Four residents’ groups in the Avenue Road and Lawrence Avenue West area have banded together to oppose a 12-storey condo proposal for 250 Lawrence Ave. W., the site of the Lawrence Park Medical Centre. It is slated to go to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) May 25.
Linda McCarthy, of the Lytton Park Residents’ Organization (LPRO), said many residents are lamenting the loss of their medical centre that provided a range of services for residents in the community.
“They had a full diagnostic lab in the basement. It was a community place, I mean, my kid’s pediatrician was there. So it was really sad to lose it,” said McCarthy.
According to Ward 16 councillor Christin Carmichael Greb, many doctors have already moved out of the building, including her own. Yet she remains resolute in her stance against the proposal. “I’ve always been against the development. It’s too tall.… I think it needs a lot of work and is not appropriate for this location,” she said.
The proposal is by Graywood Developments and includes 241 units, two three-storey semi-detached dwellings fronting onto Glengarry Avenue and three levels of underground parking.
Al Rezoski, manager of community planning in the North York District, said city planning staff has advised Toronto City Council to send representation to oppose the development at the OMB. The site is currently designated “neighbourhoods” and only allows up to four storeys. The developer has applied to change the zoning to “apartment neighbourhoods,” which would allow 12 storeys. Rezoski said there is a concern the proposal, if approved, would set a negative precedent for other properties on Lawrence Avenue West.
The South Armour Heights Residents’ Association, Old Orchard Grove Ratepayers’ Association, Bedford Glen condo board and LPRO intend to seek participant status at the OMB. They are concerned with the condo’s height and density and argue it will have a negative impact on traffic and the Douglas Greenbelt that the site backs onto.
McCarthy said the developer may have gained some local support if it had offered to retain some of the medical services that have operated out of the building for years. However, that offer was never on the table.
Graywood Developments did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
