LeasideLife issue 46_LeasideLifev1 16-01-20 11:18 AM Page 1
No. 46 • February 2016
Leaside Life leasidelifenews.com
AKA Mrs. Park the Second Page 10
you What do is th think of l for proposa n? nto 939 Egli
We will ask all Leasiders their opinion “Development” has become a four-letter word in Leaside. All too often, the planning process proceeds in its official way without enough feedback from neighbourhood residents. A single city-held public consultation meeting is hardly sufficient to measure local opinion, or to identify and generate alternative suggestions. Fortunately the Ontario legislature passed The Smart Planning Act (Bill 73) in December 2015; it requires municipalities to explain how residents’ input has been incorporated in development decisions. The LPOA board believes that the time has come for a detailed neighbourhood-wide survey on residents’ attitudes toward development in Leaside, suggesting measures to improve, resolve, or oppose proposals.
Carol Burtin Fripp Co-president, LPOA
The LPOA has initiated a development task force to determine the survey’s questions and methods of distribution. It will be an active partnership among the LPOA, residents throughout Leaside, and Councillor Burnside. We face a number of major development proposals, mainly located along major streets convenient to the LRT Eglinton Crosstown. The largest development of all is proposed by developer Steve Diamond for 939 Eglinton East at Brentcliffe Rd., encompassing four high-
rises (residential and mixed use) ranging from 19 to 34 storeys, and almost 2,000 underground parking spaces. In size, scale and density, it really is a whole new city. Its traffic impact alone, aside from other considerations, would affect all of Leaside, especially the North and South Leaside residential areas closest to the site. Councillor Burnside has established a working group to meet with Diamond and see how much flexibility he is willing to incorporate into his plans. Because Steve Diamond is already legally in a position to go to the Ontario Municipal Board, the LPOA initial survey will focus on the 939 Eglinton East site. In the very near fuSURVEY, Page 27