More consultation planned on building

A planning report that would have recommended either refusal or approval of a 17 storey highrise for the corner of Orchardview Boulevard and Duplex Avenue has now been put on hold in favour of more consultation.

“We have been working on this for two years,” Councillor Karen Stintz said. “We haven’t had a meeting with community on this in some time, so I thought it made sense community input is heard.”

The report was originally set to go before North York Community Council on June 22.

The plan for corner has a history dating back to 2002, when an application for a 17 storey condo with high ceilings was rejected by city council.

The site changed owners and additional property was acquired, making it a larger lot. Some single-family homes were demolished and a temporary parking lot was put up.

In 2008, an application was submitted for 20 storeys and that’s been revised several times down to the current 17 storey project.

Recently, there were some community concerns the history and context of this project would not be reflected in the June report now that a new planner is working on the file. So, residents and Stintz requested it be put off. Eglinton Park Residents’ Association member Aaron Graben has been part of a working group meeting on this project for two years.

“We want something smaller and skinner,” said Graben, who lives across the street from the site.

The site is zoned as Apartment Neighbourhoods, which allows for some intensification, but the area across the street is designated for lesser density. “We just want the right building for the property,” said Graben.