Source:
http://www.yorkregion.com/news/article/961494--high-rise-deal-reached
High rise deal reached
Deal reached. Councillor Howard Shore encourages concerned citizens to show up at a meeting to fight large-scale development plans near Don Mills Road and Steeles Avenue on Markham’s southern border with Toronto.
An 11th-hour compromise appears to have been reached between Markham residents and developers of the controversial Shops on Steeles highrise project.
“It’s like we’ve reached a settlement on the courtroom steps,” Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said yesterday, describing the last-minute negotiations over an issue that has troubled the neighbourhood near Steeles and Hwy. 404 for several years.
Bayview Summit wanted to build 1,787 residential units in five towers on the 18-acre site on the Toronto-Markham border and brought its case to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) when Markham failed to approve plans.
The OMB is set to convene Monday to consider the issue, but a counter-offer proposed by the key ratepayers group, German Mills Residents Association, was endorsed by Markham council and the developer late Tuesday night.
But not everyone is happy with the compromise that would see more than 500 fewer units and a slight reduction in the height of the project, originally proposed to tower 32 storeys over the townhouse community to the north.
Toronto Councillor David Shiner, representing those living on the south side of Steeles in Willowdale, said yesterday that based on his interpretation of the newly negotiated deal, the City of Toronto will continue to fight the development at the OMB and may even refuse to allow sewer development along Steeles to service the units —* something Toronto has the right to do as owner of the thoroughfare.
The deal struck in private “is so very far away off what residents were looking for” and does not appear to meet recommendations made by Markham’s own town planner.
He said it was pushed forward by Thornhill Councillor Howard Shore who needlessly scared residents away from the OMB, believing a board decision would favour developers. “I was not even consulted on this,” he said. “This affects the south side of Steeles dramatically.”
While discussions are ongoing, the OMB hearing will still go ahead because the board needs to be briefed on any settlement and the impact on next steps for the board’s deliberation, said Jim Baird, Markham’s commissioner of development services.
Emotions were running high Tuesday as residents, concerned that Markham councillors might back down on their opposition to the high density, ramped up their efforts and rallied outside the mall in the afternoon. That night, more than 20 delegates appealed to council again.
Councillors held a private discussion, then at 11 p.m. publicly voted unanimously to support the ratepayers’ counter-offer that Bayview Summit had also agreed to, subject to what Summit’s project manager, Shelly Mecklinger, called “minor legalities”.
As of yesterday afternoon, the settlement had not yet been signed, said Mr. Mecklinger.
“We still have to show up Monday [at the OMB], there still could be some angry ratepayers ... and a few hurdles to jump over until the OMB approves it,” he said. “But we look forward to a successful outcome of the whole project.”
The new proposal would see 1,235 units, with the number of storeys expected to be “in the low 20s”, according to Mr. Shore. “It’s an absolute victory for the community. Everyone would prefer it to be even smaller, but under the circumstances, we realize that in a worst-case scenario it could go to the OMB and we’d possibly end up losing.”
A meeting was scheduled at a Thornhill synagogue for last night — originally to rally residents against the development in advance of Monday’s OMB hearing — but altered to be an information sharing session with the community.
Mr. Shiner expressed anger over the meeting arrangements, saying he was originally invited to speak at the event but was informed yesterday by Mr. Shore that he would not be permitted because he could “stir a pot of dissent”.
“I’m going tonight because I still have concerns in my community about the height and density of development,” he said. “We live in a democracy and you can’t silence people this way.”
