someMidTowner

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49 LAWRENCE AVE E
Ward 25 - North York District
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Four storey stacked townhouse development, comprised of 22 residential units above a shared underground parking garage including 22 parking psaces with direct vehicular access from Weybourne Crescent. The propposed development has direct pedestrian access to the public sidewalk and an internal landscaped courtyard for residents.
Proposed Use --- # of Storeys --- # of Units ---
Applications:
Type Number Date Submitted Status
OPA & Rezoning 15 152080 NNY 25 OZ May 5, 2015 Under Review


Screen Shot 2015-05-07 at 2.51.08 PM.png

*from Google Street View
 

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Local opposition will likely be in regard to the contemporary design. They'd probably prefer faux historicism.

I hope we won't see the end of these pre-war homes along streets like Lawrence Ave E. There are some beautiful houses along here, especially at the northeast corner of Yonge & Lawrence.
 
Looks like a community consultation last September brought out about 250 locals, who went pretty classic NIMBY.

Subsequently, based on the failure of the City to make a decision on this application, it has been appealed to the OMB. As of this City Council meeting, the City will oppose this at the hearing.

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The replacement of two homes on an arterial road a 3 minute walk from the subway (according to Google maps) with 22 townhomes is the sort of development the City should be encouraging, not opposing at the OMB. Even the fact that the site abuts a low-rise neighbourhood is mitigated by the low height of the proposal.

If there were dozens of projects of this type being built each year, maybe family-sized housing a reasonable commute from the core would not be so unobtainably expensive in this City.
 
The replacement of two homes on an arterial road a 3 minute walk from the subway (according to Google maps) with 22 townhomes is the sort of development the City should be encouraging, not opposing at the OMB. Even the fact that the site abuts a low-rise neighbourhood is mitigated by the low height of the proposal.

If there were dozens of projects of this type being built each year, maybe family-sized housing a reasonable commute from the core would not be so unobtainably expensive in this City.

You are smack in the middle of North Toronto - remotely affordable family housing could do nothing but lower the tone of the neighbourhood, which of course is a priority of the local residents, the density creeps that they are - and I quote:

“I’m really concerned about my property value going down,” says Lisa Goodwin
...
“Right now all the houses are $1.1 to, say, $2.2 (million) but they’re looking at putting in places that are only $500,000.”

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/05/25/midtowners-battle-the-rise-of-the-midrise.html

*sarcasm intended*

AoD
 
You are smack in the middle of North Toronto - remotely affordable family housing could do nothing but lower the tone of the neighbourhood, which of course is a priority of most of the local residents, the density creeps that they are - and I quote:
most of the local residents
Please don't lump us good guys in.
 
This is exactly the type of project the city should be supporting. How can we expect developers to create more ground-based housing options when they get more hassle for these applications than towers? I remain shocked that Jennifer Keesmast can run her mouth all over Twitter and every other media outlet about how great and critically important these exact project types are...and then complete fail to even get her planning department to have a proper dialogue w developers that are trying to create these types of projects.
We are talking about a Peter Clewes designed townhome project on a major arterial road, 250m from a major transit hub!!!
Hopefully the old guard WASPs of Lawrence Park loose the battle to protect their $3M home values...ha.
Funny to even think that a project like this would do anything to property values in the interior of the neighbourhood....look at Rosedale, arguably a nicer neighbourhood, and it has walk-up style apartments throughout. (Glen, Dale, Elm, Summerhill, Mt P, etc...) and I think it is a much more interesting neighbourhood precisely because of it.
It will be very interesting to see what happens with both this project approval and Freed's Keewatin project. I think this is a much stronger planning case, but hopefully both get approved.
 
The dataBase file has been updated with images of the revised proposal.

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Spoiler alert: it's been neutered :(
I am not sure I would use the term "neutered". Definitely dialled down the modern architecture, and less playful...but I like the updated design. It transitions well into the neighbourhood stepping down in height as it moves South.
Kinda looks like a refined Dutch-style modern townhome now. Probably closer to what the community was looking for, but still can't see them supporting this. God-forbid a modern townhome project in Lawrence Park!!!
 

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