After the City's Committee of Adjustment refused a request to sever the lot at One Yonge Street last October, the applicant and property owner sought appeal from the Ontario Municipal Board to overturn the decision and allow the severage. That appeal was granted just a few weeks ago and, as it stipulates the subdivision of a new plot of land at the foot of Yonge Street for development, may spell profound changes on the way for this part of Toronto's waterfront.

Currently, the Toronto Star HQ and its massive parking lot occupy the property at One Yonge Street. However, with this new OMB decision, the owners will be permitted to demolish a small one-storey structure appended to the north side of the Toronto Star building, construct a parking facility into the eastern portion of the building, and sever the existing parking lot on the northern half of the site from the property, allowing it to be sold for development.

Initially, the City had been the one to suggest the severance, but its approval at the Committee of Adjustment was contingent on consessions for land to provide a wider right of way for Yonge Street south of Lake Shore Boulevard. According to the in-effect Official Plan of 2006, a specific right of way width is necessary for the road and the Waterfront Official Plan--which has not yet been approved--mandates a larger right of way. In their decision, the OMB found that should the City require land concessions for the right of way, they may be requested at the time of redevelopment on either site. It seems that whoever snaps up the parking lot for redevelopment will have to cut a deal with the City for the right of way extension, perhaps trading that for an increase in density.

This severance seems like a good opportunity for improving the area south of the Lake Shore and east of Yonge. The whole scene has been marred by sprawling parking lots and the dreary concrete-and-glass brutalism of the Toronto Star building, not to mention that stacking the railroad and Gardiner between Yonge and Cherry Street has isolated this area from its northern neighbours. The site is practically on the water and provides a great opportunity for a highrise with totally unobstructed views of the waterfront and east Toronto.

For more information on the severance or redevelopment at One Yonge Street, or to voice your take on it, check out their page on the UrbanToronto Forum here.