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.