City to oppose North Toronto tower proposals
North York community council has voted to oppose two unrelated tower proposals that would go up next to the iconic Postal Station K at 2384 Yonge St., and city council is expected to follow suit.
Ward 16 councillor Karen Stintz said developer Knightstone Capital Management, which has proposed a 28-storey mixed-use building for 2360–2378 Yonge St., and the Pemberton Group, which has proposed a 24-storey apartment building at nearby 31–37 Helendale Ave., tried collaborating with the city to create a joint proposal but ultimately failed to reach an agreement. The Helendale proposal has already been submitted to the Ontario Municipal Board.
“The two towers don’t conform to any city standard,” said Stintz, who who voted with community council on May 13 to oppose the proposals at any future OMB hearings.
“They’re too tall, they’re too dense, they’re too close together and they shadow Yonge Street.”
No hearings have been scheduled yet for the Helendale Ave. proposal.
Knightstone has not formally submitted an application for the Yonge St. proposal to the OMB, though is expected to.
A letter submitted by Knightstone representative David Bronskill on May 12 said the developer disagrees with the city’s position that the site should be occupied by a mid-rise building, citing its proximity to Yonge and Eglinton, which is a provincially-designated “urban growth centre” where high-rise intensification is encouraged.
The Knightstone proposal would be only two storeys higher than developer Rockport’s plans next door, which involve erecting a 26-storey condominium behind the historic Postal Station K building.
Neither Knightstone nor Pemberton responded to interview requests.
