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.”

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Bayview Broadway site headed to OMB

Former car dealership lot at 1860 Bayview could become retail complex
City’s Committee of Adjustment rejected plan, developer to appeal to OMB
Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier July 21.)

Residents (L-R) Burt Rairamo, Gordon Deeks, Linda Deeks and Jesper Thoft among those opposed to current retail development plans at 1860 Bayview. Photo by Francis Crescia/Town Crier.

Community celebration over the rejection of an application to build a two-storey retail complex at Bayview and Broadway has been short-lived.
The developer, MJB Corporation, is now set to appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board after the city’s committee of adjustment refused an application to redevelop the former Brennan’s Pontiac site at 1860 Bayview Ave.
On July 6, the committee ruled the proposal was not desirable for the area and didn’t meet the city’s official plan or zoning bylaws.
“We are disappointed with their decision (to appeal). The city and community’s concerns have been clearly articulated, and the committee of adjustment agrees that the development is not minor in nature,” wrote Wayne Sliberman in an email.  Sliberman, a local resident, is part of a working group dealing with the proposal.
MJB Corp applied to build a two-floor retail store covering almost 90 percent of the site, along with 220 parking spaces. Currently the site is zoned to allow a structure that would cover one third of the spot and have a minimum of 242 parking spaces.
The developer’s lawyer Robert Kligerman said now that he’s received the committee’s refusal in writing, he can proceed with an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board.

Junior Academy wall may mean trees lost

Private school ordered to put up wall for privacy, noise barrier
Complying could mean trees damaged and cut down in process
Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier June 17.)

Junior Academy parent Marva Gragtmans's concerned if a masonry wall is built, trees could be cut down or injured in process. Photo by Kris Scheuer/Town Crier.

Junior Academy is in a quandary.
It was told by the Ontario Municipal Board to build a masonry wall between the school and its neighbours to lessen noise and increase privacy for residents next door.
However, to do that the school may have to remove five trees and damage 18 others says an arborist hired by the school.
“No one in the community benefits from the destruction of 10–12 trees,” said Junior Academy parent Marva Gragtmans. “In North Toronto we have a great canopy but we are losing old trees especially in storms.”
Instead, the school is proposing erecting a wooden fence to comply with the 2006 ruling which required the construction of a 2.4-metre high masonry wall at the Bayview and Lawrence facility.

Eglinton and Duplex high rise development

Proposal would mean building replaced with 53-storey tower
City doesn’t expect current application to go far
Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier June 3.)

Plan to build a 53-storey tower isn't getting much traction at all. Photo by Kris Scheuer/Town Crier.

An application to build a highrise tower at the corner of Eglinton and Duplex will need some drastic changes if it’s going to get any support from the city or community, says local rep Karen Stintz.
Premium Properties wants to replace a seven-storey commercial and retail building at the northeast portion of the corner with a 53-storey, 458-unit residential tower.
Stintz called the project in its current status “ridiculous”.
“We had a community meeting on this. Myself, the planner and community told the developer that it’s so big, so out of keeping (with neighbourhood),” she said. “They need to make drastic changes.”

Talbot apartments headed to court

City and residents win at OMB, but developer appeals
Redevelopment of heritage apartments could end up in court
By Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier April 28.)

Leasiders are celebrating the Ontario Municipal Board’s rejection of a
developer’s plan to tear down the heritage Talbot apartment complex on
Bayview.
However, their victory cries are muted because the site’s owner is seeking
leave to appeal the board’s decision to the Ontario Divisional Court.
Local councillor John Parker is pleased with the board’s rejection of a
redevelopment plan to demolish the apartments and construct an eight-storey
building and 54 townhouses.
“I was pleased with the Ontario Municipal Board result,” he said. “I saw it
as a long shot they’d see latitude for an appeal.”
Before the court rules on anything, a judge or a panel of judges must decide
if there are legal reasons for this appeal, and if so, determine if those
issues are significant enough to warrant an examination of the board ruling,
said Parker, a lawyer by trade.

Leasiders celebrate saving Talbot Apartments

OMB decides in favour of protecting 1930s complex
Bayview Ave garden court apartments built by former Leaside mayor
By Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier April 8  UPDATE HERE.)

Leasiders stand in front of one of three protected Bayview apartment complexes. Town Crier file photo by Francis Crescia.

Many Leasiders are breathing a collective sigh of relief this morning.
A multi-year battle mounted by residents and the city to stop the demolition and redevelopment of the heritage Talbot apartments has been successful.
In a 26-page decision, the Ontario Municipal Board denied ADMNS Kelvingrove Investment Corp its plan to demolish 21 low-rise apartments at 1325, 1351 and 1365 Bayview Avenue.
The developer planned to bulldoze the Talbot Apartments — built by former Leaside mayor Henry Howard Talbot — and replace them with an eight-storey rental building and 54 townhomes.
Carol Burtin Fripp with the Leaside Property Owners Association could not contain her excitement after hearing the news.
“We are thrilled, relieved and gratified that this community effort was a success,” she said. “We have a lot of power when we work together.”
What this means is the current tenants who reside in the 1930s-built buildings can stay.

Bayview Broadway retail complex

Developer plans shopping centre at former Pontiac dealership
Residents state project too dense for site
By Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier March 25)

Residents Burt Rairamo, Gordon and Linda Deeks, Jesper Thoft vow to fight the development at this Bayview site. Photo by Francis Crescia/Town Crier.

Starbank Development Corp is planning to build a new retail complex at Bayview and Broadway Avenues and is raising the ante by taking the proposal directly to the Ontario Municipal Board.
The project would require demolishing the old Brennan Pontiac Buick GMC dealership at 1860 Bayview Ave. and constructing a two-storey retail building instead.
According to a city staff report the proposal includes:
• 9,863 square metres of retail where only 5,110 square metres are permitted.
• A total of 223 parking spots are proposed but 275 spots are required for a project this size.
This application went to the North York Committee of Adjustment Feb. 17 with strong objection from residents stating it is too dense for the site.
“The residents feel this property is in a significant area of the city,” said Keith D’Souza, who is a residential representative on a working group for this project.

North Toronto voters’ high expectations

Coun. Karen Stintz governs a very politically active ward
Residents put pressure on politicians to side with them
(Column written Feb. 5 for Town Crier.)

Eglinton-Lawrence Councillor Karen Stintz represents a very politically engaged Ward 16 that has high expectations of their local reps.
The ward has six ratepayer organizations as well as tenant associations, condo boards and co-ops.
On top of that is the very active Federation of North Toronto Residents’ Associations that represents three dozen ratepayer organizations in the broader midtown area. And they are a politically active bunch.
Stintz says this is a blessing not a curse.
“One of the strengths of the North Toronto community is they are highly engaged and relative to the city there’s a higher than average voter turnout,” she says. “The community is very engaged and that’s not just during an election year it’s throughout a person’s (political) term.”

John Lyle’s MacLean House demo stopped

Province halts alterations of 100-year old home
City explores heritage criteria for 7 Austin Terrace
By Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier Dec. 23.)

President of Casa Loma Residents Association Robert Levy and Dyan Kirshenbaum cheered the provincial stop work order. Photo by Francis Crescia/Town Crier.

Is the MacLean House at 7 Austin Terrace worth saving?
The province has bought the city 60 days to find out.
Minister of Culture Aileen Carroll issued a stop work order Dec. 21, halting the owner from continuing to destroy possible heritage features of the 100-year-old mansion near Casa Loma.
The new owner, a numbered company, applied to the city for a demolition permit to tear down the house and build a townhouse development.
But residents who want to see the home designated a heritage property will have nothing of it.
“Residents said we should look at it from a heritage standpoint,” Councillor Joe Mihevc said. “That was communicated to the developer who started work on (removing elements of the home).”
Some damage had already been done before the stop work order was issued.

Josh Matlow running for council seat

School trustee first to declare he’ll run in St. Paul’s ward 22
Matlow dives in, but current Councillor Walker may retire in 2010
By Kris Scheuer
(Originally written Oct. 7 for Town Crier.)

School board trustee Josh Matlow, left, has already announced that he’ll be running in Ward 22 even if councillor Michael Walker runs again in 2010.

The council race in St. Paul’s has unofficially started.
Councillor Michael Walker is contemplating retirement and while the 27-year political veteran decides his future others are lining up at the gate.
Public school trustee Josh Matlow has declared he will run in Walker’s ward in 2010.
Toronto Sun columnist Sue-Ann Levy has not ruled out running nor has community activist Michael Visser. Walker’s executive assistant Chris Sellors would consider running if his boss is out of the race.
Matlow sat down with the Town Crier to discuss his candidacy on Oct. 6 the afternoon he declared he will seek the council seat and his main message was on building consensus with the public and at city hall.