Please refer to a letter…

Please refer to a letter sent to Mr. Aly N. Alibhai, Regional Director of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, dated August 15, 2018, to view attachments that complete the following comments. This Letter reads as follows: We are writing with respect to an August 7, 2018 Public Notice received from the City of Toronto concerning By-law No. 1284-2018 adopting Amendment No. 405 of the City of Toronto Official Plan (‘OPA No. 405’) regarding the Yonge – Eglinton Secondary Plan. The owners of 203, 205 and 207 Belsize Drive (the ’subject property’) participated in the Yonge – Eglinton Secondary Plan public consultation process, both through their public open houses and through written submissions, dated February 20, 2018 and June 6, 2018 (copies attached). We are advised that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (‘MAH’) may consider approval of OPA No. 405 in its capacity as the approval authority, as per the Planning Act, as amended, with no right to appeal. We wish to register the following concerns regarding the Yonge – Eglinton Secondary Plan regarding 203, 205 and 207 Belsize Drive, the subject property, which is located within the boundary of the ‘Yonge – Eglinton Secondary Plan Area’. •OPA No. 405 fails to identify in our opinion, proper boundaries for ‘Major Transit Station Areas’ (‘MTSAs’). The subject property should be identified as part of the Mount Pleasant Road - Eglinton LRT Station ‘MTSA’, in keeping with the intent of the Growth Plan, 2017, as more clearly set out in our June 6, 2018 letter submission to the City; •OPA No. 405 focuses on providing opportunities for high density-built form in Yonge Eglinton Centre and medium density along ‘Mixed Use’ corridors, such as the ‘Mount Pleasant South Village C4’. Yet, the ’subject property’, comprised of three deep lots, being approximately one quarter acre in land area, fails to be appropriately acknowledged by OPA No. 405, as being capable of supporting a broad range of building types, including ground-related ‘townhouse’ configurations, even though it is located within the boundary of the City of Toronto Official Plan ‘Avenues’ designation; •On an area specific basis, the subject property is also wedged between a large day care facility to the east, and a large Church and retail area to the west. Technically the subject property is located within, and at the outer edge of ‘Neighbourhoods’ designation, abutting the immediate edge of a ‘Mixed Use Areas’ corridor designations per the City of Toronto Official Plan. This planning context provides opportunity for enhanced residential density; •A broad range of building types, including ground-related ‘townhouse’ configurations, of about 10-12 units, could provide for more affordable housing in this desirable mid-town community. The City’s ‘Townhouses and Low-Rise Apartments Guidelines’ (Jan. 2018 - Introductory section of the City’s Report Attached) describes the subject property as sharing the contextual characteristics deemed appropriate for ground-related ‘townhouse’ configurations given their ‘edge’ context where abutting lands are to permit a future 6 storey buildings per OPA No. 405; •Affordable housing is a major objective of the Province and City of Toronto. We are of the opinion that properties located within the boundaries of ‘MTSAs’ and ‘Avenues’, where currently used for single detached housing, are capable of supporting a higher residential density. OPA No. 405 fails to recognize that a broad range of building types, including ground-related ‘townhouse’ configurations, on appropriately situated properties will increase building supply and access to this existing desirable community, by better facilitating provincial planning policy objectives per the Provincial Policy Statement, 2014 and the Growth Plan, 2017 among others. In conclusion, the ‘MTSA’ boundary of the Mount Pleasant Road - Eglinton LRT Station needs to be more properly determined. Furthermore, appropriate land use designations need to be applied within the MTSA, particularly on lands designated ‘Avenues’, at the edges of ‘Mixed Use Areas’ and ‘Neighbourhoods’. Therefore, it is opined that OPA No. 405, implementing the Yonge – Eglinton Secondary Plan, is not fully in conformity with the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2017 and is not fully consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement, 2014 for the reasons set out above. ..... Thank you for the opportunity to provide this submission and we request to be notified of the Ministry’s decision and to be placed on the contact list for any public consultation, notices and correspondences with respect to the Ministry’s processing of OPA No. 405. Acknowledgement of the receipt of our letter submission would be greatly appreciated. Should you require any further information, please advise. Yours truly, Pound & Stewart Associates Limited Philip Stewart, MCIP, RPP