Parkhurst two-storey heading to OMB
Density, not height, city's main issue with neighbourhood proposal
A proposed two-storey redevelopment in the heart of Leaside is heading to the Ontario Municipal Board for exceeding the neighbourhood’s density guidelines.
Owners Corey Ginou and Geordon Ferguson have proposed replacing the existing dwelling at 164 Parkhurst Blvd. near Sutherland Drive with a two-storey, 8.89-metre detached home that would have a floor space index (FSI) of 0.646.
“The neighbours around there are quite concerned — one of them came to an LPOA meeting, and a couple of them have reached out to me,” said Ward 26 councillor Jon Burnside, who submitted a request to have the city oppose the proposal at the OMB, which city council passed on March 10.
While the proposed height exceeds city guidelines, Burnside said the main issue with Ginou and Ferguson’s proposal is its FSI, which is more than 40 percent higher than the maximum FSI of 0.45 currently permitted under the neighbourhood’s bylaws.
He acknowledged that while in most parts of Leaside the maximum permitted FSI is about 0.6, and that as a result other OMB hearings for the neighbourhood have granted homeowners an FSI of about 0.55, an FSI of 0.65 raised the concerns of both the city’s planning department and the committee of adjustment, which refused the proposal on Jan. 10 for supporting neither the zoning by-law nor the official plan.
“It’s not a minor variance,” Burnside said. “I’ve got a feeling they’ll need to bring it down to what’s been approved.”
The hearing will take place on July 20.
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