Minto Communities Inc. recently informed local residents of its plans to apply for four, high-rise condominiums on the northwest corner of Leslie Street and York Mills Road, which would add to three existing 18-storey apartment buildings. Few details were revealed in a letter distributed to neighbours, other than to compare the planned condominiums to some of Minto’s other Toronto projects, ranging in height from 16 storeys on Roehampton Avenue to 54 storeys at Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue.
The letter went on to invite residents to attend a March 27 pre-application community consultation meeting. Before Minto submits a formal rezoning application, the letter stated, it’s looking for input from local stakeholders.
Coun. Jaye Robinson said Minto has done a lot to improve the existing apartments since it purchased the property a couple of years ago. The site is zoned for apartments, but she has concerns about height, massing, scale and shadowing of the forthcoming proposal. The addition of four more towers may leave little room for greenery and landscaping.
“To me it seems like a lot of buildings for such a small space,” Robinson said.
Terry West, president of the Don Mills Residents Inc., whose group will be working with local residents on this application, said that, based on the information available, his group thinks the proposal is too dense.
“We are looking at what our options are,” he said. “Obviously when you’re opposing a big company like Minto, they’ve got deep pockets.”
The density becomes more concerning when other applications in the area are taken into consideration, West added. He pointed to an application further down the block at York Mills Road and Upjohn Road to build a 20-storey hotel, two 25-storey office buildings and three residential buildings ranging in height from 32 to 38 storeys.
Minto did not respond to a request for an interview before press time.