September 2024 Update
September 2024 Update
Fitzrovia's and AIMCo's Devlopment proposal was amended (adopted) by the City Council on July 24, 2024.
Councilor Moise moved the item using the quick release procedure without debate, despite a plea from the community to defer the proceedings and allow for public information and consultations, and despite dozens of petitions opposing the development. See Agenda Item History - 2024.TE15.9 (toronto.ca).
Councilor Moise held the item in the morning before the lunch break, meaning it was not adopted through a quick release procedure with similar items. We believe that Councilor Moise understood the strong public opposition and decided to get legal and political advice.
Serguei Zernov delivered a hard copy of the Petition to Defer, signed by 28 households and 38 individuals, to the City Chamber at approximately 1:50 PM and asked Councilor Dianna Saxe to place the package on Councilor Moise's table, which she did. The item had not yet been voted on.
When the Clerk called for quick release items in the afternoon, Councilor Moise brought up item TE15.9 (our item) with hollow amendments. Another councilor joked that he thought the item would take two weeks, given the copious public submissions. Councilor Moise replied tongue-in-cheek with something like: "Yeah, yeah, till Friday...." and moved the item for quick release without debate - see
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNamMaX1gyM&t=29637s , time stamp 8:12:00.
We emphasized in the petition that we are not well represented in the matter, and this is a clear example of Councilor Moise joking about our demands instead of representing us at the City Council.
Our recourse in the current situation is limited. The City Council decision will come in power in a matter of several weeks, and unless a serious flaw in the procedure is found, little can be done. Our understanding is that under current provincial laws the public has no legal recourse in the Ontario Land Tribunal (the body that regulates land use).
The adopted Official Plan and zoning By-laws do not specify details of the construction project. Thus, we focus on implementation of the development to reflects interests of the community.
We have an advantage that we are better organized now. It is important to care about interests of diverse groups in our community - homeowners at different locations and tenants. Unscrupulous politicians and developers will attempt to divide the community to achieve their goals.
We also must not be distracted arguing about irrelevant things (dog park or playground etc.) and focus on the important stuff that the developer wants to avoid, such as shadows, traffic, induced winds, noise and management of the construction.
We will contribute to organizing a coherent community response. Contact us, please, with suggestions.
Interview with CBC's Sarah MacMillan about Councillor Moise's apparent conflict of interest with Fitzrovia and impact on the community aired on September 17th:
Toronto councillor received 11% of donations from donors tied to developer | CBC News
See other relevant media spotlight at Links to resources | Community action: 191-201 Sherbourne St. in Toronto (191-201-sherbourne.ca)
Accidentally or not, the Councilor office and the City Planning office invited representatives of the community to attend a meeting at the City Hall.
The meeting was attended by three tenants of 191-201 Sherbourne St., representing a group of tenants, and by four houseowner from Seaton St.
The meeting was attended on behalf of the city by:
Before addressing the substance of the meeting, we feel compelled to share a civics lesson delivered to us by Mr. Edward LaRusic.
Mr. LaRusic explained that, as an elected official, the Councilor is often required to make difficult decisions. As a result, some members of the community may suffer for what is perceived as the greater good. He implied that in this case, our community was the one Councilor Moise chose to sacrifice for that greater good. Mr. LaRusic assured us that he empathized with our pain.
Some of us were visibly upset by this revelation, especially considering it came from a City Hall employee paid with our taxes. However, there is a silver lining in this revelation.
We now see our interaction with the City consisting of three components:
This is the first time in our dealings with Councilor Moise that we have passed stage 1—the City has acknowledged the harm caused to our community by this development.
Ms. Christy Chow, the city planner responsible for the development, asked to limit the discussion to "outstanding public realm and traffic management concerns".
Representatives of the community stated their position with respect to the official plan and by-law amendments passed by the City Council on July 24th:
1. We believe the amendments to the official plan and by-laws adopted by the City Council on July 24th (Item TE15.9) were passed without adequate public consultation or proper debate at both the Community Council and City Council. This decision disregarded public opposition and requests to defer the matter to allow for the dissemination of information, analysis, and discussion.
2. We are concerned about a potential conflict of interest involving Councillor Moise due to his documented close relationship with the developer, Fitzrovia. As such, he may not have fully represented the interests of Ward 13 constituents as the ward Councillor or in his role as the presiding member of the Toronto and East York Community Council.
3. Given this breach of trust, we will continue our efforts to suspend the enactment of the Item TE15.9 amendments and seek a review of Fitzrovia’s proposal in a way that will help restore trust in the approval process, ensuring it reflects the interests of the neighborhood's residents.
4. A new development should only be accepted by the City if it creates social welfare. When social welfare is created, then it is possible to distribute it such that everyone receives a share of the created welfare.
These official plan and by-laws amendments make a significant negative impact on the existing tenants and Seaton St. residents/homeowners – thus mitigation or compensation mechanism should be found. If it is impossible to find adequate mitigating and/or compensating measures, then it is likely that the project does not create social welfare and thus should not be permitted.
Notwithstanding the above, we formulated our requests to the City Planning office and Councilor's Moise office as follows:
Traffic and property access
i. The proposed main entranceto the 191-201 Sherbourne St. property from Seaton St. and Wyndeyer Lane is unacceptable to Seaton St. homeowners and tenants of the Fitzrovia property. Please note that the property today has two main entrances on Sherbourne dedicated to all traffic needs except for city garbage collection.
1. The proposed plan essentially turns Seaton St. and Wyndeyer Lane into private streets for the development, as more than 95% of the traffic would come from the development. This private use of public streets, to the detriment of neighborhood residents, is unacceptable, and may even be illegal.
2. If implemented as proposed, the development would likely generate traffic chaos, creating unsafe and unbearable conditions for the neighborhood, including both old and new Fitzrovia tenants. The proposed entrance from Seaton would cut 25% of existing street parking in Seaton St., which is insufficient even today.
3. We request that the developer, together with Toronto’s Traffic Management and City Planning offices, review the project to ensure that access to the property is from arterial streets, utilizing the property’s own land. We suggest maintaining the existing entrances on Sherbourne Street and adding an entry from Shuter Street, if necessary or desired. This approach aligns with recent provincial guidance on the installation of bike lanes in Toronto.
4. We reject the argument that modifying traffic and architectural plans is impossible due to the adopted by-laws. The residents raised traffic concerns throughout the project review process, up to the City Council meeting on July 24th, yet these concerns were ignored. It is now the City and Councillor Moise’s responsibility to find a solution.
5. We request to be involved in discussions on traffic studies and proposed traffic solutions with Toronto Traffic Management.
ii. The proposed parkingin the building is inadequate and should comply with Toronto’s parking requirements, despite recent waivers. We suggest that the City negotiate with the developer to voluntarily adjust the plans to provide adequate parking for both existing and new residents, at minimum to maintain the existing parking ratio.
b. Public Realm
i. We ask that the public park planned for Seaton St. be dedicated as a children’s park, built at Fitzrovia’s expense, with proper fencing to close it at night and ensure safety for children. Ideally, the park could remain private property to be maintained by the developer with irrevocable public right of use.
ii. We also ask Fitzrovia to create a second public park for children on Sherbourne St., at the northern end of the 191-201 Sherbourne property. This park should also be built at Fitzrovia’s expense and fenced for safety. Like the Seaton park, it could remain private property with the obligation to maintain it and an irrevocable right of use for the public.
iii. Both parks would serve the tenants and the adjacent communities, while the landowner maintains cleanliness and order
iv. We request that Fitzrovia plant the same number of trees they remove, ensuring all trees are planted in these two parks to benefit the impacted communities.
c. Construction Management
i. We request that the construction site be lined with sound and dust protection walls, with specific parameters to be agreed upon. Sound-reflecting and sound-absorbing panels should be installed to meet the agreed noise levels during construction hours (for example, maximum 75dB during permitted construction hours).
ii. At no point during construction should trucks or equipment enter or be staged on Seaton St. The heritage homes on Seaton are not built to withstand the noise and vibrations caused by construction traffic needed to build skyscrapers.
iii. We also request detailed protocols for managing vibrations and dust.
We submitted these requests to Ms.Christy Chow in the follow-up communication.
We also agreed on the action items below:
After the Toronto/East York Commitee presided by Councilor Moise recommended the City Council to adopt the Official Plan and By-laws changes requested by Fitzrovia (the developer), while the community was not informed and haven't had a chance to discuss the proposal and understand implications, a group of neighborhood homeowners and residents held a meeting on July 13th.
The meeting decided to gather support behind request to the City Council to defer the consideration of the development until the October 9th City Counsil meeting or later to allow the community to understand the complex proposed changes, the development project, and to develop community response.
Follow Petition to defer (191-201-sherbourne.ca) to read the Petition to Defer and instructions on how to join the petition.
The Toronto and East York Community Council presided by Councilor Moise (the Councilor for our Ward 13) recommended on July 10th to amend the Official Plan for the lands at 191-201 Sherbourne St. essentially as requested by Fitzrovia and Ontari Holdings Ltd. This decision asks the City Counsil to approve the development that, if implemented, will be detrimental to our community.
You can see details of the Committee considerations at Agenda Item History - 2024.TE15.9 (toronto.ca) and request details e-mailing to teycc@toronto.ca .
Information regarding the proposal, including background information and material be obtained by contacting Christy Chow, Planner, Community Planning at 416-392-8479, or by e-mail at Christy.Chow@toronto.ca.
You can submit written comments up until City Council gives final consideration to the proposal. See instructions at Have Your Say at Council & Committee Meetings – City of Toronto .
See a template of a letter opposing the development at Letter of Opposition (191-201-sherbourne.ca)
Dear Neighbours,
Ontari Holdings Ltd., the landowner of 191-201 Sherbourne St., along with Fitzrovia, a Toronto developer and manager of luxury rental properties, has submitted another amendment to the development plans for the site. You can review the updated documents through the Application Information Centre - 191-201 SHERBOURNE ST (toronto.ca) - select Supporting Documentation link for updated documents.
Ontari Holdings Ltd. is owned by AIMCO Realty Investors LP, a real estate vehicle of AIMCo (Alberta Investment Management Corporation).
Despite the recent changes, the proposal remains fundamentally flawed, architecturally inappropriate, and socially detrimental. The latest amendment offers only minor adjustments, such as slight reductions in building height and trivial concessions, which do not address the core issues. This strategy of presenting a marginally less offensive proposal aims to anchor expectations and create an illusion of compromise. However, we must see through this tactic and expect our city planners and Council to prioritize the interests of Torontonians over those of developers and investors of AIMCo.
The revised plan continues to propose two 42 storey towers (over 140m), with over 800 additional apartments, increased commercial traffic on Seaton St., and a promenade atop existing apartment buildings. Even with the slight reductions, the project will significantly harm the Cabbagetown Southwest community, impacting our quality of life and property values. Approving this proposal sets a dangerous precedent for similar developments in our neighborhood and across Toronto.
Key elements of the proposed development include:
We have reviewed the lengthy and convoluted 90-page Planning Report submitted with the application. Here is a concise summary:
Our community sees this project as a blatant attempt by AIMCo to exploit their financial and political clout to break existing zoning rules, prioritizing profits over the well-being of Torontonians. We expect our elected officials and city planners to fulfill their duties and ensure that developments benefit the local community rather than external investors.
The project violates good practices of urban development applicable to historic neighborhoods in several ways:
New tall buildings in Toronto are typically planned in areas like the downtown financial district, Yonge corridor, and Bloor St., where they align with surrounding architecture and city development plans. This project does not align architecturally and aesthetically with the surrounding Garden District and Cabbagetown Heritage Conservation District. The development does not contribute to solving the housing crisis either, as the proposed units are not affordable or suitable for families, essential for a sustainable community.
If this large-scale project were approved, the construction project would disrupt livelihood of thousands of residents living in the existing apartment building and on neighboring streets for years. Taking into account that many people work from home these days, such disruption may lead to economic ruin for people who wouldn't be able to perform their work from home due to construction noise during working hours.
We urge our neighbours to join us in making our voices heard by the City Council and the City Planning Division. Any new construction in our neighborhood should follow modern urban design trends that enhance the community rather than enrich external investors and developers.
Our key objectives for community action regarding this development are:
We have drafted a petition letter to the city planner responsible for this development project. Please make your voice heard by sending a signed letter, either by editing our draft or writing your own, to the city planner.
Share your thoughts and suggestions on this development project and potential community actions. We will keep you updated and coordinate our efforts moving forward.
Sincerely,
E-mail: 191201sherbourne@protonmail.com
We live in Seaton St. and created this portal to inform the community about the 191-201 Sherbourne St. development project and to organize community response aimed at improving the proposed development.
Copyright © 2021-2024 Community action: 191-201 Sherbourne St. in Toronto
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