81 Wellesley Street East (Icarus, seeking 29s, Core)

[dt_toronto_geek]

This is appalling! As others stated there was and is no signage or fencing. Another scumbag property owner/developer. Did anyone contact the bylaw office or whoever is responsible for enforcement? I emailed Kristen Wong-Tam and the Bus.Assoc but didn't hear back.

Hoarding went up today, I guess someone got put on notice.

KWT seems to have dropped the ball on this one - if it wasn't intentional that is.

AoD

When the demolition notice was posted here by androiduk on Dec. 2nd I posted it on both the CWNA & our Tenant Association's Facebook pages. I know for a fact that at least two emails were sent to Kristyn Wong-Tam shortly after but neither received a response from her office. I'm very disappointed that she claims she knew nothing about the demolition permit.

Two other Toronto blogs have weighed in on Odette Mansion & Couch House, Torontoist and BlogTO -

http://torontoist.com/2012/01/the-fa...y-street-east/

http://www.blogto.com/city/2012/01/a...rch_wellesley/

[urbansuburban]

i heard that the property was for sale since the beginning of 2011. I am sure most of the neighbourhood knew this. I am pretty sure KWT would have known as well. She also should have known that a developer would most likely be the buyer. She could have tried to designate it than before the sale. I am sure Wellspring wouldnt have cared since they would be leaving. why didnt she do it than? could it be that a heritage house wouldnt draw the same value for sale as an undesignated property? screw the future buyer but help out the current owner?

if she had tried to designate it while under the ownership of Wellspring, than any potential purchaser would have been aware and the final buyer would most likely be an end user who would have kept the building up. probably a law firm or other business.

[urbansuburban]

When the demolition notice was posted here by androiduk on Dec. 2nd I posted it on both the CWNA & our Tenant Association's Facebook pages. I know for a fact that at least two emails were sent to Kristyn Wong-Tam shortly after but neither received a response from her office. I'm very disappointed that she claims she knew nothing about the demolition permit.

This is why i can't stand most politicians. Feigning ignorance when they knew exactly what was happening. Someone should show her these emails and ask her to explain herself.

[greenleaf]

A KWT conspiracy theory? C'mon guys.

This is a Councillor who wants to make parts of the Church Wellesley Village and Yonge Street Heritage Conservation Districts. She would not have let this fall on purpose.

[Automation Gallery]

A KWT conspiracy theory? C'mon guys.

This is a Councillor who wants to make parts of the Church Wellesley Village and Yonge Street Heritage Conservation Districts. She would not have let this fall on purpose.

Id still take Kyle Rae over her anyday

[dt_toronto_geek]

Not much to say here except they woke me up at 7:30am this morning

[dt_toronto_geek]

Councillor Wong-Tam explains what happened when she heard about the demolition of the building. One thing seems certain, her staff didn't forward emails to her questioning the demolition permit -

To explain the chronology of events, I've summarized the actions that my office took as it appertains to the property.

I wrote to the Toronto East York Community Council on November 2, 2011 to request that 81 Wellesley Street East be designated as a heritage property. This action effectively placed the property onto the long queue of others waiting for the granting of heritage status.

At 3:00 pm on January 18, 2012, a ward resident sends a text message informing me that the property was being demolished.

I quickly called David Wootton from the CWVBIA and asked him to take photos and get the name of the demolition firm as his office was only 100 metres from the demolition site.

Concurrently, my staff called Toronto Building to investigate if a demolition permit was issued as we had no records of it in our office files or emails. No one replied to our emails and phone calls until later that day.

During this time, David provides me with the photos and name of the demolition company. I proceed to call Lions Demolition and after several attempts, I speak to Mr. Jay Hemmings, manager in charge of demolition. I allege that his demolition is illegal and that all activity must cease on the site.

Mr. Hemmings calmly informs that a demolition permit was issued on December 14, 2011 by Toronto Building and provides me with the permit number. At 5:07 pm., I get off the phone with Mr. Hemmings - only after he agreed to halt demolition, so that I could personally confirm his claims with Toronto Building. At this time, the back of the building was already removed and I thought that I could save the front and side elevations.

Toronto Buildings returns our office inquiries and explains that an application to demolish 81 Wellesley Street East was submitted on December 1, 2011 and unless a commercially-zoned property is designated as heritage, they are legally obligated to issue the demolition permit within 14 days, as per the provincial Planning Act. Furthermore, unlike residential demolition applications, no notice or consultation is required with the ward councillor for commercial properties.

I then ask the Chief Building Official to revoke or suspend the demolition permit. She replies that Toronto Building has no legal right to stop the demolition and would have to ask the owner to voluntarily halt the demolition and allow Heritage Preservation Services to catch up and list the property.

Later that same night, I learned that the machinery was moved to the front of the building and that a large hole was "punched" into the facade before the Lions Demolition workers left the site.

As of yesterday afternoon, the entire property was torn down and now sits as a pile of rubble.

I will be meeting with the Chief Building Official, the Chief Planner and the City Solicitor to review this file. I intend to advocate for improvements on how Toronto should deal with commercial demolition permits. It's clear that we need to go above and beyond minimum provincial requirements.

My office successfully lead the reforms to Toronto Building's improved standards for glass balcony railings. At first, the bureaucracy resisted my advocacy and after I convened a meeting with the development industry, a comprehensive review was undertaken and a staff report was submitted and then unanimously adopted by council.

I shall keep the CWNA and the CWVBIA informed of the progress on this matter. I've included David in this email in case he wanted to add to the context.

[barit]

This makes me sick. The bastards.

[Register123]

Perhaps the community should fight tooth and nail against any sort of proposal here, tie it up as long as possible just to make it difficult for the owners to reap a profit from their actions.

[Automation Gallery]

Perhaps the community should fight tooth and nail against any sort of proposal here, tie it up as long as possible just to make it difficult for the owners to reap a profit from their actions.

What..the City of Toronto is as much to blame for not designating it as a heritage site....
and Add-Insult-to-Injury... issuing them a demolition permit. Gee, figure it

[UrbanFervour]

Perhaps the community should fight tooth and nail against any sort of proposal here, tie it up as long as possible just to make it difficult for the owners to reap a profit from their actions.

Would you like to see yet another empty lot on Wellesley indefinitely? What is the proposal is a good one?

[Register123]

Let's make it a parkette for the troubled youth in the area. Something fun like that.

[Gord]

This makes me sick. The bastards.

How are they bastards? They had legal right to demolish the building. It's the city's fault for not getting a heritage designation for it a long time ago.

[Gord]

Perhaps the community should fight tooth and nail against any sort of proposal here, tie it up as long as possible just to make it difficult for the owners to reap a profit from their actions.

Why? So you can get arrested?

[urbansuburban]

Perhaps the community should fight tooth and nail against any sort of proposal here, tie it up as long as possible just to make it difficult for the owners to reap a profit from their actions.

what are u going to get out of that? they will just go to the OMB. Its a empty piece of land a block away from a subway station in a city where intensification is a recognized priority. The best thing to do is see if the BIA and councillor can work with the owners to put up a building that everyone will be satisfied with.