Little is known about a recent development application filed for 1 Eglinton Ave. E. other than the proposed height of 68 storeys and 672 units.
But Coun. Josh Matlow already has predicted it will be met with strong opposition from the surrounding community. “The height, I can tell you already, is not acceptable,” said Matlow.
Even Matlow has not managed to find out more than what’s on the application. “This was very quietly put in by the developer,” he explained. “In most situations like this, developers will typically approach the councillor’s office to have a conversation. This was not done.”
The matter is made even more complicated by the recent retiring of city planner Tim Burkholder, who previously would have been in charge of the file.
“Tim was the one who would rush up to me and tell me what was going on,” said Matlow. “The planner who will be reviewing this is literally just moving into his office.”
That planner is Giulio Cescato, who said he was not privy to pre-planning meetings and has not yet met the developer, who submitted the application under a numbered company name. Cescato is currently working on a preliminary report for the file.
“We will aim to have the report on the agenda as soon as possible to inform the community,” said Cescato, who could not provide a specific timeline but was adamant that the proceedings will be business as usual.
“A public meeting will be scheduled within the next two months and a preliminary report will be made to the public as soon as possible,” he said.
But Matlow said the developer, whoever it may be, is in for a fight, and the height is just one of the factors affecting that.
“The tallest [building in the area] is E Condos, at 58 storeys, approved,” said Matlow. “Their site was a lot larger, it’s set back significantly, so there’s going to be a lot of public realm at the northeast corner.”
There are also issues of timing and scheduling that may make construction difficult for those in the area. “There’s construction of the E Condos across the street, other condos nearby, along with the LRT construction,” Matlow said. He said he has recently met with ratepayers in the area to ensure that they will advocate for significant public realm to be incorporated into the 1 Eglinton Ave. E. development. Although he said he is willing to have all parties come to the table and work together, he says 68 storeys is out of the question. “We will not support anything over 58.”
