APPROVED DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS
2400-2444 YONGE STREET
41 CHATSWORTH
BACKGROUND
This is the site of the former church on the south side of Chatsworth Drive between Yonge and Duplex. In 2013 an application was submitted by Parkset Developments Inc. for a 6-7 storey building. The City, and the community through Developing Areas Responsibly in Toronto (DART), opposed this application. In 2016 the former Ontario Municipal Board rejected the proposal.
In 2017 a new proposal was submitted by 41 Chatsworth GP Inc. Although the height, gross floor area and density were noticeably reduced compared to the original proposal, the new proposal called for a 4-5 storey building which would be 17.2m tall facing Chatsworth and 18.8m tall facing Duplex Parkette due to the slope of the site. A preliminary report by City Planning for this proposal was considered by North York Community Council in February 2018. This report identified issues to be addressed and resulted in a community meeting.
The Developer appealed the application to LPAT in 2019. In October 2020 LPRO and DART requested and were granted Party Status in the LPAT appeal in order to allow us to fully engage in the process. In December 2020 City Council refused the application and recommended the City attempt to reach an agreement through mediation with the Developer, failing which the City will oppose the application at LPAT. Mediation took place in March 2021.
LATEST UPDATE: SETTLEMENT
Representatives from LPRO and DART participated in the LPAT-led mediation, along with Terry Mills, a planner whom LPRO and DART jointly retained thanks to generous support from the Community.
The mediation was successful and resulted in a settlement offer agreed to by all parties. The settlement offer was unanimously approved by City Council on May 5,2021 and subsequently approved by LPAT on May 12, 2021.
The building will have four storeys above grade facing Chatsworth Drive and five storeys facing Duplex Parkette. The upper levels of the building include numerous step-backs. The building will be 17.5m in height and a small portion of the roof will include an additional 4m tall mechanical penthouse.
Changes to the Developer’s proposal that were successfully negotiated at the mediation include:
- The number of condominium units has been reduced from 43 to 30, a 30% reduction which will reduce the traffic impact of the building (original 2013 site proposal included 114 units)
- The east end of the site, with an area of over 250m2/2,700ft2 will be dedicated to the City and become a new “gateway” to Duplex Parkette, increasing the frontage of the park on Chatsworth Drive by over 500%
- The Developer will make a donation to the improvement of the new park gateway
- The building will be set back farther from Chatsworth Drive
- The underground garage has been removed from underneath the front yard of the building along Chatsworth Drive, which will allow for improved landscaping.
- In addition to preserving most existing street trees, the Developer will plant 19 new trees on both their own property and City property along Chatsworth Drive
- The façade facing Chatsworth Drive has been improved to include variation so it does not appear as a continuous wall
- The design of the building has been revised to better fit with the neighbourhood
- LPRO and DART will participate in the Site Plan Working Group, which will examine the finer details of the proposal including the park gateway design, for final approval by Planning. The Working Group is expected to meet in the fall of 2021.
A heartfelt thank you to the 41 Chatsworth donors and to DART, which put a considerable amount of time into this application over the past 8 years. Thank you also to the 41 Chatsworth Committee who worked on this proposal for the past several months: Eli Aaron, John Gleason, Arlena Hebert, Maureen Kapral, Michael Kehoe, and Alan Morson.
2908 YONGE STREET
BACKGROUND
Located at the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Chatsworth Drive, the site at 2908 Yonge Street served as a gas station for approximately 90 years. In December 2017 an application was submitted by Times Group to redevelop the site with a 13-storey building.
City Planning prepared a refusal report which was adopted by North York Community Council in March 2018. The application was found to be unacceptable for numerous reasons: excessive height and density, lack of setbacks and upper level step-backs, inappropriate transition to the neighborhood and adjacent park and the lack of an on-site parkland dedication. City Council refused the application in April 2018.
The Developer appealed City Council’s decision to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). LPRO sought and was granted Party Status in January 2019, allowing us to fully participate in the appeal process. With the financial support of the community, LPRO/residents were able to engage planning and legal expertise to prepare to take on an active role in the LPAT hearing, which was scheduled for February 2021.
LATEST UPDATE: SETTLEMENT
Three weeks before the scheduled LPAT hearing the Developer submitted substantially-revised plans which provided the City with an opportunity to settle. The settlement was approved by City Council on February 2, 2021. LPRO/residents were able to piggyback on this settlement and achieve some further concessions. The highlights of the approved proposal are as follows:
The building height was reduced from approximately 48m to 37m.
The number of units is reduced from 85 to 65, meaning less traffic and demand for shared services.
The development has provided 10% park space, in a POP (Privately-owned, publicly-accessible parkland) format, versus an original proposal of no parkland.
The revised design includes a rounded corner at Yonge and Chatsworth for greater pedestrian, cyclist and auto safety.
The building will have some stepbacks and setbacks providing a better visual outcome, and reduced shadowing on parks and streets.
LPRO/residents will be included in the site planning portion of approvals, with a specific focus on optimizing the park.
The Bereaved Families of Ontario will receive a special donation from the Developer to enhance the Healing Garden next door.
Thanks to donors LPRO was in a position to hire a professional planner and lawyer and participate as a Party in the proceedings. This status was instrumental in achieving a successful outcome, and shows how effective collaboration between LPRO and residents can be in ensuring the community’s voice is heard.
CAPITOL THEATRE: 2490-2514 Yonge Street, 10-12 Castlefield Avenue, and portions of 20 Castlefield Avenue and 567 Duplex Avenue
BACKGROUND
The development is at the site of the heritage-designated Capitol Theatre Building. Located directly behind the north end of the site, at 2512R Yonge Street, is the heritage designated First North Toronto School (1850) which has been used as the Orange Hall for nearly a century.
In June 2018 Madison Homes submitted a redevelopment proposal that included both the Capitol Theatre Property, adjacent retail building to the north and the Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) Lot at the rear. This concept proposed a 21-storey tower at Yonge and Castlefield. The TPA lot had previously been identified by City Planning as the location of a future park.
The plans were re-submitted in July 2019, for a 14-storey building. The revised proposal excluded the TPA lot at the rear. LPRO sent a letter create new link in place of this to the Councillor and City Planner on August 13, 2019, listing key concerns regarding the height, heritage, and shadow impacts of the proposal.
A Community Consultation meeting was held in September 2019 and attended by approximately 50 people. The issues raised at the meeting included: building height, heritage preservation, the proposed future park, parking, infrastructure capacity and conformity with the Midtown in Focus Plan.
APPROVED PROPOSAL
The development was on the Agenda for the North York Community Council (NYCC) meeting of January 8, 2020, but the item was deferred to March 12, 2020, so that issues regarding a TPA land exchange and the heritage designation could first be resolved. LPRO sent a letter to NYCC on January 6, 2020 again asking for changes to the building including to prevent shadowing over the future park.
The City Planning Report recommended approving the building and designating the TPA Lot to a “Parks and Open Space” Area to secure it as a future park. LPRO presented at the March 12, 2020 NYCC Meeting to raise concerns over the 14 storey building height at the back overlooking a future park, looming over two sides of the abutting one storey heritage listed first school in North Toronto, and setting a precedent for more 14+ storey buildings on Yonge Street. NYCC approved the City Planning report and the application was subsequently approved by City Council at its May 28, 2020 meeting.
The final proposal approved by City Council is 14-storeys and 50.4m tall. The upper storeys would terrace back from Yonge Street and the north portion of the building will be 9 storeys. The building will include 150 residential units and 1,403m2 of retail. An underground garage with 191 parking spaces will have access from Castlefield Avenue. The façade and marquee of the historic Capitol Theatre building will be retained. In addition in October 2021 Toronto City Council approved an Official Plan Amendment changing the permitted land use on the Castlefield Parking Lot site from “Neighbourhoods” to “Parks and Open Space.” This will allow for the creation of a park, something which was envisioned through the Midtown Parks and Public Realm Plan in 2018. The park will be up to 3,700 m2 (40,000 sq. ft.) in size, which is more than 7 times the size of the nearby St. Clements Parkette.
250 LAWRENCE AVE. W. (Former Lawrence Medical Building)
APPROVED PROPOSAL
LPRO, South Armour Heights Residents’ Association, Upper Avenue Community Association, Bedford Park Residents Organization and residents of the Bedford Glen neighbourhood and Rosewell Ave, along with many others in the community, raised the funds to hire a lawyer and planner to defend the community’s interests at the OMB/LPAT hearing which commenced in May 2018.
Though the OMB/LPAT did not rule in favour of the City and residents’ organizations, LPRO and the other residents groups’ involvement and strong opposition directly impacted the developers’ plans. This included a reduction in height from 11-storeys to 9-storeys with a greater setback from the ravine, 159 units versus 264, a public parkland dedication and pathways leading to the ravine. LPAT also ruled that a Site Plan Working Group composed of local residents must be struck to be involved in the next stages of planning. LPRO took part in this committee which resulted in further refinements to the plan.
Since the LPAT ruling, the developer has agreed to construct the onsite parkland dedication (as opposed to the City) at 219 Glengarry Avenue. Demolition of the property at 219 Glengarry Avenue has concluded and it is expected that the construction of the park will occur within the same timeframe as the construction of the condominium building.