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Friday, February 8, 2008

Community Council, led by Peter Milczyn Approves 10 storey condo building

Votes against the condo application  were made by Messrs. Saundercook,Holiday and Ford.
Three thought provoking points brought up by speakers from the crowd of well over 100 persons who braved the heavy snow storm to attend the 6.30pm meeting were as follows:
  1. The staff report was so poorly put together, no links referring to professional studies or materials were provided so that citizens could review supporting documentation from the comfort of their computer link up . The planning official  who addressed the meeting offered to have folks come on down to the office to review   print material . These vital pieces of professional opinion that buttress arguments  for complex issues should be available on the Internet  and its a scandal they are not. No reports made by the Toronto Conservation Authority, Parks and Forestry, or any engineering documents could be referenced by reading the staff report.  The lack of transparency was tangible.
  2. The building's basement is so deep it will be below the river's water table, thus requiring a "Bathtub" footing concept to keep the lowest levels of the parking area dry. There was no information about soil types,  managing water run off from the site and no reference to any archaeological considerations either.
  3. The objectives of the Official Plan to protect open and green spaces were dismissed by the extraordinary notion that since the site was degraded anyway by the leveling job done in the 1960's and the subsequent incursion of alien tree and vegetative species and the inability of all but the most intrepid naturalists to scale the poorly maintained  embankment, it would be better to accept a large donation of money and resources to fix the ecological problems by capping them with a 10 storey building , adding a bit of necessary parking space underneath, and tidying up the periphery- perhaps as much as 10,000 square meters worth , either in this district or somewhere else. The regular flooding of the lower parking area  on both east and west sides of the river was essentially ignored.


A large number of ratepayer groups and individual residents appeared and made thoughtful and well prepared presentations. It cannot be said that people in this city are ill informed or without motivation. What can be said is that an open area where the eyes could skim across the admittedly unfortunate car park on to a forested glade with a river glinting between the trees is about to be brought up short by a heavy squat 10 stories of condo apartments and the removal of some 322 mixed species of trees. The concept of repairing ecological damage done on the river banks from the public purse  was not even mentioned, let alone explored. The Old Mill's pressing need for additional parking can apparently only be done at this location.
The motion now goes before Toronto Council. Opportunities to review this state of affairs will be made available to the public. It feels somewhat after the fact, does it not?

Communications to Ward on 21 Old Mill Condo application

November 8, 2005 - 2007   - Prior to application being received by the City, the developer hosted a few (Planning Department thinks three) open houses.

January 2007 - Planning Department posted required sign on property advising of application details

January 30, 2007 - Preliminary Report submitted for inclusion on February 13th EYCC agenda

January, 2007  Councillor WARD e-update - Peter advised of Preliminary Report going to EYCC, time of meeting etc.

February 2007 - Councillor WARD e-update -  Peter advertised again the EYCC meeting on the 13th with Old Mill item on the agenda (preliminary report). Link to report available at this time.

April 2007 - Councillor WARD e-update -  Peter advertised Community Consultation meeting as per Planning Act and recommendations from EYCC on February 13, 2007 (meeting scheduled for April 17, 2007 at ECI)

April 2007 - Planning Department circulated their Notice of Community Consultation meeting - sent to area bounded west to PED, north to Queen Anne, east and south into Councillor Saundercook's Ward  (across Humber), Old Mill Terrace, as well as  PED south to Glenaden.

April 17, 2007 - Community Consultation Meeting hosted by Planning Department and Developer.  Councillor Milczyn attended.

November 2007 - Councillor WARD e-update  - Peter updated residents on status of application - Advised that we were waiting for final report from Staff at this point - anticipating January 2008.

February 2008 - Councillor WARD e-update  - Peter advised of EYCC meeting on February 12th and final report on the AGENDA.

February  2008 - Planning Department circulated their NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING as per planning act requirements, for Old Mill Final Report on EYCC February 12, 2008 (Councillor Milczyn requested special time of 6:30 pm so more could attend).  This notice was circulated to statutory limits of 120m, all parties interested, or anyone who attended meetings or emailed, mailed questions and letters or enquiries, were also advised from Planning.

written by Fiona Campbell