Could this application just be an exercise to make the land worth more for when the City expropriates? That's what the landowners tried (somewhat unsuccessfully) down at the First Parliament site.
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This development application is Dead,.... developer don't even own the land anymore.
This is a soap-opera,....
In early 1990's City of NorthYork started planning for a Doris Ave extension south of Sheppard to Avondale,... possible via Bales Ave but Minto eventually built Spring and Radiance condo on that former Seneca College Newtonbrook(?) campus land,.... so the only option became the west-side of Bonnington Place (which sort of "encouraged" the expansion of the NorthYorkCentreSecondaryPlan area eastward to BonningtonPlace and TradeWind Ave),.... but a local "investor" (who I'm not going to name but have referred to as one of the area's monopoly player with regards to acquiring land) started acquiring all the required 13 properties along the west-side of Bonnington Place from Sheppard Ave East to AnndaleDrive. The City refuse to negotiate with this "investor",... and thus Doris Ave extension south of Sheppard Ave to Avondale was stalled,... for decades! Technically, the City can wait indefinitely,.... but the "investor" doesn't have an unlimited lifespan,.....
A couple of the properties, 2 & 10 Bonnington Place, were acquired by Tridel from the "investor" and handed over to the City as part of the Section 42 or 45 settlement for HullmarkCentre whose Final Report was approved in early 2010,.... and those properties been demolished and grassed over,....
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2010/ny/bgrd/backgroundfile-27581.pdf
Seeing that the City still refuse to negotiate for the remaining 11 properties along the west-side of BonningtonPlace,.... eventually, this "investor" presented this 55 Sheppard Ave East development proposal to force the City's hand,.... and this forced the City reopened the Doris Ave extension south of Sheppard Ave East to Avondale Ave study,.....
http://www.slideshare.net/TorontoPCU/nyc-service-rdslides20150527e
Thus, it doesn't seem the strategy was to make this specific site worth more for an expropriation but rather to force the City to finally negotiate or expropriate the remaining 11 properties along west-side of BonningtonPlace,.... in addition, the "investor" is suing local councillor and thus local councillor can't have anything to do with anything to do with these properties including the Doris Ave extension south or this development application or expropriation,...
In 2014, the City started expropriation for this site and all remaining properties along west-side of BonningtonPlace for the Doris Ave extension south of Sheppard Ave to Avondale Ave,... earlier this year, the City give the "investor" the cheque for all the remaining 11 properties along west-side of BonningtonPlace,..... the registered landowner of all the properties along west-side of BonningtonPlace is now the City,....
Now it gets interesting,.... the amount the "investor" got was based on 2014 market value plus whatever,..... the area market prices has increased dramatically since then, so the "investor" is not happy with the amount received,..... and will likely take the City to provincial court over it at the "investor's" earliest opportunity,... next year. In the meantime, all the properties along west-side of BonningtonPlace has been left to rot,.... The City legally own all these properties now but refuse to do anything to them,... no demolition,... no clean-up,... no municipal licensing and standards,... if there's squatters living in these properties, the city won't do anything,.... during working hours the driveways and front lawns are packed with illegally parked cars,... and the City won't even issue a parking ticket!
In the meantime, the City still needs to expropriate one more property not on BonningtonPlace,.... and thus Doris Ave extension south of Sheppard to Avondale Ave,... likely won't happen until 2021 or 2019 at the very earliest,....
Here's a photo of the west-side of BonningtonPlace south of this site, 55 Sheppard Ave East,... which appears as the box advertisement structure at the very far right,... Hmmm,... don't these little bungalow houses look like those houses in the Monopoly Game,.... that's why I refer to the "investor" as a local "monopoly player" who accumulates strategic land,...