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D e v e l O P M E N T U P D A T E CONSTRUCTION IN WARD 22… LOCATION DESCRIPTION/ISSUES CURRENT STATUS 1955-1985 Yonge Street & 3 Belsize Drive whole block between Millwood & Belsize 1994-2008 Yonge Street & 17 Glebe Road West dead-end street 2300 Yonge Street (NW corner of Yonge & Eglinton) Yonge Eglinton Mall (WARD 16) 85-117 Eglinton Avenue East whole block between Dunfield & Lillian 620 Avenue Road & 215, 217 Lonsdale Road in front of Upper Canada College 60-62 Oriole Road 54-74 Berwick Avenue & 191-211 Duplex Avenue 356-362 Spadina Road New Orthodox Synagogue 1815 Yonge Street at corner of Merton Street 299 Roehampton Avenue 643 Eglinton Avenue W. Rebuilt Ambulance Station (EMS) at Eglinton Avenue W. and Chaplin Crescent 9 floor condominium with retail stores at ground level – over height and density limits; lack of transition into neighbourhood; vehicular access should be on Yonge St. not on Belsize Dr. 14 floor condominium with retail stores at ground level – well over height and density limits; shadow issues on condo at 20 Glebe Road West. Enclose open space with 3 floor retail building; add 7 and 5 floors to top of two office towers; reconfigure internal mall space – problem with enclosing open space because area is deficient in open/park space; over height/density limits Twin 29 floor condominium towers with an 8 floor podium containing large retail stores – well over height and density limits; podium too big; lacking in transition to the east; need more sidewalk setback 19 floors with 124 units (80 condominium and 44 rental); replacement of existing rental housing – no transition into neighbourhood; shadow impact; over height and density limits; traffic issues 4 floor apartment building with elevator; 18 rental units for seniors only - commercial kitchen onsite requires daily deliveries; delivery/loading & parking garage access issues; depth of building issues; massing issues; contrary to Official Plan 17 floor condominium transitions to 20, 3 floor townhouses that wrap around corner; almost complies completely with new Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw for this SW quadrant of Yonge & Eglinton (TTC bus lands) 4 floors; 21 parking spaces onsite; drop-off/delivery circulation plan is good; keeping trees and adding some; 24 floor condominium with townhouses at ground level 14 floor condominium with townhouses at ground level; terracing begins at 10 th floor; infill redevelopment Long-overdue new ambulance station to replace old, deficient building; better design that hides the parking spots; heritage brick façade to respect the Fire Hall’s features next door (Forest Hill’s old Town Hall); investigating putting ambulance exit doors on Eglinton; Filed in 2006; developer has re-submitted; Community Meeting this spring regarding Final Report Filed in 2006; developer has re-submitted; Community Meeting this spring regarding Final Report Filed in April 2009; Local resident group seminar in Nov. 2009 recommended against enclosing open space; developer has resubmitted; Community Meeting held Feb. 2; Final Report at March City Council meeting Filed in 2008; developer has re-submitted; Community Meeting this spring regarding Final Report Refused by City Council; Approved by an all-party mediated settlement at the Ontario Municipal Board in January 2010 Refused by Committee of Adjustment in March 2009; Appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board; Re-Zoning Application also appealed to Ontario Municipal Board; hearing is April 6, 2010. Filed in 2007; Local residents played a major role in changes to proposal; Community Meeting this spring regarding Final Report Approved by Committee of Adjustment in 2008 Approved by City Council in 2008; City directing Section 37 community benefits toward upgraded, fully accessible playground for all children, “Neshama”, in Oriole Park Approved by City Council in 2008; City directing Section 37 community benefits ($500,000) toward new playing field at Northern Secondary School which will be open to the public Demolition and soil remediation occurred throughout 2009; Committee of Adjustment approved parking space for ambulance staff near a public lane; Community Meeting was held in October 2009; to be completed this year. MICHAEL WALKER REPORT www.MichaelWalker.ca FEBRUARY 2010 – PAGE 2
T E N A N T S ’ r i G H T S TENANTS STILL NOT GETTING A FAIR DEAL Most recently, I had City Council pass a resolution calling for the Provincial government to fulfill its election promise to restore real rent control by eliminating “vacancy decontrol”. Vacancy decontrol allows a landlord to raise a unit’s rent up to any amount once a tenant moves out. In addition to driving up the cost of rental housing, this permission encourages some landlords or property managers to discourage long-time tenants from staying in order to increase the rent. As one tenant told me recently, “Mistreatment of a tenant can start subtly enough – ignoring a malfunctioning appliance, say. But they can, and do, escalate to actual abuse. I can personally, painfully, attest to this.” Smart Meters are another problem for most tenants because the Province’s irresponsible implementation is unfair and has been resulting in escalated rents. Although I wish it wasn’t the case, the primary effect of the Provincial government’s Smart Meters program is not energy conservation, but a 5%-15% increase in profit for a landlord. Each year, on average, 15% of the tenants change in a building; so, in effect, after just 7 years the landlord has all new tenants at new rents. This occurs because vacancy decontrol allows the rent to be reset to a pre-Smart Meter rate after a Smart Metered-tenant moves out. This scheme allows a landlord to externalize all energy costs. Tenants represent more than half of the residents of St. Paul’s and many see their quality of life declining, particularly in a recession with low vacancy rates. In my opinion, the City and the Provincial government are not doing enough for tenants. We need to push the Province and City to do the following: •• Eliminate vacancy decontrol; I continue to be focused on the fight for tenants’ rights in our ward, our city and our province. •• Address the loss of affordable housing created by vacancy decontrol, conversion or demolition; •• Make the Landlord Tenant Board more fair, accessible and responsive to tenants’ needs; •• implement eviction protection policies, especially for Toronto Housing tenants; •• Fight against the loss of amenity and green space currently experienced by tenants as landlords try to build more housing on the property; •• Stop the installation of Smart Meters D e v e l O P M e N T U P D a t e until it is fair to tenants and not a profit windfall for the landlord; •• Legislate the implementation of recycling in apartments and condominiums, especially new buildings; •• Effectively prevent landlords from charging a fee for visitor parking; •• Amend the Residential Tenancies Act to require all landlords to establish a Capital Reserve Fund to responsibly deal with future capital improvements on their buildings; and •• Pursue licensing landlords conditional on their performance in relation to maintenance, security and service standards. Please contact your MPP (www. EricHoskins.ca or 416.656.0943) and the Mayor (mayor_miller@toronto.ca or 416.397.CITY[2489]) to tell them we need action for tenants now. IMPORTANT: After some prodding, the City is now also offering grants to qualifying tenants’ associations that are fighting their landlord’s illegal/improper installation of Smart Meters. For more information, please contact my office or the Federation of Metro Tenants Associations (FMTA) at www.TorontoTenants.org or 416.921.9494. TDSB SELLING OFF DaviSVILLE JUNIOR PUBLIC SCHOOL? Last fall, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) identified 36 schools “at risk” of closing or requiring major programming adjustments. These schools are currently being examined by the School Board in the form of an Accommodation Review Committee, (ARC) which looks at a cluster of schools and determines whether some should close, expand or alter programming. Although not listed as one of the original 36 “at risk” schools, there is now a review in our area that includes Davisville Jr. Public School, Hodgson Senior Public School, Maurice Cody Public School, Eglinton Junior Public School and Spectrum Alternative Senior School. The School Board has a problem with funding. Its latest proposal to reduce its structural capital budget shortfall is to generate money from selling its land. More specifically, it is considering selling off all or part of Davisville Junior Public School because of its real estate value (approximately $30 million) and its large size (the 3.8 acres presently offers a good sized playground for the students). As part of its Strategic Plan 2009-2010, the TDSB added a specific “Redevelopment Project” ARC for Davisville Jr. P.S. and other nearby schools. I am in disagreement with this process. I do not support a plan that puts real estate interests above student interests and predetermines the outcome. I am also dismayed at the lack of communication with the community. Many people on Millwood Road have no idea that the TDSB is thinking of selling its land to a developer who could build condominiums. I have been contacted by a group of parents, some of whom are members of Davisville’s Parent Council, who are very concerned about what could happen to their children’s education, as well as the potential impacts of a redevelopment on these public lands. Collectively, the parents have written the TDSB with their many questions and concerns and are now awaiting the answers. If you live near the school east of Yonge Street, please contact: www.SouthEglinton.com. If you live west of Yonge Street, please contact: www.OrioleParkAssociation.com. You are always welcome to contact my office. MICHAEL WALKER REPORT www.MichaelWalker.ca FEBRUARY 2010 – PAGE 3
Page 1: THEMichael Walker Report FEBRUARY 2
Page 5 and 6: When: Where: NOTICE: Ward-Wide Publ

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