How to participate in the LPAT hearing for 1540 Bloor St.W
A development proposal is before the City of Toronto to build a 25 storey tower on the northwest corner of Bloor and Dundas. The proposal is very similar to one rejected by the OMB just over 10 years ago. The people of our neighbourhood played a significant role in seeing that this large and inappropriate proposal was not permitted to threaten safe, diverse and sustainable characteristics of the area in which we live.
The developer has taken their proposal to the Local Planning and Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). This is your opportunity to be heard!
We need your help to write letters to City Council and LPAT to voice our concerns about this proposal. Feel free to use the sample letter template below, and personalize it if you wish.
Please email your letters to:
Councillor Gord Perks : councillor_perks@toronto.ca
Tribunal Case Coordinator Christopher Molnar : Christopher.molnar@ontario.ca
*Include the case number in this email: PL200248
Sample Letter
To: councillor_perks@toronto.ca, christopher.molnar@ontario.ca
RE: PL200248
My name is [insert name here] and I am a resident of the West Bend neighbourhood / a resident of Toronto.
I am writing to you today to voice my concerns about the proposed 25 storey apartment complex at 1540 Bloor St.
I enjoy the diversity of the West Bend neighbourhood and our strong sense of community. Our neighbourhood wants to see the Bloor-Dundas West corner developed and we are excited to have our community continue to grow in a sustainable way. At issue is “appropriate development.” For the 1540 Bloor St. site, a very similar proposal was already found to be grossly inappropriate and none of the underlying conditions have improved.
Firstly, increasing the zoning density and height restrictions is in direct conflict with the outcomes of the Avenue Study we recently completed. The Avenue Study was a City run effort that involved the whole community, planning experts, local institutions and businesses and all stakeholders. It was an open and transparent process that established sensible guidelines for the sustainable development of this area for decades to come, and lead to the zoning regulations currently in place. The developer is seeking to throw it all away.
In addition, traffic safety is a significant concern with vehicles entering and exiting between the intersection and Dundas West Subway station. This is already recognized as one of the City’s most dangerous intersections.
Moreover, traffic infiltration in the neighbourhood will increase. Vehicles can only enter the property approaching from the north and so vehicles are expected to use local streets including Dorval, Glenlake, and Humberside to ‘loop around.’
Insufficient parking within the building based on the assumption that future residents will rely only on public transit is another significant issue. Of the too few spaces, twenty are reserved for the retail. Most residents will be forced to use on-street parking for their vehicles, which will inevitably create problems.
Finally, there is a blatant lack of housing diversity and affordability in the proposed building. Our neighbourhood is strong and stable as a result of our variety of housing available. Few parts of this City provide options for individuals to progress through various rental accommodations in various stages of their life and potentially even purchasing a home — all within the same neighbourhood. Residents of the West Bend are often long-term residents with a significant stake in our neighbourhood. This proposal seeks to significantly disrupt the balance in this neighbourhood and that does not need to be the case.
I ask the tribunal to reject this appeal of the well thought-out and deliberate zoning regulations recently established for this site. Please insist that the developer work with the city, with the community, and within the established frameworks to ensure this site is developed in the best interests of all stakeholders – especially us long-term stakeholders who live here and care deeply for this neighbourhood.
Sincerely,
[insert name here]
Background
Some issues of concern your neighbours share about the proposal:
- Increasing the zoning density and height restrictions is in direct conflict with the outcomes of the Avenue Study we recently completed. The Avenue Study was a City run effort that involved the whole community, planning experts, local institutions and businesses and all stakeholders. It was an open and transparent process that established sensible guidelines for the sustainable development of this area for decades to come, and lead to the zoning regulations currently in place. The developer is seeking to throw it all away.
- Traffic safety is a significant concern with vehicles entering and exiting between the intersection and Dundas West Subway station. This is already recognized as one of the City’s most dangerous intersections.
- Traffic infiltration in the neighbourhood will increase. Vehicles can only enter the property approaching from the north and so vehicles are expected to use local streets including Dorval, Glenlake, and Humberside to ‘loop around’
- Insufficient parking within the building based on the assumption that future residents will rely only on public transit. Of the too few spaces, twenty are reserved for the retail. Most residents will be forced to use on-street parking for their vehicles
- Lack of housing diversity in the proposed building. Our neighbourhood is strong and stable as a result of our variety of housing available. Few parts of this City provide options for individuals to progress through various rental accommodations in various stages of their life and potentially even purchasing a home — all within the same neighbourhood. Residents of the West Bend are often long-term residents with a significant stake in our neighbourhood. This proposal seeks to significantly disrupt the balance in this neighbourhood and that does not need to be the case
More information:
https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2020/01/revised-plans-submitted-1540-bloor-west
https://www.landlordsoftoronto.com/timbercreek
https://renx.ca/timbercreek-trinity-timbertrin-developments-toronto/
Letters from the Community – Updated Oct. 13 / 2021
Some residents have already drafted letters to the LPAT and would like to share them with you here. You can use these as inspiration to write your own submission, or use the examples below as a template:
More information about the proposed tower can be found here:
Details about the LPAT meeting and process:
The Bloor Dundas Avenue Study (4 parts — its BIG!):
Summaries of the OMB Hearing in 2010 (prior to final judgement):
Local Critique of the Developer’s Traffic Study:
We are organizing a group locally to get engaged and ensure this critical corner is developed to the benefit of our neighbourhood. Calling on former members of the Friends of Dundas and Bloor (FODAB), anybody who participated in the Avenue Study, and anybody else who has in interest in ensuring a sensible, community engaged approach to building and growing our neighbourhood.
If you are interested in getting more involved, please send an email to: info@thewestbend.ca