Revisions have recently been made to a development proposal meant to help a Mount Pleasant Road and Lawrence Avenue church resolve money problems. However, some neighbours still feel the plan for Bedford Park United Church — which will transform the near-bankrupt congregation into a five-storey seniors’ home and community hub — is too much.
“It’s become an exercise in trimming a corner here, modifying a balcony there,” said Cim Nunn, who participated in working group discussions and who lives two doors down from the Ranleigh Avenue church.
The original plan, proposed in 2005, came about after a decline in membership made it more difficult for Bedford United to pay maintenance costs. By replacing the church with a 57-unit seniors’ home, the residence would bring in enough overhead to allow the church to continue operating.
The seniors’ home would also have several public spaces, as well as being home to the new church. “The building is old and crumbling, and we’re a much smaller group now,” said Barbara White, the church’s reverend. “The redevelopment is a way to continue providing the much-needed services to the community.”
According to White, there is currently a 500-signature petition in support of the redevelopment. The church has also received 25 letters of support.
However, Nunn isn’t the only neighbour with concerns. Nearly 150 people attended a community meeting last February, most torn between either supporting or opposing the church’s plans. Because the revised plan still exceeds the city’s limit on height, the proposal calls for an official plan amendment. As for density, the revised proposal has lessened the size of the seniors’ home from 66,000 square feet to 60,000 square feet. However, according to Nunn, the building still violates what the city allows.
According to local councillor Jaye Robinson, the revised plan does show the church attempting to work with the public. She said an inner atrium was removed to make the building smaller. The plan was also revised so that the ramp and loading dock would be enclosed within the building, mitigating noise issues. In addition, setbacks were introduced to reduce any shadows cast on neighbours by the building.
The church is in the final stages of refining plans and will resubmit the proposal to the city’s planning department this month.
