Second, a zoning amendment was obtained to build a five-storey residential building on a 13-metre-deep sliver of land between the heritage building and the street, arguing for a reinstatement of the original industrial streetscape that abutted the former railway line. Along with a second, wider apartment building on the opposite end, the residential developments made the project financially feasible while also expressing a distinct historical narrative within an area under transformation. Elevated on columns that extend the grid of the gantry crane structure, the two self-standing, mid-rise residential buildings are offset from the existing building, creating new pedestrian lanes that respect the original pumping station envelope, reference the human scale, and expand the ground floor commercial frontages.

Rethinking the norms of multi-family housing efficiency targets, the design employs open-air egress and a skip-stop configuration. Typical nondescript interior corridors are turned into vibrant exterior passageways for neighbourly interaction, becoming an extension of the suites and creating a sense of shared ownership over communal space. Open-air stairwells provide unobstructed vistas to the city, adjacent river and park. This multi-faceted, mixed-use development is the first proposal on the site that has gained the support of heritage advocates, municipal stakeholders and the community at large.