A local city councillor is raising the alarm over an application by development company Minto to plunk two massive condo towers down on a parcel of land in increasingly crowded Yorkville, currently occupied by a nine-level parking building.
Minto’s plan is to build 55- and 69-storey towers at the Green P at 37 Yorkville Ave. as well as an adjacent property.
Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam said she has grave concerns about the proposal, ranging from density and shadowing impacts to how it will affect the pedestrian experience in “iconic” Yorkville. She has spoken with City of Toronto Planning staff to see if the application can be considered in the context of three other major applications in the area, including the 83 storeys proposed at Holt Renfrew.
“We’re also asking the crucial question, that is, ‘How do we make sure that we don’t overdevelop Yorkville [to the point] that we actually develop out the desirability of a neighbourhood that’s currently seen as one of the best neighbourhoods to live in?,’” Wong-Tam said.
A planner handling the file said that he has considered applications in tandem before, and that what Wong-Tam was requesting could be done. The site is designated as mixed use under the official plan, permitting a combination of commercial and residential uses.
The site is only zoned for up to 30 metres, however, which is roughly nine or 10 storeys. And the adjacent site is only zoned for 18 metres, or five to six storeys.
The proposed development would have an 11-storey base and contain 1,166 residential units. The first two floors would be dedicated to retail and floors three through nine would be allocated to a new 802-space Green P lot. The developer purchased the Green P from the city for a combination $44 million in cash and the $32 million replacement of the existing nine-level Toronto Parking Authority lot.
Residents of the development would be accommodated in three levels of underground parking containing 370 spaces.
The planner said a preliminary report is slated to go to Toronto and East York Community Council early this fall, which will trigger a community consultation meeting.
Minto could not be reached before press time.
