NEWS

Calls for halt to property sale

More than 750 people have signed a petition started by nearby residents in hopes of stopping the potential sale of the Glebe Manor Lawn Bowling Club property to a North York mortgage financier. And local councillor Josh Matlow is set to ask city hall for money to buy it and have it turned into a park.

The club’s board decided in November to sell the property located southeast of Mt. Pleasant Road and Eglinton Avenue East, which it has owned since 1923. The status of the property at 196 Manor Rd. East is unclear, but sources tell the Town Crier the land might have already been sold to Michael Volpentesta of funding services company The Mortgage Providers, in spite of “overtures” from Matlow about the city buying it for greenspace.

Board president Phill Foubert, believed to be the point man for the Glebe Manor Lawn Bowling Club in any property transaction, did not respond to voice messages requesting comment. Club director Liz MacFarlane directed questions to Foubert, but did say she had “never heard” of the city having an interest in buying the land until a neighbour mentioned it to her on June 5.

Attempts to reach Volpentesta were unsuccessful.

In recent days, Matlow and former board member Derek Tilley have separately told the Town Crier they were informed by Foubert the property has already been sold. Both say he would not identify the buyer.

Tilley, who resigned in November because he was unhappy that discussions about the club’s future were tilted toward selling the property, said he learned at the club’s annual general meeting shortly afterward that the property would be sold, with money from the sale going to charity.

Tilley then contacted Matlow to see whether the city would be willing to buy the land, to turn it into a park.

The Ward 22 councillor says he was immediately on board with the idea and tried to set up a meeting with Foubert to discuss the potential for the city paying market value for the land, but “the board president has expressed no interest in not only discussing allowing the city to acquire the property, but just talking with me at all.”

“More recently we heard the board has in fact sold the property to a developer,” Matlow said. “That came as a surprise to us, given the fact we’d been making overtures to acquire the land for a city park.”

Tilley said Foubert told him when he approached him at the club on May 27 the property had been sold. His reaction, he said, was to alert the community and circulate a petition around the neighbourhood calling for a stop to the potential development of the property.

“The city’s on board — they want to keep it a park,” Tilley said. “There’s no greenspace in the neighbourhood.”

Matlow said he is bringing forward a motion at city council this week, seeking to free up money from the Parkland Acquisitions budget to go toward buying the property. He has scheduled a community meeting for 7 p.m. on June 18 at Hodgson Public School to discuss the potential purchase.

“I think it really reflects how deeply valued that greenspace is,” he said. “I look forward to meeting with everybody on the 18th to discuss what we’re dealing with, and also our next steps forward.

“Ultimately, the funds are there.”