Settlement may thwart OMB hearing
A development proposal for 12 townhouses on Roselawn Avenue may be settled without a fight at the Ontario Municipal Board.
The development is scheduled for a four-day hearing beginning May 12. The proposal includes the demolition of the buildings at 117, 121, 123 and 129 Roselawn Ave., which include two detached houses, a four-unit apartment building and a two-unit duplex.
A settlement offer has been made but details will not be made public until the next city staff report comes to community council, which is expected April 14.
Councillor Christin Carmichael Greb said until then she won’t comment on the likelihood of the settlement being agreed upon by the city.
“Nothing is finalized,” she said. “Until I see a directions report from the city I can’t say yea or nay.”
The proposal hasn’t come without concerns in the neighbourhood. Issues identified in the preliminary report included a need for better landscaping and greater setbacks.
Patrick Smyth, a former executive with the Avenue Road-Eglinton Community Association, said some residents feel they’ve been “abandoned” during the process.
ARECA raised concerns about the development in 2012. In stating its official position on the matter in February, the group cited an OMB decision from 2014 that ruled against a similar development in North York.
Carmichael Greb said she recognized the community had felt “left out” so began working with both ARECA and Eglinton Park Residents’ Association, and including them in discussions with the city’s planning and legal departments to keep them in the loop.
“Residents saw the preliminary application and haven’t really seen anything since, so I’ve been providing updates,” she said.
After the community council meeting April 14, the issue will go to city council May 5. If the city agrees to the settlement, the decision will be made known to the OMB on May 12.
