Ontario Municipal Board date set for Minto plan

It’s official, the controversial Minto plan is coming before the Ontario Municipal Board.

Earlier this month the board scheduled a May 27 hearing start, with the next prehearing slated for April 24. A community evening sometime in the middle of June will also be held giving members of the public a chance to voice their concern.

The hearing date followed on the footsteps of Midtown community council’s acceptance of a final planning report that refused the Minto application to build its skyscraper project on Yonge St., just south of Eglinton Ave. E. The report was passed on a 5-1 vote, with Don Valley East Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34) casting the lone ballot of support.

“I wasn’t surprised in the end. If they didn’t vote this time to support a planning report than I think the general populace out there should be looking for new representation,” said St. Paul’s Councillor Michael Walker (Ward 22) who has been leading the charge in opposition to the plan. “Denzil Minnan-Wong made some weak arguments about refusing, but they didn’t hold water.”

The outcome surprised some observers, many of them residents convinced the planning department was lobbying behind closed doors for approval of the project. But in the end the report was a reflection of where the plan is headed, with the conclusion being that the city oppose the plan at the Ontario Municipal Board.

“The Minto proposal represents an overly aggressive and inappropriate approach to intensification within the Yonge-Eglinton Mixed Commercial-residential Area ‘A’,” the planning report, taking note that this was the most substantial development proposal for the area in the last 20 years, stated.

Arising from the planning report, which was culmination of focused review group meetings of residents and local merchants and other interested parties, it was noted that there had been some revisions. Minto, in seeking out less density (11.9 times coverage rather than 12.6), would do so with a reduction in their south tower from 47 storeys to 39.
“We felt that the reduction in height of the south proposed building would address a large component of the concern raised in the review process,” said Minto’s director of development and planning Bob Blazevski.

As well, due to concerns raised through the focus review group, the atrium (which featured a waterfall cascading down the front and a large glass/metal dome) has been replaced with an outdoor piazza and court to ensure more public use of the space between the two towers. Blazevski said that the architectural merits of the project (easily the most laudable to date) would remain intact through the building of the courtyard.

From a planning position the report defines what an acceptable application would be for the 0.78 hectare piece of land at 2195 Yonge St., respecting the fact that the Canada Square lands across the street, are also slated for redevelopment.

The report says that the north tower should be reduced to 118 metres (from Minto’s planned 167 metres) to ensure a smooth transition in building height from existing structures at or near the intersection, to the south tower, which should be reduced to 92 metres (from 142). Overall the density of the project should be 8 times the area of the lot.

The planning report also suggests that development of the site should be accompanied by such infrastructure improvements as: providing for an underground pedestrian access to connect with the exiting one between the Yonge-Eglinton Centre and the Eglinton subway station; a publicly accessible pedestrian walkway across the site connecting Yonge St. to the public lane; and to deal with other matters of concern as they arise.

“From a planning position this represents a maximum level of intensification for this particular site,” said area planner Mike Major.

The hearing before the board is scheduled for five weeks.