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Community council approves office building on TTC parking lot
Community council approves office building on TTC parking lot. North York councillors have approved a development for an office building at the northwest corner of Wilson Avenue and Yonge Street. Toronto council will consider the development at its July 12-13 meeting.
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Although the TTC no longer plans to call it home for its headquarters, a controversial office building for the northwest corner of Wilson Avenue and Yonge Street has been approved by North York councillors. The property, at 4050 Yonge, is now a 260-space commuter parking lot and includes a TTC entrance building leading to an underground tunnel taking commuters to the York Mills subway station on the west side of Yonge, and the York Mills GO Transit bus terminal on the east side of Yonge.
As recently as last winter, the proposed development was to house TTC headquarters, currently located at 1900 Yonge at Davisville Avenue, but those plans have since been abandoned.
Don Logie, senior vice-president of development for Build Toronto, the city's arm's-length real estate development arm, said the organization is confident it can attract a tenant.
"We think this is going to be a very good location and we're optimistic we will get a tenant in the near future," he said.
The proposed development calls for a seven-storey building, according to a city report presented to councillors at the June 22 community council meeting. City council will consider the development at its July 12-13 meeting.
The building would be almost 44,700 square metres (480,800 square feet), including about three-quarters for offices and almost 5,600 square metres (60,000 square feet) for retail, restaurant and cafe space.
A green roof is proposed on the sixth and seventh floors and an atrium in the centre of the building would provide natural light.
A three-level parking garage would hold 371 parking spaces and 134 spots for bicycles.
After residents expressed concerns, Build Toronto made changes, including working with the Toronto Region Conservation Authority on the remediation of the valley lands, Logie said.
In addition, since the development was first pitched in April 2010, the height of the building has been reduced to seven storeys from eight, the floor area has been scaled back by more than 1,700 square metres (18,400 square feet) and the number of parking spaces have been bumped to 371 on three levels from 231 on two levels.
But several residents remain upset with the plans, including Trevor Jones, director of the Yonge Ridge Homeowners Association.
"This is a regrettable and disappointing project for our community," he said.
Jones laid out a number of concerns including the loss of TTC commuter parking spots to be replaced with tenant-only spots, fears there won't be enough parking spots for everyone using the building, increased traffic on surrounding streets, limited kiss and ride parking spaces on Old York Mills Road, and ecological problems by constructing the building in a flood plain area.
Arguing there are already about 9,300 square metres (100,000 square feet) of vacant office space in the immediate vicinity, Jones said he is surprised Build Toronto opted for an office building on the site rather than a condominium building.
Mitchell Shnier is also worried about the loss of commuter parking spaces, pointing out 130 parking spaces are soon to be lost beside the nearby Miller Tavern.
"This is a TTC property, public property, and what they're doing is discouraging people from using it," he said.
But Eglinton-Lawrence Councillor Karen Stintz said there are other parking spaces in the area and argued it is time to develop the existing parking lot.
"I think it is fair to say a parking lot is not the best use at the corner of Yonge and York Mills, Yonge and Wilson," she said.
However, while Don Valley West Councillor Jaye Robinson acknowledged Build Toronto has made a number of concessions, she said she couldn't vote for the development.
"The bottom line is this does impact Ward 25 Don Valley West (which abuts the property) and my job is to be the voice for those residents," said Robinson, the only councillor who voted against the proposal.
