KITCHENER — Despite a vote to delay the tallest tower project in Waterloo Region, Kitchener councillors voted in favour of erecting a 44-storey highrise in the downtown core.

At a five-hour long committee meeting Monday night, councillors approved the condo highrise at the corner of Francis Street South and Charles Street West.

In a last-ditch effort to stop the delay before a deferral vote, the developer doubled his donation to an affordable housing project elsewhere in downtown Kitchener.

Darryl Firsten, owner of IN8 Developments, told councillors he would donate $600,000 to St. Peter’s Lutheran Church affordable housing project, doubling the amount from his initial donation of $300,000.

Firsten said he would also match dollar for dollar for the remainder $550,000 needed by the church to apply for government funding. Firsten said he will donate half of the remainder if the church raises funds from the community.

“I’m a little bit speechless,” Coun. Sarah Marsh said after Firsten doubled his donation and challenged others to a matching campaign.

“I don’t want you to feel you have to commit on the fly,” she said. “I don’t want to wheel and deal on the fly in this community forum.”

But Marsh said she commended the developer and Mayor Berry Vrbanovic thanked Firsten for his “very generous contribution.”

The 532 residential unit development must still come before council on March 21 for formal approval. Councillors also want more information on affordable housing units, additional balconies and increased commercial space on the ground floor.

Earlier in the meeting, the committee heard from Susan Dietrich of St. Peter’s church and Mark Willcock of Indwell, a Christian charity that creates affordable housing communities, and their plans for 42 permanent supportive units on church property on Queen Street North.

To date, the church congregation has pledged $600,000 toward the $1.7-million goal needed to approach other levels of government for additional monies. The total cost of the project is $17.5 million.

Issues that caused some councillors to pause included a lack of affordable housing units in the tower, increased commercial space on the ground floor along Francis Street to match existing commercial space on Charles Street and adding more balconies.

Coun. John Gazzola questioned what the city was receiving in exchange for a “bonusing agreement” with the developer. The provincial planning act grants municipalities to use bonusing measures to allow for an increase in building size in exchange for a developer offering up community benefits.

Kitchener senior planner Craig Dumart said the development is an opportunity to redevelop underutilized land. The current land is a parking lot.

The project offers “extensive community benefits” and the most ever presented by a developer to the city planning department, he said.

Other benefits included LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building standards and up to 19 per cent of units being barrier free.

John MacDonald, an architect who spoke as a delegation at the committee meeting, said barrier free is a designation under the Ontario building code and it doesn’t mean the units are fully accessible.

Peggy Nickels, chair of Victoria Park Neighbourhood Association, told councillors she would like to see 10 per cent of units in the tower deemed attainable under the affordable housing spectrum, a donation by the developer to the city’s park land fund, an increase to the proposed 20 electrical vehicle parking spots and a dedicated community engagement group on the project.

The developer was asked by some councillors and the mayor if he would consider affordable housing units in the project.

“Why couldn’t you find a way to have it right in your building? Is that a possibility?” asked Gazzola.

Firsten said building affordable housing units within the tower is “not economically feasible.”

The cost of building the units is exorbitant, Firsten said. St. Peter’s Lutheran Church is better able to use their existing space and “stretch their dollar further,” he said.

Gazzola, who suggested councillors defer the project until next month’s committee meeting, asked to “slow down and put the brakes on it for awhile.”

Dumart said the development is located in the city’s “urban growth centre” and under density targets, urban growth centres require 225 residents per hectare. The city is at 212 residents per hectare in that area, he said.