More Bayview townhomes on the way

Residents worry OMB ruling will set unfavourable precedent

The Ontario Municipal Board’s recent decision to approve plans for eight three-storey townhouses at 2500 Bayview Ave. just south of the shopping plaza at York Mills Road has residents who opposed the development concerned about how this will influence future proposals in the neighbourhood.

David Bawden, president of the York Mills Ratepayers Association, said the ruling ignored the city and residents, paving the way for a development that doesn’t fit in with the neighbourhood.

“To us, every corner lot on Bayview now is a potential target,” he said.

Bawden is currently looking into what can be done to prevent this from happening elsewhere. He said he thinks it would be a mistake to alter the face of the Bridle Path, especially since it attracts people who create economic opportunities for the city.

John Nicholls, president of the York Mills Gardens Community Association, is also concerned about the impact of the ruling.

“We’re not unreasonably opposed to townhouses,” he said. “We’re worried about the changing character of the neighbourhood and how that might affect property values.”

Councillor Cliff Jenkins was unable to comment on this development because he lives close enough to it that he is seen as having a personal interest in what happens.

Willowdale councillor John Filion called the decision discouraging.

“Not only does it go against the city, the planning staff and the community, but it reached the bizarre conclusion that no official plan amendment was required,” he said.

Coun. Filion said that the ruling essentially found that the official plan permitted townhouses in this area, even though the people who wrote the plan and the people who adopted the plan said it didn’t.

Bayview is by and large a stable residential area, said Re/Max broker, Barry Cohen. He has seen developers approach the buying of properties south of York Mills in a “cautious” way.
 

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