Skip to main content

Ontario Municipal Board overrides city and the community again

Neighbourhood activists say they worry about the noise and mess that hundreds of undergraduates could bring. And locals fear the towering structure coming to 245 College, between Huron St. and Spadina Ave., will set a precedent for the construction of other tall buildings in the area. .
The planned 25-storey student residence will be built at 245 College St., between Huron St. and Spadina Ave.
“I think it’s a dreadful decision,” said Ceta Ramkhalawansingh of the Grange Community Association. “It means the end of all of the heritage on College St. There are two or three other applications that want 20-plus storey buildings.”
“This is exactly the reason the OMB needs to be abolished — because it will destroy neighbourhoods.”
Patrick Miksa, vice-president for academic assets at Knightstone, said he was “pleased” with the ruling. “We moved forward with the OMB after all efforts had been exhausted,” he said. “We believe in the process that’s in place and we followed it. We’ll obviously make the best efforts to ensure that (the residence) fits well in the community.”
Opponents of the residence forced the reduction of its proposed height from 42 storeys to 25 over the course of a prolonged battle. But they still feel that the OMB and the developer won.
Ramkhalawansingh says residents of the neighbourhood have been serially abused throughout the process; the university “leased this land in secret, in a secret meeting, to a private developer. So we get f---ed by the OMB and we get f---ed by the university, and we’re about to get screwed again by the developer.”.
Sources / More info: Ontario Municipal Board overrides city, approves huge University of Toronto student residence | Toronto Star

Comments

Popular Articles

The tap water smell and a new tenant law

Residents were left guessing what may have affected the water taste in the past couple of days and the government is looking to change the landlord and tenant act with a view to improve landlord protection.

TPA blames Police Chief Mark Saunders

The story of police understaffing has been somehow dominating the headlines for quite a while. Although there are far more police per capita in Toronto than in London for instance, Toronto police officers are reportedly so “demoralized” that they took a symbolic vote against Chief Mark Saunders.

TTC proposes #RapidTO on Jane Street

Anyone who has been driving or taking the bus on Jane Street knows that it's been in need of traffic relief for quite a long time now. Finally, the City of Toronto is coming up with some ideas and you get a chance to express your view.

Subscribe Now!

Subscribe in a reader, or by email:
Your email: