Indeed. There remains plenty of potential to make over significant swathes of the core with higher-density structures. It's pretty much inevitable that the growth spurt will continue - and the old core could support such intensification. I'm sure there will be some element of the pitchforks and torches crowd, but it would be great if the city as a whole would try to contain suburban sprawl, seizing instead opportunities for renewal and intensification downtown.
One thing that downtowns, Guelph's and Toronto's alike, should continue to focus on is assuring that their cores have affordable places for people to live. A vibrant downtown means people of all income levels living there, and those people will have a vested interest in how their neighbourhood continues to develop, along with the necessary supporting infrastructure(policing, parks, schools, daycare, etc.). There are many examples of big city downtowns, particularly in the U.S., that become ghost towns after 6 pm, and then there's Toronto, which has been going gangbusters in the opposite direction for years now, but downtown Guelph now also has several towers, so the trend is looking positive. Also interesting is that this area of downtown south of the tracks, stretching from Allan's Mill to Gordon St., is actually the oldest part of town. After the railroad came through in 1855, and the subsequent construction of the first train station(just east of the present-day one) and then the new town hall(now old city hall), all new growth was refocused north of the tracks, and over time, most of the structures south of it were repurposed for light industrial-type uses, and/or were eventually demolished. That parking lot across from the police station would eventually become the site of the city's gasworks, (there was even a steel lattice gasometer tower) before it too was demolished in the 1950s. A few of the buildings from that original town centre can still be seen south of the Harvey's restaurant on Gordon St., including the building at 32 Gordon now housing the Army and Navy veterans hall, which was originally a general store dating from 1845, as well as that fine three-story stone building across the street at 17 Gordon, which was once the end unit of an 1840's era terrace, most of which was demolished in the mid-1960s.
It amazes me how that wooden building has managed to survive all those years. Hopefully, it will find a worthy tenant!
Here! Here! This is a city core full of heritage buildings of tremendous interest, atmosphere and history. Let's put a little thought into how densification happens in this area and the architecture that is going to be expressed reflects on the city core. The height in this context, I agree. is workable, but beyond that.... think there is a lot of room for improvement.