Condo project near Yonge and Sheppard could add 374 units to crowded area

The continuing crush of condo applications in the Yonge and Sheppard area has residents clamouring for solutions to strained infrastructure and stalled traffic. It isn’t going to get any easier, with a new development application underway for a 36-storey tower containing 374 residential units to be located on the west side of Yonge Street between Park Home Avenue and Ellerslie Avenue.

Marion Lick, president of the Willowdale Central Ratepayers, said the neighbourhood has grown tired of development in the area.

“It’s a real traffic problem every time people move in,” Lick said.

But she worries more generally about the capacity of local infrastructure, from hydro to sewers. It’s a concern shared by the Yonge Corridor Condo Association, which believes there should be a moratorium on development in the area until the matter is addressed.

Coun. John Filion said these issues crop up with each new condo application in the area. Filion attributes the steady stream of condo applications to poor planning decisions made 20 years ago and concedes there are few tools available to reverse the tide.

The new application, submitted by devlopers The Sorbara Group, has a three-storey base that would be reserved for office and retail uses, and it would provide 463 parking spaces in an underground garage. Of the application, Filion said it is better than average in terms of conveying benefits to the community. The developer is hoping to take advantage of density incentives by incorporating a pedestrian square. Leith Moore, the vice-president of development at the Sorbara Group, said it would feature boutique food shops like those found in St. Lawrence Market.

Public consultation on the rezoning application is slated to occur in the fall. Once the proposal is finalized, city staff will make a recommendation to North York Community Council on whether to approve or deny the application.

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