AVENUE AND LAWRENCE REDEVELOPMENT

FIRST SUBMISSION: June 2020

An application was initially submitted in June 2020, to amend the Official Plan and the Zoning By-law for two new buildings of 10-storeys and 14-storeys.

A preliminary report re: the proposal by City Planning was considered by North York Community Council (NYCC) on September 10, 2020. This report identified issues to be addressed and resulted in the scheduling of a community meeting. LPRO and the other three affected resident groups – Bedford Park Residents Organization (BPRO), Upper Avenue Community Association (UACA) and South Armour Heights Residents’ Association (SAHRA) submitted a joint letter to NYCC expressing local concerns about the proposed development: lack of required onsite parkland, vehicle access issues, excessive height, and a lack of upper‑level step-backs. The four residents’ groups also met with City Planning, the Developer and Councillor Colle to discuss the proposal.

A virtual community meeting took place on October 22, 2020. The City provided an overview of the proposal and existing policies. The Developer provided additional information. There was an opportunity for questions and comments.

RESUBMISSION: August 2022

In August 2022, First Capital resubmitted their plans for the northeast corner of Avenue Road and Lawrence Avenue West. The acquisition of 272 Lawrence Avenue West, which occurred after their initial proposal was submitted in 2020, allowed the developer to reconfigure the proposed site access. The unsignalized driveways on Avenue Road and Lawrence were removed. The site now included a new road which would extend north from the intersection of Rosewell and Lawrence, and run immediately to the west of the residential building currently under construction at 250 Lawrence. The intersection of Rosewell and Lawrence was proposed to be signalized.

Key information in the revised 2022 proposal:

• The number of residential units increased from 455 to 532.
• The proposal included a 984m City Park located west of the new public road.
• The amount of retail space was reduced from 4,680m² to 3,246m².
• Building heights were similar to the first submission at 14 storeys/47.2m for the south building (Building B) and 10 storeys/34.5m for the north building (Building A). Both buildings had mezzanine levels which were excluded from the floor count.
• Some building setbacks and step-backs were adjusted.
• The landscaped ravine buffer was largely removed to accommodate the road.
• The number of parking spaces was reduced from 605 to 584.

Public Park Space: One of our primary goals is to ensure that the proposal results in a usable public park for the surrounding neighbourhoods and new residents. While we were pleased to see that the proposal now contemplated a public park, there were outstanding issues. The proposed parkland dedication did not fulfill the Toronto Parkland By-law requirement of 15% of the site area, nor even the new minimum of 10% that the Province required. The park was located immediately north of a 14-storey wall, which would result in significant shadow impacts. We continued to engage in the development process and to provide future updates as they are available.

RESUBMISSION: 2023

First Capital disclosed that it had acquired an additional property at 1549 Avenue Road, currently occupied by the Royal Lighting store.

LPRO representatives met with First Capital and Bousfields (First Capital’s urban planning consultant) in June 2023. First Capital said that they expected to submit a revised Official Plan Amendment and Rezoning application to the City in the fall of 2023.

LPRO continued to advocate for:

• a new onsite city park (required by the City) located and designed in a manner that maximized usability;
• a traffic circulation plan that would minimize additional traffic congestion;
• a trail along the Douglas Greenbelt ravine;
• more pedestrian space along Avenue Road and Lawrence Avenue;
• and a development that is of an appropriate scale.

In December 2023, Bousfields, on behalf of First Capital, resubmitted their application for an amendment to the Official Plan and to the Zoning By-law, as their site had been re‑configured subsequent to the acquisition of the Royal Lighting site at 1549 Avenue Road. The latest proposal, as of March 2024, is as follows:

• The public park was re-located to the northwest corner with frontage on Avenue Road and Douglas Ave.
• The height, excluding MPH, of the north building on Avenue Road was increased to 12 storeys (40.34m), from 10 storeys (34.45m). The height of the south building stayed the same at 47.2m.
• The new north-south road would extend from Lawrence Ave at Rosewell, north to Douglas Ave, with traffic signals on Avenue Road at Douglas, and on Lawrence Ave at Rosewell.
• The plans included 665 dwelling units, up from 532 units.
• The plans included 703 (up from 584) parking spaces: 566 residential, 66 visitor, and 71 retail parking spaces.
• The streetwall height of the building along Lawrence Ave would have a setback at level 2, but would cantilever back out above level 1, for levels 3-8 of the building.

Mediation and Settlement: SUMMER-FALL 2024

Mediation took place in June, July and August 2024 to try to obtain a settlement. LPRO and BPRO were Parties to the mediation, along with the Developer and the City. A settlement was reached in the and  approved at the November 13-14, 2024 Toronto City Council Meeting.

The settlement plans consist of the following:

• A new north-south street that will function as a northward extension of Rosewell Avenue to meet Douglas Avenue
• Two development blocks separated by an east-west private driveway connecting Avenue Road to the new street, in place of the existing Pusateri’s driveway
• The south block will include a 14-storey building with retail on the first floor and residential units above, while the north block will include a 13-storey building with retail on the first floor and residential units above
• On the corner of Avenue Road and Douglas Avenue, a 1,038m² (11,177ft²) public park will be created, with ownership transferred to the City of Toronto

Transportation, traffic and pedestrian safety

Two new traffic signals will be installed: one at Avenue Road and Douglas Avenue and the other at Rosewell Avenue and Lawrence Avenue. These new traffic signals will assist in allowing future residents and retail customers to safely access the site and provide additional opportunities for pedestrians to safely cross the street, including students at Lawrence Park Collegiate, Glenview and Havergal.

The new north-south street will run parallel to the Douglas Greenbelt, though the roadway will be set back 16m from the top edge of the ravine slope, with new vegetation added along the top of the slope. The new public street will have sidewalks on both sides of the street. Additionally, this new street, running parallel to Avenue Road and connected to Douglas Avenue will create an alternative route to relieve some traffic congestion at Avenue Road and Lawrence.

The private driveway will be restricted to right turns in from Avenue Road and right turns out to Avenue Road, reducing the number of turning movements and potential conflicts with pedestrians and traffic. This is a substantial improvement over the existing operation of the Pusateri’s driveway.

The driveway will contain pick-up and drop-off spaces for the north building and retail, while 2 additional off-street pick-up and drop-off spaces will be provided adjacent to the south building lobby, located off the new street. 

Building design and relationship to the street

Through the mediation, the two proposed buildings were modified to improve their massing and relationship to the street. Additional setbacks and step-backs were secured, reducing the impact of the building mass, creating more variation (not a continuous wall), improving sky-view, increasing the separation distance from the proposed park and increasing pedestrian space with a focus on the corner of Avenue Road and Lawrence. The streetwall height will be one storey on Avenue Road and seven storeys on Lawrence Avenue.

The south building will have a minimum setback of 8.8m from the Lawrence Avenue curb. At the corner of Avenue Road and Lawrence, additional space has been provided for pedestrians, including students, to gather or wait for the bus without obstructing the sidewalk. At the corner of Avenue Road and Lawrence, the ground floor of the building will be set back 10.8m from the curb on Lawrence.

There will be a publicly accessible plaza, owned by the developer, extending north along Avenue Road in front of the south building. Pedestrian space will vary from a width of 13.4m, narrowing to 10.7m at the private driveway. The north building will have a minimum setback from the Avenue Road curb of 6.8m. Numerous trees will be planted along the building frontages on Lawrence Avenue and Avenue Road. 

Additional measures

LPRO/BPRO worked with Councillor Colle to add additional measures before City Council voted on the settlement.

The City will consider connecting the sidewalk of the new public roadway to the existing Douglas Greenbelt trail, forming a continuous pedestrian network for neighbourhood residents.

City Council also directed Transportation Services to report back on a straight-through prohibition northbound and southbound at the intersection of Rosewell Avenue and Lawrence Avenue, where the new road will extend Rosewell northward. This will protect students at Havergal, Glenview and John Ross Robertson from cut-through traffic that might otherwise utilize Rosewell Avenue. It will also limit traffic volumes on the new road.

Transportation Services will report on prohibiting eastbound straight-through traffic from Glengarry Avenue to the new driveway, which is one of the more dangerous movements at the existing Pusateri’s access.

With respect to the new road, Transportation Services will report back on traffic calming measures including speed humps, a maximum speed limit of 30km/h, a new all-way stop controlled intersection with pedestrian crosswalks where the private driveway meets the new road and a proposed median to prevent drivers from making illegal left turns as they enter or exit the development driveway, as the driveway will be limited to “right-in, right-out”.

Finally, City Council has agreed that no truck loading access shall occur from Avenue Road. This would require trucks to access the site from the new street