With disappointment over the ongoing RioCan issue still fresh in residents' minds, cynicism and skepticism dominated a Tuesday night meeting to introduce locals to the Avenue Road study process.More than 100 residents and business owners filled the auditorium at Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute to learn more about the study from Ward 16 (Eglinton-Lawrence) Councillor Karen Stintz and city officials.
The study will help set out clear guidelines for future development along Avenue Road between Lawrence and Wilson avenues while also looking to improve the streetscape, green space, traffic and parking situations.
Stintz kicked off the meeting by promising that residents would "have a unique opportunity to create a vision of Avenue Road that the community wants to see."
The city is hoping to create a local advisory committee consisting of five residents who live east of Avenue Road, five who live west of the main street, five local business owners and representatives of local residents' associations. A question-and-answer period where people were encouraged to make their voices heard on the matter, however, demonstrated the distrust within the community after the city settled with RioCan on a condo development on Avenue Road.
"I hope this isn't just a disguise for intensification," said resident Larry Lancefield. "We're all for the renewal of Avenue Road, but if you're going to use this as an excuse for intensification, we're going to fight you on it."
Fellow resident Andrew Yates said the city's RioCan decision, which was made during an in-camera council session, has left the community feeling as though their input is not taken at face value.
"(The community) largely felt that we didn't have any real say as to what's been done," he said. "I don't have any understanding of what sort of influence the community has on this process."
Resident Tony Bessell said the worst-case scenario for residents would be "a continuation of RioCans along Avenue Road up to Wilson."
He added the proliferation of monster homes just west of Avenue Road has helped chip away at the tight-knit community feel within the neighbourhood. He noted, however, that he was not opposed to development in general.
"Let's get (Avenue Road) built to three or four storeys, I'll even go to five in some cases, but make it nice and do it properly," he said.
Ann McIlroy, an outside consultant brought in by the city, tried to assuage the community's fears concerning the possibility of more highrise developments, noting there were not many properties on the site that could house a large-scale development similar to the RioCan development.
"The properties are owned by individual owners, so it would be very difficult to consolidate properties and get the kind of development that RioCan is building," she said. "Some of the two- to three-storey buildings are the kind of fabric we're going to see on Avenue Road. That low-rise fabric is part of the framework and character of the neighbourhood that needs to be preserved and at times replicated on Avenue."
Stintz was quick to point out, however, that there were a few sites along the two-kilometre stretch of Avenue Road that would likely house larger developments.
"One thing I don't want to have is mixed expectations (within the community)," she said. "Some buildings will likely be higher that what we're accustomed to. To come away (from the study) with a position where we say we won't go over four storeys is to take a position that we're going to always have to continue to fight."
She said it was important to let everyone know upfront that compromises would have to be made on the four or five sites where larger developments could be expected, adding she wanted to avoid the sort of uncertainty and bitterness created by the RioCan situation.
"I think the RioCan process itself destabilized the community more than the development itself," she said. "I want to make sure that everyone has the same expectations here."
While tensions were high and community frustration throughout much of the meeting, residents were given an opportunity to list their beefs with the current state of Avenue Road on sticky notes provided by staff on hand.
Among the largest concerns were building heights and densities, a lack of green space, traffic congestion and a lack of parking.
In spite of the lingering anger and wariness over the ongoing RioCan proposal, the meeting seemed to at least help some within the community feel as though their opinions would be valued throughout the process. Lancefield said he was cautiously optimistic that the community would be heard.
"The (city planners and consultants) we heard tonight seemed professional and competent and I want to believe that we'll make a difference here," he said. "We might be frustrated and distrustful of the process after RioCan, but this is our alternative."
Stintz said that she hoped community members would be able to look past their disappointment over the RioCan decision and work together to create new guidelines that would prevent that sort of situation from arising again.
"It's still fresh in people's minds, but I'm still optimistic for the study," she said. "I think people are ready and very willing to be involved in the process."
Updates on the Avenue Road Study will be posted on the city's website at www.toronto.ca/planning beginning over the next few days. A second community meeting is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, June 12, with details to follow. Bain said he hopes to have the Avenue Road study completed by the end of 2007.
RioCan Update
The Ontario Municipal Board will not make a decision on the six-storey RioCan application until the City of Toronto makes its own call on a settlement reached between the developer and residents.
Residents fought for concessions regarding access from the proposed condos onto residential roads, but that agreement was held up by city planning staff.
Ward 16 (Eglinton-Lawrence) Councillor Karen Stintz ordered staff to reach a decision on the matter for North York Community Council's next meeting Tuesday, May 29. Residents are encouraged to attend their meeting and speak out on the matter.