A report recently approved by Toronto City Council outlining urban design guidelines for Forest Hill Village will help protect the small-town character of the low-rise, mixed-use neighbourhood, said councillor Josh Matlow.
But Peter McClelland, chairman of the Forest Hill Village BIA, said the BIA was largely unrepresented in the planning process.
While McClelland said city planners did speak to him about the study, adequate time was not granted to consult the rest of the membership (tenants and property owners of the strip) and provide feedback.
“There seemed to be a push to have the guidelines adopted at the May council meeting,” said McClelland.
According to Matlow, this was due to an urgent desire to get the final report approved before a nine-storey development proposed for the corner of Montclair and Spadina (390-398 Spadina Rd.) went through.
Matlow became aware of the development (by Armel Corporation) in 2014, which he believed was too tall, and it inspired his motion to initiate the urban design study at city council.
The study area pertains to properties fronting onto Spadina Road, between Montclair Avenue and Thelma Avenue. It outlines the appropriate design, building materials (brick and stone) and height (no more than four storeys) of future developments.
Matlow cited the LCBO building as an example of the kind of design the study aims to discourage.
“Most of the buildings are a yellowish or red brick, and then the LCBO looks like this big silver metal box,” he said. “It just sticks out like a sore thumb.”
The design guidelines will be a useful reference for City of Toronto planners, and Matlow said it will strengthen the city’s position if the need to fight a developer arises at the Ontario Municipal Board.
But McClelland said he still isn’t sure how greatly this will impact current owners on the strip who may want to make changes to their property.