Here is the neighbourhood group's take on the matter:
http://www.hvvra.ca/. And here is the Councillor's take on it:IMPORTANT MESSAGE REGARDING THE HUMBERTOWN APPLICATION
My apologies if you have received this email more than once as there was a technical error with IT. Please pass this message along to friends and family who are interested in this matter.
I am happy to announce a mediated settlement has been reached between First Capital Realty (FCR), Humber Valley Village Residents Association (HVVRA), Residents Against Irresponsible Development (RAID), and the City of Toronto.
Last Tuesday, over 200 members of the HVVRA saw plans at Kingsway College School and voted unanimously to approve the mediated proposal for redevelopment. Experts retained by both the City and HVVRA are of the view that the modifications agreed to by FCR represent a substantial improvement to the project and a very significant reduction of the impact of the proposal on the single family homes in the neighbourhood. I can say with the upmost confidence this is the best possible result for the Humber Valley Village and all of Central Etobicoke. This is good news for the community and good news for the taxpayer.
This has been a very long and demanding process for the community as we were under attack from a development that was too tall, too dense, and too big. The community united together and fought back through public meetings, a working group, and finally at the Ontario Municipal Board mediation. Both Etobicoke York Community Council and Toronto City Council strongly backed my motions to reject the application, and defend that position rigorously at the OMB through City legal and an outside planner.
At each stage it appeared the developer was ready to dig in and fight with a costly hearing at the OMB where they would argue that Provincial legislation and a positive recommendation from City Planning Staff would be sufficient for the OMB to side with the developer. Through mediation at the OMB, our strong negotiating team were able to get the necessary concessions from the developer that we have been asking for years since the application was first submitted.
The negotiating team led by the HVVRA Executive with their consultants, along with the City's solicitor and the independent planner retained by the City per Council's direction was able to address the five community principles from the alternative design concept that came out of our working group meetings which included:
1. Maintain the Continuity of Our Legacy Tree Canopy;
2. We Are a Low Rise Community;
3. Be Compatible With Our Neighbourhood Scale and Texture;
4. Visual and Physical Connections Knit Into the Community Fabric; and
5. A Neighbourhood Square for Our Community.
Specifically they have agreed to reduce the residential density, step the building back so as to move the building mass away from the existing residential community and to allow for planting of large trees. Additionally there is an overall cap on the amount of retail space and big box stores are not permitted in the draft zoning by-law. This will reduce "destination traffic" as we believe this is a local shopping centre.
Most importantly, the owner has agreed to amend the proposed massing of the buildings along Royal York and Lambeth Roads and to step them back so as to accept the use of a 30 degree angular plane. This is significant as no new development in the City has achieved this. It will also set a precedent as we expect further applications in the immediate area and proceed with the Secondary Plan review.
Other highlights of the settlement include:
Increased setbacks between the buildings and roadways to allow for a legacy tree canopy to grow along Royal York, Lambeth, and Ashley Road;
Increased green spaces throughout the site;
Creation of an enhanced, larger neighbourhood square to allow public gatherings, cultural performances, and the like;
Establish a 160-unit seniors’ residence, which will facilitate senior residents remaining in the Humber Valley Village neighbourhood;
Limit the overall amount of retail space with restrictions to ensure that no “big box” stores are permitted;
Participate in a collaborative site plan approval process with the HVVRA and the City so that we can provide input into architectural design and landscaping;
Provide an $80,000 budget to HVVRA to retain professional design consultants and landscape architects for the site plan approval process;
I am proud of the leaders and members of this community for being able to unite together and find a solution while so many in this City wrote us off as NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard). This has been a story of David vs. Goliath and I expect it will be a lesson to many City Councillors who told me I was leading the community down the road to failure when we decided to fight back. Many Councillors have now congratulated me, but I have told them that congratulations needs to be extended to the Community that I represent for their resolve and hard work. I expect this to be a case for future academics in planning where it shows that a residents association can successfully fight back and provide an alternative design that can work and be beneficial to both the community and the developer.
Yours truly,
Gloria Lindsay Luby,
Toronto City Councillor,
Etobicoke Centre -- Ward 4.
To me it looks the same. Over 600 units. I hope First Capital didnt negotiate down the density.. Can't imagine they would need to have done so. To me it looks like facesaving for the neighbourhood. The commitment was made for senior residence which they had probably planned anyway. They probably reduced the thing by 10 units to let the neighbourhood and Councillor claim victory. That is my take anyway. Good I say. Build it. It is only 2x density.
Passed at council this morning. Still no hints on any changes to the design.
http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2013.CC45.5
