February 17, 2015
Toronto and East York Community Council
2nd floor, West Tower, City Hall
100 Queen St. W.
Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
Att: Ros Dyers, Committee Clerk
Re: TE 4.39 Preliminary Report – 701-713 Soudan Avenue, 1674-1684 Bayview Avenue and 720 Hillsdale Avenue East – Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment Applications (Ward 22)
Dear Councillor Layton and Members of Toronto and East York Community Council,
The Leaside Property Owners’ Association provides this correspondence to make several key comments about the above noted application for an OPA and a ZBA to permit the construction of a nine storey residential building with 172 units, including 35 rental units to be replaced, and 243 vehicular parking spaces, plus ground floor retail. The development would involve demolition of a multi-unit rental building and nine house form structures containing an additional 6 rental, 5 owner-occupied and a commercial unit. The FSI would be 3.98. The existing OP designation is Neighbourhood, although this part of Bayview is within an “Avenue”.
- The block-long nine-storey development proposal represents excessive height and massive over-development of the site. The proposed building is monolithic, extending the full length of the Soudan-Hillsdale block, and is way out of scale in the context of the existing low and mid-rise development on the west side and the low rise commercial on the east side of Bayview.
- The future commercial health of both sides of Bayview is a major concern and priority for the LPOA; we suggest that the future retail uses in the building, and their configuration, be given careful planning consideration, including undertaking consultation with the new South Bayview-Leaside BIA.
- The loss of “permanent” affordable rental units to be replaced by nonpermanent (10 year term) rental is a concern.
- We note that the site’s location on the TEY side of Bayview, which is the boundary with the North York planning district requires that TEY planning staff involve North York in reviewing the application, and that the Leaside community be informed about the consultation process. The LPOA requests that TEYCC recommend to City Council:
- that notice for the community consultation be extended beyond the required 120 metres, to include an appropriate area east of Bayview Avenue.
The LPOA appreciates your consideration of our comments.
Yours truly,
Geoff Kettel and Carol Burtin-Fripp
Co-Presidents