You are wrong Automation Gallery.
The developer presently has permission to proceed with a 12 storey building on King Street and an 11 floor building fronting on Stewart Street as per an OMB decision in early 2011. Before this, the developer was made aware that the city would not accept its original proposal due to the additional height and the absence of set-backs as per the Secondary Plan. Moreover, Freed was also already quite aware that the city would refuse its additional height request long before 621 Kings had even been switched from being a hotel to a residential condo.
After the C of A refusal, and his OMB win, Freed proceeded with the 12 and 11 floor plan (which he had intended all along). He took a gamble to go ahead while the city appealed to Divisional Court. The city lost that appeal. But as Freed was already moving ahead on what it always intended to build, it really wasn't an issue. Freed is now going back to the OMB on May 22 to challenge a city zoning amendment refusal to further increase the height from 12 to 15 floors (going from 44.2 metres to 50.3 metres to the top of the mechanical room) for the King building.
Prior to this, the developer already had a demolition permit in place, and subsequently received permission for excavation. If there were no excavation permit in place, the builder would be breaking the law. Presently, excavation is moving very slowly at 621 King. That is what was being referred to in this thread.
As there are no changes to the five levels of underground parking and 296 parking spaces, nor are there any changes to the 11 storey Stewart Street building, construction of the underground can proceed. In fact, there is nothing stopping the developer with moving full-steam ahead with its 12 and 11 floor buildings that it has been granted the right to proceed with by the OMB. But now they want more.
If you want to blame approvals, variances and the OMB, look first to the developer who initially fought against the community, the secondary plan and the city, and then opted to approach the OMB. Freed made itself late by fighting the city every step of the way. You can't blame the processes themselves. The developer knows how these work. All that being said, the excavation is slow.
And as per my original comment, Freed projects are always late. I've owned in a Freed project and it was late. I have friends in three other Freed projects, and those were all late.