Kippendavie Beach condos approved

City, residents and developer reach deal
Toronto council approves Kippendavie Ave project
Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier April 14.)

These homes will be demolished to pave way for at least 60 condo units on Kippendavie Ave. Photo by Francis Crescia/Town Crier file photo.

The city approved a settlement for the Beach development at 66-76 Kippendavie Avenue.
Developer Worsley Urban Partners first proposed the condo project in 2009 but due to council’s lack of a decision in a timely matter, the developer appealed directly to the Ontario Municipal Board.
So this new settlement was an 11th hour deal considering 1 board pre-hearing looming April 19.
The city, Kew Beach Neighbourhood Association, Toronto District School Board and the developer met with a city-funded mediator on April 6 and came away with a settlement, which was approved by council without debate on April 12.
Beach Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon said that all parties compromised to reach this agreement.
“I am happy everyone can get on with their lives and have worked really hard especially the community,” she said hours April 12 vote to approve the project. “But I am worried about the size and the (area basement) flooding.”

Advertisement

Hubbard social housing fixed up

Toronto Community Housing renovated 42 Hubbard Blvd
While housing nearby for sale, this site gets $4 mil reno
Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier April 7.)

Kew Beach resident Deborah Beaven will be moving back to renovated Toronto Community Housing apartment complex at 42 Hubbard Blvd. Photo by Francis Crescia/Town Crier.

Deborah Beaven can’t wait to move back home to her Toronto Community Housing apartment at 42 Hubbard Blvd.
She’s lived at the 27-unit Kew Beach apartment complex for over two decades, but all the tenants were moved out two years ago when mould was found throughout the building.
This summer she and any of the previous tenants who wish to return will be moving back home.
“I am down there every second day watching it (construction),” said Beaven. “I am marking the days on my calendar. I miss being in my home. I miss my neighbours of 22 years.”
Beaven was one of the lucky ones as she was relocated only seven blocks away.
“But it’s a world away,” said Beaven, who was the 42 Hubbard’s tenant rep for seven years.
She said through phone calls, emails and Facebook connections she gathers that 80-85 percent of previous tenants plan to return to the Hubbard building, which offers a mix of rent-geared-to-income and market rent apartments.

Toronto Community Housing selling properties

Case Ootes lone board member votes to sell 22 homes
City-owned housing provider to make millions
Money would be used to fix crumbling housing stock
Kris Scheuer
(Written April 6 for Town Crier.)

Case Ootes explains his vote to sell 22 social housing properties. Kris Scheuer/Town Crier photo.

Case Ootes, the one man board at Toronto Community Housing Corporation, voted today to sell 22 single families homes in the portfolio that could net the corporation up to $15.7 million.
Some who came out to the meeting asked Ootes to defer the decision until a full board is in place this June. But Ootes said he’s acting on recommendations of the previous board to sell these homes including beachfront property on Hubbard Boulevard that are too costly to maintain.
A staff report this issue states the net profits from the sales should be used to tackle the backlog to fix up existing community housing across the city which Ootes pegs at close to $600 million.
“I made the decision based on the fact this corporation is facing serious financial problems,” he told the media after the meeting. “There are almost 2,000 vacant units in some form of disrepair. Money is needed to repair these units.”
But selling all 22 homes, which contain 29 separate units, won’t be a cakewalk.
Currently, 15 of the 29 units are occupied by tenants with most of them paying market rent. The market rent tenants can’t be kicked out by any new owner unless they or their families plan to live in the homes.
“Most buyers do want (houses) to be vacant so it will be more difficult to sell,” said Ootes. 

McMahon takes helm in Beach

Mary-Margaret McMahon gets prepared for takeover Dec. 1
New councillor will start new rein after beating Sandra Bussin
Kris Scheuer
(Written Nov. 9 for Town Crier.)

It was the first day of school and Mary-Margaret McMahon was hitting the books.
Though she doesn’t officially start until Dec.1, the newly elected Ward 32 Beaches East-York councillor and her fellow newbie colleagues were at city hall on Nov. 9 doing an orientation session. McMahon came away with “homework” – a think binder of council protocol.
And, judging by the amount of calls she’s been getting, McMahon better get up to speed – fast.
In a post-election interview at city hall, McMahon said she’s trying to get one step ahead, meeting with residents, businesses and developers to discuss ongoing files and projects in the ward.
In a stunning win over embattled incumbent Sandra Bussin, McMahon got 65 percent of the votes on election day, Bussin walked away with 25 percent.
But faced with controversy after controversy this past election term proved to be her undoing.
McMahon even counts herself as a previous Bussin supporter.
“I voted for Sandra every time,” said McMahon, who’s lived in the ward for 19 years.
Beyond Bussin’s troubles, McMahon attributes her success on election day to a number of factors. She knocked on doors daily for about 16 weeks. Three other candidates dropped out of the race to support her and she got some high profile endorsements.
She admits there was a lot of anger towards Bussin, especially over the sole-source Tuggs beach café deal.
“There was an … ‘anybody but Bussin’ movement,” she said.
But McMahon brings her own local experience in the community, including co-founding a local farmer’s market, which attracted new businesses to Danforth.
McMahon said she’s a woman of action and promises the same approach as councillor.
“I will host regular town halls at three libraries so people can bring up joys and concerns and a vision for the community,” said McMahon, who lives in the Danforth and Woodbine area with her husband, Jim, and children, Liam and Becca.
She describers herself as a “doer” who doesn’t like to “burden” others by asking for help. She said the transition into her new job is going relatively well even without help from outgoing Councillor Bussin.
“I have not heard from (Bussin) or her staff. It’s disappointing.”
Returning veteran Councillor Pam McConnell has reached out by having many of the 15 females on council to her condo on Nov. 8, said McMahon.
And she’s met with many of the new councillors for coffee to talk shop.
“One councillor said, ‘it’s nice to know you have friends before you get to school.’”

Kippendavie development heads to OMB

Council’s made no decision, developer will try reach deal
But has appealed condo plan to Ontario Municipal Board just in case
Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier Nov. 11.)

Residents protest outside Kippendavie pre-sales office for condos that have yet to be approved for development. Photo courtesy of Joanne Dicaire.

Beach residents are trying to halt a condo project until the city has a plan in place to fix residential water and sewage basement flooding.
Longo Development plans to tear down six existing homes and build a 65-unit, four-storey condo on Kippendavie Avenue.
The Beach has been prone to storm water and sewage basement flooding and some residents are concerned development intensification on their street will only exacerbate the problem.
The Kew Beach Neighbourhood Association organized a protest Nov. 6 and 7 when the developer started pre-sales of the yet to be approved condo project.
“We need more studies,” said Joanne Dicaire, chair of the group’s sewage and flooding committee.

Beachfront heritage homes for sale

Kris Scheuer
(Published in the Town Crier Aug. 13.)

This Hubbard Blvd home is now listed as heritage and had been declared surplus by the owner Toronto Community Housing. Photo by Kris Scheuer/Town Crier.

A dozen Beach homes worth millions are now listed as heritage properties including several sites Toronto Community Housing plans to sell.
They sit on the former site of Scarboro Beach Amusement Park.
The 1920s-built homes on Wineva Avenue and Hubbard Boulevard are mix of publicly and privately owned sites facing Kew Balmy Beach.
Janice Hadfield lives in one of the properties on Wineva and says she’s pleased the home is on the heritage list.

Surplus social housing sell off

Toronto social housing sold to Wigwamen
City sells 20 properties to affordable housing provider
By Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier May 14.)

Toronto Community Housing is giving affordable housing agencies first dibs on properties for sale, including 5 Hubbard Blvd. across from Kew Beach. Photo by Kris Scheuer/Town Crier.

The city’s largest social housing landlord has begun the process of selling surplus Beach homes worth millions for a fraction of their market value.
On May 12, city council voted to sell 20 properties across the city with a combined market value of $8.6 million for $395,156 to the non-profit Aboriginal housing provider Wigwamen.
The Toronto Community Housing properties include single-family homes on Pape, Malvern and Golfview avenues, and Milverton Boulevard.
That selling price is the remaining mortgages on the homes.
The process is actually cost-effective, says a city councillor.
Normally, if the city sells or demolishes any social housing units in its stock, it is mandated to replace them within the same community. In this case, the units were sold to an agency that will maintain the properties as social housing, so the city’s not required to replace the housing.
“This is cost neutral,” explained Councillor Paula Fletcher, who sits on the TCH board.
If the city had sold the properties for $8.6 million to a developer, for instance, the city would have spent about the same to build 20 replacement units. According to a city staff report, it would have cost $6.1 million, plus the cost of land for replacement units.
It’s a good deal, said Jeffery Ferrier, spokesperson for the city’s housing agency, because a sale and replacement scenario would have been a money-losing proposition for Toronto Community Housing.  “You can’t just look at the market value. You have to consider costs to replace the units with better housing. The costs of (real estate) commissions, construction, demolition and land would cost more.”

New contract for beach volleyball

John Morrison built up business of volleyball at Ashbridges Bay over 14 yrs
Accomplishments being ignored and was shut out of new contract says Morrison
He owed city money at end of last contract and didn’t bid on new deal
By Kris Scheuer
(Written April 8 for Town Crier.)

John Morrison’s dream of continuing his beach volleyball partnership with the city was spiked when council awarded a new contract to another major player.
The Ontario Volleyball Assocation was the only bidder for the five-year contract to run beach volleyball at Ashbridges Bay and on March 31 the city sealed the new deal.
Morrison’s company TESSC Inc., better known as Not So Pro Sports, has been running beach volleyball at the site with various city permits and contracts for 14 years. His previous city contract expired last September and he has yet to settle up for $327,875 he owes.
But for Morrison that’s where the story begins not where it ends.
“They say pay up your bill and thanks for the last 14 years — don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” said Morrison.