To all residents near 28 River Street:
Letter mail from Aird Berlis LLP, counsel to 28 River Street Holdings Limited (Rosewater Capital), dated September 27th indicates that the April 26th refusal by City Council was appealed by Aird Berlis on behalf of the developer with the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).
As you may know, at the March 23 meeting the developer presented an alternate plan to those in attendance. This ‘bait and switch’, an attempt to appease some of the city’s concerns with their application, was just as dubious as the original application. Clearly this was insincere, as the developer has decided to pursue an appeal with the OMB instead of resubmitting the revised proposal. So, off to the OMB we go!
Our concerns remain exactly the same as presented to city planner Thomas Rees and voiced at the March 27th meeting:
-density of development on north side of property (adjacent to TCH housing at 30 River Street and designated neighbourhood on Wascana Avenue)
-lack of privacy for residents of 30 River Street, Wascana Avenue residents, and residents at 19 & 21 River Street
-lack of uniformity within 6 storey limits set in area if rezoned as residential/commercial
-extreme loss of sunlight for all neighbouring residents listed above (ie:no morning/afternoon sun for many Wascana residents and 30 River Street; zero sunlight after 2pm for 19 and 21 River Street), as well as significant impact to views and sight lines
-extreme traffic, congestion, and noise during construction and permanently afterwards, with 162 new units in proposal
-lack of infrastructure to support development (especially sewer/waste water)
-inadequate parking plan for residents (while within city standards, only 1 spot for every 3 units)
-extreme increase in strain on transit in area
-lack of adequate green spaces and neighbourhood uniformity for a development of this size
-extreme nature of density in this proposal compared to other Rosewater developments
-many other concerns raised (vibrations/dust/lane closure/etc..)
Adding a 15 storey building on this site will completely change the landscape of our neighbourhood. Anything beyond the city’s Approved Use standards needs to addressed directly with the OMB so that they will feel compelled to do the right thing for Corktown residents.
The OMB pre-hearing conference is scheduled for Thursday, November 2, at 10:00am. Location:
Ontario Municipal Board
655 Bay Street
16th Floor
Toronto, ON
M5G 1E5
Though you are not required to do so, if you wish to attend the pre-hearing conference the developer’s lawyers would like to “understand your interest in the proceedings”. Contact Jinny Tran at Aird Berlis (416)865-4624,
jtran@airdberlis.com by October 13th.
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