Hmmm, let's look at the contents of their letter, shall we?
I will use quotation styling to show their comments vs my own.
We have monitored this application to-date, met with Liberty Group for a presentation and educated
ourselves. We support reasonable densification, which we know is required to serve the growth plan in
the region, but this massive proposal is not appropriate for many important reasons:
Excessive condo construction in area - Massive developments have already been approved on
the east and west sides of Yonge Street along the planned subway extension, from Steeles Avenue
north to the Langstaff Gateway lands. Developers have proposed at least 28 towers (approx. 12,000
new units) and Langstaff Gateway may also add 30+ condo towers (15,000 units). The population of
the Yonge Street corridor could easily increase by over 40,000 people.
That's a lot of people, granted.................. AND?
Reduced parking requested by the Developer - Parking Standard By-laws requires parking to be
provided at a rate of 1.25 residential spaces per unit plus 0.25 visitor spaces per unit. The Developer
is requesting less than minimum parking and asked RORA to support this request to reduce their
building costs. We do not support any aspect of the current application, particularly a lower than
required parking space allotment, as these cars would end up parked on neighbourhood roads.
Of course, I think it's great the developer asked for a lower parking permission. I don't, however, recall reading a transportation impact study for this one, I wouldn't mind seeing a deal/commitment
from York Region in respect of the level of bus service on Bayview (needs to go up); and I do think the connections over to Yonge aren't ideal and could use some work. But I wouldn't call that a reason
to oppose the development, but rather a basis for refining it.
Height of Neighbouring Condos - The Landmark (across Bayview) is 14 stories; the recently
approved Tridel buildings (adjacent to the north) will be 12 and 14 storeys; Glynnwood (adjacent to
the south) is approved for an 8-storey extension and the proposed Thornhill Square development
(across Bayview) has a proposed maximum height of 15 storeys. As proposed, the Liberty towers
will be up to 4.5x as high! The Liberty development should be limited to approved heights of
comparable neighbouring condos, and fitting the character of the existing neighbourhood.
Really? Sincere question.....if the lowest comparable building is 12 floors and the tallest in this proposal is 35, if floor heights were the same
the height difference should be just shy of 3x. Is Liberty proposing 12ft ceilings?
Proposed project is out of character with existing neighbourhood
If approved, condos will jut out of an expanse of green space and loom over an established
neighbourhood characterized by historic buildings, a mix of single family houses and low to medium
density buildings. This project as proposed will not fit into, nor connect to, the neighbourhood.
Bad argument on several levels. No building of a height over 3s would meet this threshold in the minds of the local residents Assoc.
Besides, the existing character must and will change (upside for the homeowners, their property values are going to spike)
Negative environmental impact Healthy ecosystems contribute to healthy, economically sound
communities. Development plans must consider environmental impacts. This project site is in an
area of sensitive environmental land full of mature trees and home to multiple species of flora and
fauna, as well as migratory bird paths. Construction of the proposed magnitude will have
devastating and lasting impact on the environment and ecosystems in the area. Additional impact
studies must be considered.
As you might imagine, I have some time for this one.
But, I don't think we need a slew of new studies. We need requirements for bird-safe windows, ideally, and some of the buildings would be set back just a bit further from the ravine lands, with the surplus land conveyed to the TRCA for a nominal cost. Extra points for green roof pollinator gardens particularly on podiums and lower height buildings.
Consideration of community impacts - Tens of thousands of new residents will be added to the
Thornhill neighbourhood (based on above noted new projects) at a risk of overwhelming community
services, infrastructure, facilities and limited public green space. Adding another 1287+ units only
exacerbates the situation. Further analysis of infrastructure and a coordinated plan are necessary.
That last bit is fair, in order to understand the future demands on infrastructure, and community services, you need to have a convincingly accurate picture of how development is likely to unfold;
and what investments are required accordingly.