From the Post:
Parishioners protest adjacent condo plan
St. Basil's; Parking, size at issue as council votes on project today
Kelly Grant, National Post
Published: Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Parishioners at St. Basil's, a busy church on the grounds of the University of Toronto, are praying a last-minute petition will convince city council to temporarily halt a condominium project immediately north of the church.
Council is poised to vote today on the development proposal, which includes two residential condominium towers of 45 and 55 storeys, a trio of three-storey buildings and an expanded park on land on the west side of Bay Street between St. Joseph and St. Mary streets.
The development has run into opposition from parishioners -- more than 1,400 of whom signed a petition submitted to council yesterday -- who say the project will leave church-goers without parking six days per week, block a back entrance for the disabled and sully the look and feel of the area.
Moreover, they say St. Basil's was not given a fair chance to weigh in. They want the proposal sent back for further review and consultation.
"The parish was told, not asked," said Linda Cahill, a parishioner at St. Basil's, who attended yesterday's council meeting to deliver the petition with the help of Jenny Hood, a member of the St. Michael's College student union who also opposes the development.
But Councillor Kyle Rae, whose ward includes St. Basil's, says members of the 151-year-old Roman Catholic Church were provided ample opportunity to comment, particularly when city staff attended a meeting at the church in December.
"I'm in favour of this [development] and so is the neighbourhood," Mr. Rae said. "We've been working on it for more than a year.
Right now, the site features a parkette, part of a playing field and a 150-space parking lot, all owned by St. Michael's College, a Catholic college affiliated with the U of T.
St. Michael's has agreed to sell the plot to developer Rattling Chain International Inc.
If Rattling Chain International's proposal is approved, the surface parking lot will be wiped out, leaving St. Basil's parishioners to scramble for parking every day but Sunday, when St. Michael's has agreed to make 80 spots available at a lot south of St. Joseph Street.
St. Basil's offers as many as five masses daily for its 4,300 members, plus services to others who use the building.
Father Paul McGill, a priest at the church, said the loss of parking is a serious concern, but he also decried the design and size of the condominium, calling the towers "sterile" and "monstrous."
He dismissed Mr. Rae's contention that the church was consulted.
"That is really quite laughable," Rev. McGill said.
In April,, 2006, the developer submitted a proposal asking to erect three tall towers of 25, 37 and 45 storeys, and three six-storey buildings, on the site.
Strong community opposition to that plan prompted Mr. Rae to assemble an 11-member working group comprised of city planners, community members, employees of the developer, but no direct members of the church.
In October, 2007, the developer re-submitted its plan with changes hashed out by the working group.
An open house on the new proposal was held Nov. 5 -- which Rev. Mc-Gill called little more than a "show and tell" --and city planning staff attended a parish meeting at St. Basil's to talk about the proposal on Dec. 3.
Mr. Rae praised the project, saying it will enhance the campus.
"I think it's an excellent design. It's one of the best projects I've seen in my constituency."
kgrant@nationalpost.com
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2008/03/04/god-versus-condos-sort-of.aspx
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