s proximity to the Middlesex County Courthouse (1827), a national historic site.

Several conditions must be met before construction can begin, including evaluations of the site’s archaeology, servicing, and heritage.

York Developments sweetened an earlier offer, increasing its original half-million dollar donation to supportive housing provider Indwell to $600,000 in lieu of affordable units being included in the skyscrapers.

Councillor Peter Cuddy praised the offer, “The applicant was not required to make the contribution to Indwell. This is a great contribution. We’re very grateful to them for it.”