Condo compromise

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APPROXIMATELY 100 PEOPLE packed into a community consultation meeting on March 5 to discuss an application from Menkes to build two 42-storey condominium towers on the Gibson Square site.

The Ontario Municipal Board made a controversial decision last year to amend the official plan, allowing the company to develop residential homes on the lands at Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue, which were reserved for commercial uses. The decision did not please Coun. John Filion at the time, but he said he has put it behind him.

“I’m not happy about it being entirely residential,” he said. “However, the Ontario Municipal Board, in its lack of wisdom, decided that, so we have to make the best of a bad situation. And on that front, I think we’re doing pretty well.”

The towers will add 937 units to the area, with a nine-storey podium that would join the two towers. The lower floors of the podium would be reserved for retail space.

Three-quarters of the rose garden that currently sits at the corner of Yonge Street and Park Home Avenue will likely be saved, Filion said. Underground parking will likely be provided for those visiting the historic Gibson House, which sits adjacent to the development site. The site will also be landscaped.

“What we hope to have is almost like a seamless whole, with adjacent parkland, so that it’s all treated as one whole,” said George Belza, the development consultant for Menkes.

City staff will be reviewing the application, and will likely rezone the site by the end of December, Belza said.

After all of the controversy, Coun. John Filion said he’s keeping a positive attitude.

“You know, I’m pretty optimistic that we’ll come up with something that everybody’s happy with.”

Bayview student hit by car prompts traffic law review

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WHEN A 16-YEAR-OLD boy was struck by a car at York Mills Road and Fenn Avenue last year, the incident acted as a catalyst for change. Residents decided something needed to be done to make the area safer. After all, from June 2003 to June 2008, 289 accidents on York Mills Road occurred between Old Yonge Street and Bayview Avenue.

“If a kid like me who presses the Walk button at the lights and waits for the sign to change can get hit all of a sudden, then maybe there is something wrong with the system,” said Nicholas Yim, the Crescent School student involved in the June 2008 accident.

The St. Andrew’s and York Mills Ratepayers Associations have met three times with Coun. Cliff Jenkins, representatives from North York Traffic Operations and local police and are particularly concerned since there are two schools, Owen Public School and St. Andrew’s Junior High School, within a few blocks of York Mills Road and Fenn Avenue.

Several new safety measures have since been enacted. Since drivers often speed on York Mills Road, signs to remind them of the speed limit, 50 kilometres per hour, have been posted near the intersection. More school crossing signs have also been erected in the area. Electronic boards showing drivers their actual speed have occasionally been put up to serve as a wake- up call to drivers, and police officers have increased surveillance in the area.

Statistics show that five out of eight accidents that take place in the neighbourhood involve drivers who live in the area. Police explained that people who are most familiar with the streets typically speed the most.

“I think we should all be aware of how ridiculous this is. All of us who live in the neighbourhood have a responsibility to other residents in the area. Therefore, we should be the most, not the least, careful,” added Yim.

Cuts to YMCI library hours create hallway havoc

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STUDENTS HAVE HAD to line up at lunchtime to get into their own school library, says a student a York Mills Collegiate Institute because the hours have been reduced at the secondary school.

“I’m forced to go into the cafeteria and the hallways to do homework and study,” said Tarah Bleier, a Grade 12 student at the school. “You can’t possibly focus in the cafeteria when everyone’s talking, you know?”

The library doesn’t open until 10 a.m. and closes immediately after last period at 3:30 p.m. Students line up during their lunch break to get into the library, with limited numbers allowed in at a time, Bleier said. She’s accumulated 400 signatures on a petition she started in an effort to get regular hours reinstated.

The hours were cut last fall as the result of a need for another Grade 12 math teacher, said Gerri Gershon, the school trustee for the ward. She said that, had the library’s hours not been reduced, the time students have to see guidance counsellors would have also been affected.

“It’s a complicated issue to staff a school, and the principal did not want to remove more guidance time from the kids as well,” Gershon said. “This is a decision they have made.”

The sky’s the limit

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COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS IN North Toronto are deciding whether or not to appeal a controversial decision made by city council in February.

The “Yonge Eglinton Focused Review” — a plan that outlines how the Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue intersection should be redeveloped — was approved by council on Feb. 24. However, amendments to the report that would prevent developers from building beyond a 40-storey limit on the southwest quadrant of the intersection were not approved.

“This confirms people’s worst views of the politicians,” Coun. Michael Walker said.

Walker wanted to strengthen the language with regard to the “strata” agreement within the report. A strata agreement divides lands horizontally above and below a fixed height. The city would be able to sell the land to a specific height and claim ownership of the airspace above that height.

Walker’s proposal to create a mandatory, rather than an elective agreement, was not carried through by council.

“That’s exactly what we don’t want because if it’s elective they can apply for more [height],” said Walker in reference to the future buyer of the property. “Even if the city says no, they can appeal to the OMB.”

Councillors who opposed the amendments were concerned that imposing a height limit on the property would limit the value of the site or that even stronger language wouldn’t prevent an appeal at the Ontario Municipal Board anyway, council documents said.

The Federation of North Toronto Residents Associations might appeal, said Michael Visser, a member of the the Oriole Park Residents Association.

Residents have worked hard to contribute to the review plan, but were not protected in the process, he said.

“It’s another example where the city set in place this whole community consultation process with the promise that people will have some say, and then they basically threw it out the window.”

Police hunt for suspects behind Annex swarming

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POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING a bloody attack that took place on St. Patrick’s Day in the Annex.

Three men, ages 19, 20 and 21, were walking in the area of Bloor Street and Bathurst Street when they were swarmed. According to police, they were approached by nine men and a woman. One of the suspects engaged the victims in conversation. A second suspect, yielding a knife, grabbed the 19- year-old male from behind and sprayed an unknown substance in his face, causing him to become disoriented.

The suspects punched and struck the 20-year-old male on his head with an unknown object. Another suspect held a knife against the victim’s throat, pulled him to the ground and rolled him onto his stomach.

The suspects then stole the victim’s wallet and threatened him with further violence.

The 21-year-old was stabbed in the abdomen with a knife.

The victims were taken to hospital for treatment.

Earlier that evening, three suspects are reported to have robbed a 17-year-old in the same area. They held a knife against the victim’s throat and demanded his knapsack.

Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to contact police.

Building a sense of community, one apple at a time

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AS A TOAST to Earth Day, a new farmers’ market is scheduled to open in the neighbourhood on April 23.

AppleTree Market, a non- profit venture, will be located at 200 Eglinton Ave. W., near Avenue Road.

Along with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, it will offer eco-friendly products and showcase the work of local artisans.

“This will instill a sense of community. People will come together and get to know each other once again,” says Leslie Stoyan, one of the masterminds behind the project.

Stoyan added that during these tough economic times the market will be a boon for local producers.

“Several farms can’t spare the manpower to come out, so retailers are purchasing produce from them, and representing them at the market. Then, the [retailers] will take the unsold goods back to their shops to sell. It’s a really nice fit,” she said.

AppleTree will be open on Thursdays, rain or shine.

Last year, a smaller version of the market was located on the lawn of Eglinton St. George’s Church.

Yonge and Deficient

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THE YONGE EGLINTON Centre could be expanding to include more retail space — but at the cost of enclosing a portion of the outdoor space at the intersection.

RioCan, whose offices are located within the building at 2300 Yonge St., made an application to the city to amend the zoning bylaw on the property, to allow the construction of a three-storey retail addition to the existing centre. That addition would extend into the existing outdoor space, adding more than 4,200 square metres of retail space.

RioCan’s application also proposes adding five storeys to the existing 22-storey tower and seven storeys to the existing 30- storey building on the site.

In recent years, the open space has become less welcoming to local residents, with fewer benches and bicycle racks. But that won’t stop local neighbourhood associations from fighting the application, which they say should be turned down because the neighbourhood has been identified as a parks- deficient area by the “Yonge Eglinton Focused Review,” a city report published this year.

“Look, we’re open space deficient here, and it should just be denied,” said Patrick Smyth, of the Avenue Road Eglinton Community Association.

Smyth worries that the city councillor for the ward, Coun. Karen Stintz, has already made a deal with the applicant, and that his and other organizations in the area will not have their say on the property.

Stintz said she has not made any such deal and that planning for the site is in the very early stages.

“Many people in the community want to be involved, and they certainly will be,” she said.

“It is a privately held piece of land, but it has been open and accessible to the public. The current owners want to work with the community.”

The Avenue Road Eglinton Community Association would like the space developed in a way that maintains the outdoor, accessible nature of it and will be making their case at a community meeting on June 11.

North York parks to get major makeover

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THREE NORTH YORK parks will see upgrades after a recent funding announcement.

Bayview Village Park, Lillian Park and Saddletree Park are among the recreational facilities that were identified.

Each of the three Bayview parks will receive up to $33,000 in provincial investment and up to $33,000 in federal investment for playground improvements.

The capital will come through the joint efforts of the federal government’s Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program and the Ontario Recreation Program.

“Working together across ministries and across all levels of government is the key to providing the infrastructure projects that all Canadians need,” said Willowdale MPP David Zimmer in a prepared statement.

“Our joint federal-provincial efforts to ensure adequate facilities for sport and recreation are central, not only to improving rates of physical activity, but ultimately to improving health.”

Council votes to keep ‘OMB Folly’ street name

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DESPITE A PETITION against a bylaw that would name a road in a new Willowdale development OMB Folly, community council voted to keep the name.

“As the purchasers of these homes represent the future homeowners and residents of the community, we feel that the council’s decision to name the laneway OMB Folly has a direct and adverse impact not only on the future families residing in their new homes, but also the community members who see the street name every day,” wrote Stephen Maizels, the CEO of Hallstone Developments, the developers on the project.

Last fall, community council recommended the name Yonge Street and Finch Avenue-area roadway, saying that it expressed their opinion that the Ontario Municipal Board overstepped its jurisdiction when it approved the Basswood Park development.

The developer, Hallstone, appealed council’s decision against the new development, which was overturned by the provincial body.

People who have bought units in the development worry the name will reduce the values of their homes.

Just don’t call it a mall

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SHOPS AT DON MILLS, a new, large- scale, outdoor retail development, opened its doors on April 22.

The new shopping centre, located at the corner of Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue East, boasts 100 new stores, including several retail stores that are unavailable anywhere else in Toronto. Salomon Sports opened its first non-resort store in the shopping centre, and funky fashion and houseware shop Anthropologie opened its first Canadian store in the mall.

“I’m getting a lot of favourable comments,” said Coun. Cliff Jenkins.

“I’m excited about the opening, and I’m excited about what it’s going to look like as a finished product.”

The shopping centre also offers a McNally-Robinson bookstore, chef Mark McEwan’s first gourmet food store and Glow, a restaurant that offers chef Rose Reisman’s healthy menu items.

“This is really meant to be a place for the community,” said Anne Morash, Cadillac Fairview’s vice-president of development.

While the centre is a shopping centre, it will also have office space with medical services, financial planning services and travel agencies.

There will also be a dry cleaner and a liquor store.

The property management company calls the centre an “urban village” because, unlike other malls, it is entirely outdoor, with a design that reflects a street shopping experience.

The new shopping centre replaced the Don Mills Centre, an indoor mall, which closed to make way for the new centre.

“We are happy to see some stores sprouting up,” said Simone Gabbay, a Don Mills resident and the founder and communications liaison for the Don Mills Friends group.

“We’ve been without any stores or any possibility to shop on this site for three years. It’s been a wasteland.”

But Gabbay said even though she’s pleased the centre is up and running, she’s concerned that the families, seniors and disabled people who used the old mall as a meeting place will not have facilities like they had before.

“The new stores will no doubt be attractive, but a climate- controlled, car-free environment would have been safer and far more convenient for everyone, especially for our seniors, disabled friends, and families with young children,” she wrote in an e-mail.

Morash said she and her team worked to meet the needs of everyone in the community, but that the outdoor concept was important to making the
development successful.

“ I’m excited about the opening, and I’m excited about what it’s going to look like as a finished product.”

“The people who live in this community were saying, ‘We want someplace to walk to, that’s not too big and overwhelming, and we just want to park once,’” Morash said. Because of that, there are two battery charging stations within the complex for wheelchairs, and there is a town square and many outdoor areas that are covered that people can use to socialize.

She said the mall is also pedestrian-friendly, with extra wide sidewalks on winding roads.

Morash added that she is confident that people will still want to shop at the centre when cold weather comes back next winter.

“Torontonians are a hearty bunch,” she said.

Premier announces Forest Hill pools will not be drained

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AFTER LOCAL RESIDENTS rallied twice last month to save the community’s school pools, Premier Dalton McGuinty pledged $12 million toward capital funding.

The pools at Winona McMurrich Junior Public School and Forest Hill Collegiate Institute will not be drained, as they were scheduled to be this June. How the $80,000 to $100,000 operating costs for each pool will be covered is still a problem for former mayor David Crombie and his Aquatics Working Group and will be tackled in coming months..

“We need to sit down together and find long-term solutions,” said school board trustee Josh Matlow.

Last year the school board announced that 39 school pools would close, citing insufficient funding from the province.

14-year-old will be neighbourhood’s youngest pilot

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A FOREST HILL resident will soon be the youngest Canadian to get his student pilot licence in history.

Mike Domb, a 13-year-old Fieldstone Day School student plans to get his student licence on his 14th birthday, on June 25.

“I take a lot of my friends flying with me,” says Domb, who currently must fly with an instructor. “It’s lots of fun — and it’s good for girls.”

Domb started flying with his uncle, also a pilot, at the Buttonville airport when he was 12. He soon convinced his reluctant parents to allow him to start ground school where students learn the basics of flying, like aerodynamics, math and decision making.

He was the youngest in his class, among 20- and 30-year- olds and retired people.

Domb’s favourite part about flying the Cessna 172s? Making the plane spin through the sky.

“The blood leaves your head, and you can feel it pooling at your legs. You get dizzy the first couple times you do it, but you get used to it.”