Does new proposal signal death of Bayview?

Green light for townhouses may open the door to similar developments

A RECENT APPEAL at an Ontario Municipal Board hearing has Bayview residents worried about the future of the area.
 

An OMB hearing that took place on Feb. 3-5 appealed city council’s refusal of a proposal by local realtor Reza Akbari to build eight townhouses at Bayview Avenue south of York Mills. The ruling is expected shortly.
 

According to a city council staff report, Akbari’s proposal failed to conform to the city’s official plan for the stretch of Bayview from just south of Highway 401 to Post Road. That area is zoned for single-detached dwellings only. Residents are worried that if Mr. Akbari’s appeal were to go through, it may open the door to further townhouse developments in the area.
 

John Nicholls, York Mills Garden Community Association president, is concerned that an increased number of townhouses could lower the property values in the area.
 

“People are investing significant amounts into single-family homes on Bayview Avenue because it’s zoned only for single-family separate dwellings,” Nicholls said.
 

Coun. John Filion said,  “It could cause other townhouses to be approved on other similar properties.”  But, he said, “precedent is a complicated thing. Someone would have to analyze whether a property is similar or not.”  Coun. Cliff Jenkins could not comment because of his residence’s proximity to the house, which would be a conflict of interest.
 

At the OMB hearing, Nicholls said the applicant’s lawyers used arguments that compared Bayview and York Mills to Bayview and Sheppard. “They were trying to compare 2500 Bayview with similar developments that have taken place, some as much as five kilometres to the north,” he said.
 

Nicholls said Highway 401 is the border between two distinctly different areas, and on Bayview Avenue at Sheppard Avenue it is more of a destination shopping centre, with high-rise apartments, whereas at York Mills Road it is an urban community hub, Nicholls said.

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