I have growing concerns…

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013-3483

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26620

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I have growing concerns regarding the increasing building density in the Yonge and Eglinton area. The side streets are congested with traffic, partially due to the Crosstown construction, but also because more and more people are living in the area. It is not just the cars traffic that is increasing, the pedestrians are as well. Trying to cross the street at Redpath and Broadway and at Roehampton and Redpath isfraught. Also from a driver‘s perspective these intersections are difficult to navigate as pedestrians are constantly crossing the street in different directions and drivers are frustrated waiting for a gap to make it through the intersections. I have witnessed near misses on several occasions and it is not always the driver‘s fault.The pedestrian traffic at Yonge and Eglinton is overwhelming. The throngs of people waiting for th light to change often spill onto the active traffic lanes as the sidewalk area is too small. This situation is just an accident waiting to happen. I doubt that this will improve once the construction is finished as people will be trying to access 2 subway lines in an area originally designed for one. I am also concerned about how the sewer system will hold up to the increased demand. An article in the Star on Nov 25 also mentioned yet another concern I have, one of sunlight. As these huge towers go up, they are blocking the sun of the surrounding buildings, and will also block the view of sky and space of those buildings.The article mentions the importance of „the need to preserve sunlight to ensure comfort“. This plan is called TOcore and I feel those findings also need to be applied across the city including the Yonge Eglinton area. The loss of sunlight and space will mean a drop in property values of existing propertyowners which does not seem fair. With all the current development the Yonge Eglintion area has already lost the neighbourhood feeling that was one of the reasons many of us chose to make our home here. It will become even more impersonal and condo canyon like if developers continue to be allowed to build huge towers . I urge the committee to vote in favour of Option 3 of the Yonge-Eglinton Official Plan Amendment, the Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan and the Midtown in Focus Study to limit the height of future developments.