Is this the spark SoHo needs, or a barrier to the Thames River?

A development that will add620 apartment units to the former site of Victoria Hospitalwill head to council for final approval, though some remain sceptical it's the right fit for London's SoHo (that's south of Horton Street)neighbourhood.

The complex proposed by Toronto-based Medallion Developments calls for two towers one 19 storeys tall, the other 23 grouped together with two other "lower podiums" one eight stories, the other nine.

Plans for the development at the corner of South and Colborne streets include a public promenade that will integrate the building with the Thames River, which runs along the south edge of the property.

The plan will also incorporate the ColborneBuilding, a heritage structure built in 1899 and a survivor from the site's former use as a hospital. There are no specifics yet on how the ColborneBuilding will be used but commercialspace on the lower floor and more residences on the upper floor are possible.

City planner MikeTomazincicsays the Medallion development is a perfect fit with a larger plan created four years ago to redevelop the hospital lands.

He says it will provide a much-needed "economic spark" to an area that has struggled since the hospital closed its last wing five years ago.

"We knew that the hospital was going and that was a big economic generator in the community, when you think of all the employees and visitors that used it," he said. "Its absence has left a bit of a void."

Tomazincic praises the development for what he describes as "high-quality architectural design" and ability to reconnect SoHo with the river. Also, he said the density boost works because it's close to Wellington Street, a key north-south route on the proposed Bus Rapid Transit system.

Towers too high?

Not everyone is a fan of Medallion's plans.

Jennifer Grainger, presidentof the London branch of theArchitectural Conservancyof Ontario, wrote in a letter to council that thisis a poor fit with the older neighbourhood surrounding it.

"The towers are disproportionately high," she wrote. "They present a forbidding aspect in this area of 2-5 storey dwelling houses and apartments."

Grainger also worries the development will end up "screening off" the Thames River from the nearby neighbourhood.

However Spencer Murray, who bought on nearbyHill Street a year ago, is in favour of the project.

"[The area] needs something to stimulate it," he said. "I feel like the area is kind of stagnant. I think bringing something right into the core of SoHo will really help."

The project next goes to council for approval. After that, the city will work with the developer to create a more detailed site plan.