Davisville School plans up in air
[attach]7141[/attach]The plan for a possible redevelopment of Davisville Junior Public School is in the hands of the Ministry of Education, awaiting approval.
If approved, the Toronto District School Board will begin discussions on methods for funding a project expected to see an entirely new facility built on the site of the current school. But according to trustee Shelley Laskin, a “best case” scenario sees completion of the redevelopment likely three or four years away.
“The school hasn’t been designed yet,” she said in a phone interview. “That’s the next step.”
The provincial body has had the land use master plan for the school site since June, she said, after the school board lifted a temporary freeze on capital projects. The land use master plans had already been approved by the TDSB in December.
The need for redevelopment has much to do with many of the classrooms being too small for modern class sizes. Laskin said 19 of the classrooms can hold a maximum of only 20 pupils each.
The school currently has 475 students, comprising a French immersion program, and classes for the deaf and other special-needs students. It is at capacity, with expected growth in coming years. The proposed redevelopment would make room for as many as 668 children.
The project has had several holdups along the way, including a stalemate last year due to initial plans involving aspects of condominium development on the grounds that had a height density not in keeping with the city’s Official Plan.
Now, Laskin says, she’s glad to see some progress being made.
“I’m just happy the board recognized the need for a school at Davisville,” she said. “We’re going after a school that would serve the needs of the broader community and we hope the ministry agrees so they’ll approve it and we can get on with it.”
If the ministry does approve the plans, Laskin said the next step would be to discuss how the redevelopment would be funded. For now, she doesn’t want to discuss options, pending the ministry’s decision.
Councillor Josh Matlow, who along with two nearby residents’ associations had been among the loudest voices opposing the previous plans for condominium development on the Davisville site, said he hopes that whatever the next plans are that all groups involved be on the same page.
“I’d like to see an improved school, I think the community could use a better facility,” he said. “I’m not opposed to a reasonable and modest redevelopment, but it must respect the city’s Official Plan, and that’s the position that both the community and I share.”
Laskin wouldn’t speculate on what the redevelopment plans might include, saying much depends on the ministry’s decision.
“Once we have ministry approval we can really look at it as a project and begin to figure out how to actually move it forward,” she said. “So we’re in a little bit of a holding pattern where we’re still waiting for ministry approval, and until we get that nothing can happen.”