Toronto Riverhouse at The Old Mill | ?m | 11s | Lanterra | P + S / IBI

interchange42

Administrator
Staff member
Member Bio
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
27,143
Reaction score
35,245
Location
by the Humber
The following quotes originally appeared in this thread.

From Etobicoke York:

Old Mill Inn Expansion:
www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mm...e-1252.pdf

Yuck.

AoD

Old Mill Expansion: Faux Chateau. Can't they keep their hysterical historical references in line with the Mock Tudor/English Cottage thing going on across the street? This is not EPCOT people! One faked-up old-world country at a time please!

42

Well, months later, things are moving on this project. If you're in the mood for some classic NIMBY squawk, read on, from the Etobicoke Guardian:

Residents' group rejects condo bid

Converting existing parking lot 'no real impact': councillor

BY TAMARA SHEPHARD
FEBRUARY 7, 2008 02:45 PM

A 10-storey condominium proposed to be built on a portion of The Old Mill's parking lot could threaten the integrity of the city's new Official Plan, as well as parkland across Toronto, says an area residents' group.
The critical issue is the requirement of an Official Plan (OP) amendment to change the nearly 12,000-square metre site's designation from "Parks and Open Space Areas - Natural Areas" to "Apartment Neighbourhood," say opponents.
But the local councillor disagrees, and says developing the parking lot has no real impact.
"If we continue to make exceptions to the Official Plan... at the end of the day, the Official Plan will stand for nothing," said John Boudreau of Old Millside Residents' Association, an area located just across the Humber River.
"It makes it open season on every ravine in the city of Toronto. It sets a bad precedent, whereby a developer could build a condo in other protected areas in the city."
Santek Investments Inc., which represents the owners of The Old Mill, need an OP and zoning amendment to complete its plans to build an 84-unit condo with four-storey underground garage with 218 parking spaces.
City staff recommend approval of the development, proposed for the upper parking lot on Old Mill Road across the street from The Old Mill, just west of the Humber River.
A public meeting on the proposal is scheduled to come before Etobicoke York Community Council at the Etobicoke Civic Centre on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
The Old Millsiders have urged members of residents' groups in neighbouring Kingsway, Bloor West Village, Swansea, Baby Point and Warren Park to attend and to speak at Tuesday night's meeting.
Removal of a total of 322 trees - 58 of them wider than 10 centimetres at 'breast height' - is considered "only a slight impact" to environmental features of the property, the report states.
Boudreau disagrees, and called it 'thin information': "I'd like to see the corresponding evidence from Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and (city) urban forestry saying that this is acceptable."
Local Ward 5 (Etobicoke-Lakeshore) Councillor Peter Milczyn called it "a good project," this week.
"On the surface if you read the report, it sounds dastardly, like parkland is being converted into a condo," Milczyn said. "But in reality, it's a parking lot. It doesn't really have an impact.
"If it was a woodlot or green space, I wouldn't support it. But it's a parking lot."
The relatively small size of the project is not likely to generate excessive traffic, Milczyn said, a concern of neighbouring residents.
Residential intensification is appropriate for the site, located perhaps 60 metres from Old Mill Subway station, say Milczyn and city planners.
Boudreau doesn't see it. "Why do people go to The Old Mill? To see a condo, or to see The Old Mill as it was, the Humber River valley and salmon going upstream?"
Community benefits from the proposal recommended by city staff include $500,000 for park improvements in the area, and $100,000 for heritage improvements along the Humber River valley, the final report indicates.
 
I don't think this would be too intrusive in the neighbourhood. It's a very short walk to the subway, and as such it's a location which seems suitable for intensification. It's also somewhat in keeping with the two condos recently built right at Old Mill and Bloor, which I think are assets to the neighbourhood.
 
Boudreau doesn't see it. "Why do people go to The Old Mill? To see a condo, or to see The Old Mill as it was, the Humber River valley and salmon going upstream?"

Er, hey, bucko, you can't see The Old Mill as it was no more, the owners sacrificed it on behalf of Disney at the beginning of this century ago...
 
Update from the Etobicoke Guardian:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Condo to rise on parking lot

Council approves community consultation on project's site plan

February 14, 2008 03:43 PM
TAMARA SHEPHARD

A 10-storey condominium proposed to be built on The Old Mill's upper parking lot got the green light this week despite opposition by residents' groups.
The Etobicoke York Community Council voted Tuesday night to grant Old Mill owners Official Plan and zoning amendments to build an 84-unit condo with a four-storey underground garage with 218 parking spaces.

"I appreciate people's dislike, but this type of application is not dealt with lightly by staff or council," said local Ward 5 (Etobicoke-Lakeshore) Councillor Peter Milczyn, after 13 residents addressed the committee in opposition to the project.

Councillors adopted Milczyn's amendments to permit community consultation on the project's site plan - not normally a public process - for landscaping and streetscaping to address traffic safety concerns, as well as the detailed design of ecological features.

Santek Investments Inc., which represents The Old Mill owners, want to build the condo in part to resolve its longstanding parking shortage. During peak periods, patrons routinely park on Old Mill Road, and in neighbouring parking lots.

Opponents charge that granting approval to change the city ravine-protected site's OP designation from "Parks and Open Space Areas - Natural Areas" to "Apartment Neighbourhood" could threaten ravines across the city.

"If the city continues to violate the spirit and intent of the Official Plan then the Official Plan will stand for nothing," said John Boudreau of Old Millside Residents' Association, an area located on the east side of the Humber River.

"It will be open season on ravines across the City of Toronto."

Madeleine McDowell, representing the Humber Heritage Committee and the Swansea Historical Society, defended the Humber River Valley.

"'Open Space' is not empty waiting to be filled," she said. "This is not in the common good of the people. The valley is the neighbourhood, much more than Bloor Street."

But commenting agency Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and councillors disagreed.

The application met two TRCA tests: it demonstrated no risk of flooding on the site or adjacent sites, and actually would replace a parking lot on 3,500-square metres with 10,000 square metres of plantings down the river valley, Steven Heuchert, TRCA's manager of development planning and regulation said yesterday in an interview.

"In an ideal world both of the parking lots would be reverted back to green space," Heuchert said. "You would replace the development impacts there now, due to the parking lots, with a forest lot or wetland habitat.

"But realistically, that's not going to happen... We try to get the best we can, while ensuring our basic principles are covered."

Boudreau questioned why city staff and councillors defend the Official Plan on some applications, and not others.

Recently, the city and a Kingsway residents' group fought - and lost - an Ontario Municipal Board battle over Dunpar Developments Inc.'s proposed seven-storey condominium in an area where the Dundas West Avenue Study dictates five storeys. The project also included the purchase of three neighbourhood houses.

The two applications represent completely different planning contexts, Milczyn said.

"While (Dunpar's application) was about an extra floor and pushing the building of a few houses into the neighbourhood, the next application might want to take more houses out of the neighbourhood, might want more extra floors or several buildings with several extra floors.

"Over time, it could result in hundreds and hundreds of extra units, and a completely different look to that area rather than what the vision was," Milczyn said in an interview Wednesday, adding it has implications for how other avenue studies across Toronto might be treated.

By comparison, The Old Mill condo decision isn't likely to have a domino effect on other city ravines, Milczyn said.

"The Old Mill application is one single, unique, isolated site," he said. "What happens on that doesn't really set a precedent for any neighbouring sites, additional sites along the Humber (River) and likely not on any or many sites anywhere else within the city."
 
Approved

This project was approved last night by Toronto City Council....

from today's Star..

APPROVED:

A 10-storey condo on a parking lot near the Old Mill subway station. Councillor Peter Milczyn said 322 trees to be sacrificed on the site are mostly small and don't fall under the tree protection bylaw, and some are non-native species forestry officials would like removed.

"It's a condo on a parking lot within 200 metres of one of the least-utilized subway stations in the city," said Milczyn, adding a 23-storey condo tower is nearby.
 
"It's a condo on a parking lot within 200 metres of one of the least-utilized subway stations in the city," said Milczyn, adding a 23-storey condo tower is nearby. I must say, that's pleasantly blunt. Good for him.
 
Page and Steele is designing this one for Lanterra Developments.

The Riverhouse at the Old Mill.
 
I'll be surprised if it turns out to be anything other than Cheddingtonista style.
 
From Councillor Peter Milczyn's e-newsletter:

Old Mill Road Condominium Update
On May 27th, City Planning Staff (along with Heritage, Transportation, TRCA and Forestry Staff) hosted a community meeting to update residents in the area on the Site Plan details for this condominium.

The meeting was attended by about 70 residents, divided almost equally between residents of Ward 5 and Ward 13 (Councillor Saundercook's Ward across the Humber River). Those attending the meeting wanted to learn more about the site plan details, questioned the 1984 Land Transfer Agreement between former City of York and the Old Mill, raised concerns about the heritage of this area, and voiced their continued opposition to City Council's approval of this condominium in March 2008. That vote by Toronto City Council was 26-12.

Staff will Report to Council this fall on Site Plan Approval. I will continue to keep the Ward informed on this particular project as I know it is of interest to many.

A few issues were raised at the meeting, which warrant clarification:

The 10 storey, 84 unit condominium has been proposed to be built 100% on privately owned property, currently used as the upper parking lot for the Old Mill Inn. No portions of the proposed condominium is being proposed to be built on TRCA lands. The City Solicitor has reviewed the 1984 Land Transfer Agreement and confirmed that there is no breach of agreement or legal matter here. Their full comments are to be included in the site plan report in the fall. Toronto City Council was aware of this 1984 Agreement when they debated and voted upon this condominium in March 2008. It was raised at City Coucil during 'questions of Staff'.

The key 'constraint' available to City Planning on any potential development proposal at this location, was the requirements for the environmental protection of the Humber River valley. The Toronto & Region Conservation Authority had to first thoroughly review the application. They approved it from a technical/scientific perspective. Once those requirements were met, City Planning staff then reviewed the application against all of the applicable policies of the City's Official Plan.
Toronto Heritage Preservation Services also was required to fully review and comment on this application before City Council voted upon it. The proposal was reviewed as an 'adjacency to a designated site'. The heritage designation actually applies to "ruins" that no longer exist which makes the assessment of "heritage impact" complicated. Nevertheless, they commented on the application as being adjacent to a designated site and did so to the fullest extent of their legislated ability.

The heritage designation of the ruins does not sterilize potential development in the general area.

Mary MacDonald, Manager of Heritage Preservation has advised me that Heritage Staff are currently in the process of defining the criteria for a Cultural Heritage Landscape Inventory for Toronto. That work is underway, but has to be approved/adopted by Council. She anticipates it might take the better part of a year. Once completed, the Old Mill area can be considered for addition to this inventory.

I appreciate the sensitivity of the site and most people's concern for the river valley, as I also live in the area and was raised nearby. We have to keep in mind that it is located near to similar and larger condominium buildings, and is very close to the lowest used subway station on the entire TTC system.
There will be significant public benefits provided from the development including several acres of valley lands being ecologically restored, funds for park improvements, and for the first time a proper sidewalk leading down to the historic Old Mill bridge will be installed. I believe that hundreds of new trees are also to be planted in the area.
The full Staff Report as approved by Council can be read via the following link:
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/ey/bgrd/backgroundfile-10349.pdf

I am in the process of responding to a series of questions posed to myself, Planning and Legal following that meeting (from Ratepayers Groups) and I will post more information on those questions/answers in the next e-News update.

If you have concerns or wish to speak to me on this development, please contact my office.
 
Great location and love the area. Best for those that don't need a car because the parking lot was flooded this winter, I guess they could save on the indoor pool as well http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_32016.aspx

The parking lot that was flooded is not the one that they're going to be building the condo on. The latter parking lot is located much higher up the river bank; I can't imagine that flooding will ever be a problem.
 
I'll be surprised if it turns out to be anything other than Cheddingtonista style.

Well Towered, you will not be surprised. Check out the link near the bottom of my previous post, and find your way to the elevations: welcome to West Cheddington! Actually, with the Mansard roof, it's more faux-Français than Ye-Olde-Blightye*, so I'll propose the name 'le Manoir Roquefort' for marketing this condo.

42

*The Cheddington itself is not that english looking in the first place. It's more Mad King Ludwig, poor fella, anyway...
 
Well if they wanted to be really contextual, they could model it after this:

Newton_memorial_boullee.jpg
 

Back
Top