Large-scale Development

Concert Properties has recently submitted a proposal to the City of Toronto for the former Sunnybrook Plaza site that greatly exceeds the size and density of the original proposals for the site prior to COVID.

In 2016, after much negotiation, an agreement was reached between the previous developers (RioCan), the City and the LRA, including mediation at the OMB, resulting in a plan for two mixed-use towers of 16 and 11 storeys, (reduced from the original proposal for 19 and 13 storeys) as well as addressing many other concerns and issues.

By 2023, the original plans were declared uneconomical due to increased construction costs and changes in the market, and the province had overruled the City’s Yonge Eglinton Plan, allowing greatly increased density. New plans were produced, significantly increasing the building density and height for the site. The original proposal called for 426 units – the new one has 1201.

This is to express the strong opposition of the Leaside Residents Association (LRA) to this application based on both:

• process – the applicant’s bad faith bargaining, and abuse of the Committee of Adjustment process, and
• substance – the failure of the application to meet the established planning tests for variances to be considered “minor” variances.

The LRA has provided site specific comments in its previous correspondence, however we reiterate the more important of those in this submission to make it reasonably comprehensive:

• The proposed scale, built form, including height and massing, is completely inappropriate given the location.
• The proposal is on the high point between Eglinton Ave./Talbot Park and Burke Brook (just south of Sunnybrook Hospital) and will have a major visual impact on the neighbourhood. Because of this elevated location, the proposed building would appear as being several storeys higher than 25 storeys.
• The FSI of the proposed building (8.7) is well above that of recently approved buildings in the vicinity.

The Toronto Star reports that Premier Doug Ford is scrapping planned changes to municipal boundaries in another major policy flip-flop related to the $8.28-billion Greenbelt land swap scandal now under criminal investigation by the RCMP. Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra announced Monday at Queen’s Park that the embattled Progressive Conservatives were moving to “reset” relations with cities and towns.

The LRA is becoming increasingly concerned about the possibility of high-rise construction to the southeast of Bayview and Eglinton:

• As previously reported, 1787 Bayview (Leaside Station entrance) is vastly overbuilt for a transit entrance and is structurally designed to support a large tower – see the photo above.
• Also as previously reported, 1783-1785 Bayview (first quadruplex south of the station) has had its tenants evicted. Two weeks ago, the heritage consultants for Metrolinx released a draft report [PDF, 139 pages] stating that the building had no heritage value. The LRA has written to critique this report including its own assessment reaching a different conclusion about the building’s heritage value.

In our November 2021 newsletter, we reported on the proposed 25-storey tower on the southeast corner of Bayview and Broadway.

The LRA and local neighbours are mobilizing to fight this development.

Proposal:

On November 4, 2021, Goldberg Group submitted re-zoning and plan of subdivision applications to the City to permit a 25 storey mixed use building containing 288 residential units, and 256 sq. metres of retail gross floor area on the ground floor on an assembled parcel just south of the southeast corner of Bayview and Broadway.

Please see below for information from the City of Toronto about a community consultation for the planning application for 922 Millwood Road. Please also see below for the input from the Association about this application. UPDATED: Supporting documentation for Site Plan Approval for this project is available as of June 23, 2020. Documentation includes architectural …

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RioCan has asked to meet with the LPOA board and we understand that they are working on revised plans. It’s a good sign! It appears that upping our game at the Local Planning Appeal Board (replacement for the OMB) and making sure the community is well aware of the concerns with the latest plans may …

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RioCan submitted a revised development application on July 31, 2018 and local residents were shocked to discover that instead of decreasing the density in the course of reviews, as normally expected in a project of this type, it has been significantly increased. The plans also fail to create a new civic plaza for Leaside as …

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