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Website: www.orioleparkassociation.com |
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OPA
IN THE NEWS The Town Crier, In
2001, City Council decided to undertake a planning review of the Yonge-Eglinton
area. The purpose of this “focused review” is to develop guidelines and
policies for future development at Yonge-Eglinton, with particular emphasis
on the southwest corner of the intersection, the so-called TTC bus lands.
After many years of contemplated development, the TTC, as part owner of the
site, intends to seek proposals to develop its portion of the site and to use
the proceeds from the sale or lease of its interest to fund a new bus
terminal. The relocation of the bus lanes from the north end to the south end
of the site, to the new temporary terminal, is a first step in this process. Under Toronto’s
new Official Plan, Yonge-Eglinton has been identified as a “Centre”, a
location where the City would like to encourage investment and to accommodate
additional growth -- in the parlance of the Official Plan,
“intensification”. Because of this,
the focused review is especially important:
it is designed to ensure residents participate fully in the
decision-making process concerning changes at Yonge-Eglinton, changes that
will affect the quality of life of the surrounding neighbourhoods,
and to avoid the confrontation and bitterness that characterized the nearby Minto development.
So far, the signs are positive that our concerns are being heard and taken
seriously. Indeed, the Oriole Park
Association has taken a leading and pro-active role in the focused review by
preparing its own consultation document in June 2003. In it, we emphasized the following
objectives: ·
any
development must be comprehensive and not piecemeal and it must respect the
adjacent neighbourhood ·
there
must be public benefits in the form of open space/parkland and additional
community services ·
the
improvements to public transit must be of a high
standard The OPA continues
to emphasize the need for any development to protect the residential neighbourhood to the west and south of the TTC lands. During the past
couple of years a working group comprised of City staff, representatives of
Councillors Walker and Stintz, the TTC, residents’ groups (including the OPA)
and developers has met regularly to develop a comprehensive set of design
guidelines and planning policies These guidelines and policies are intended
inform development at the site but by
their nature do not include restrictions on such things as height or
densities, which would be covered in a zoning by-law. The design guidelines address the physical
attributes of the development -- for example, the size and scale of the
buildings, with taller buildings to be located along Yonge and Eglinton
decreasing to three stories across from the residential neighbourhood
on Duplex and Berwick, and the use of roads within the site to ameliorate
traffic congestion. The planning
policies deal with such things as park space, community services and
transportation. What is the
process going forward? In the next few
weeks or so, City staff, in consultation with the working group, will be
finalizing the guidelines, taking into account comments received from the
community at the public meeting held in June.
After that, the guidelines will be sent to City Council for approval,
at which time any interested party may make a deputation. Concurrently with this process, the TTC
will be developing its request for proposals to develop the TTC lands. The RFP, which is also subject to City
Council approval, will include as an important element the final planning
guidelines and policies. With all of that done, we should eventually see
actual development proposals for the site Then, let the real fun begin. |
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