The Application: Don Mills Centre towers at 32 and 24 storeys


75 The Donway West  (Present)
seen from Janet Boulevard
(at approx. 3 km distance)

 
75 The Donway West  (Future?)
with simulated 24- and 32-storey towers (the two tallest buildings proposed by Cadillac Fairview)


Thank you for joining us at the OMB
 
A heartfelt thank you to all who took the time and made the effort to join us for the presentation made by The Hon. Dennis Timbrell at the OMB on Tuesday, May 4. We had a good turnout, nearly filling up the two rows of chairs at the back of the room. Everyone's presence was important.
 
Mr. Timbrell's presentation, which, among other important points, addressed the myths and facts listed below, was outstanding, and we could not have asked for a better spokesperson to represent our interests and concerns. It was an honour and a privilege to work with Mr. Timbrell on this, to quote his own words, "very worthwhile effort."
 
Mr. Timbrell's presence and presentation made the Cadillac Fairview and DMRI representatives visibly nervous and uncomfortable. It is most unfortunate that the DMRI representatives saw it necessary to resort to self-righteous arrogance, derogatory comments, sarcasm, and insults in a desperate effort to discredit our group and Mr. Timbrell's statements. Click here to read a summary of Mr. Timbrell's presentation.
 
The OMB vice chair indicated that her decision would be made fairly soon, and we will advise you when it becomes available.
 
"I can honestly say that I was never affected by the question of the success of an undertaking.
If I felt it was the right thing to do, I was for it regardless of the possible outcome." 

~Golda Meir

 

Myth #1: It's a Done Deal.
The community has been told that the Don Mills Centre settlement is a "done deal," virtually guaranteed to be approved at the OMB Hearing on May 4, 2010.

Fact:
 Nothing could be further from the truth. As Councillor Jenkins stated in an e-mail to constituents on February 25, 2010, "The OMB will still require CF to prove that the application represents good planning…"

Mr. Timbrell would stress that the OMB has a wide range of options with respect to the Cadillac Fairview application, including:

i)          outright rejection;
ii)          revision;
iii)         postponement to a later date;
iv)         approval with conditions.

 

Myth #2: The Don Mills Secondary Plan does not apply to these applications.

The community has been misled to believe that "The old Don Mills Secondary Plan is not part of the new City of Toronto Official Plan which was approved by the Government of Ontario in 2006." (from March 2010 DMRI Newsletter)

Fact:
The Planning Staff Report to Council clearly states (p. 12) that "Don Mills Centre site is governed by the Central Don Mills Secondary Plan, found in Part D.7 of the North York Official Plan…The goal of the Secondary Plan is to manage change in the community in a manner that retains and enhances the existing character of the area."

The redevelopment of the Don Mills Centre lands should proceed according to the very generous provisions of the Secondary Plan. There is no justification for the 50-percent increase in density and the greater heights requested by Cadillac Fairview. The OMB has the power to uphold the Secondary Plan and reject the developer's application.

Myth #3: A community survey allegedly showed overwhelming support for the application.

Fact:
 The DMRI survey on which this myth is based was weighted heavily towards questions regarding a community centre and provided no details of Cadillac Fairview's proposal for greater densities and taller buildings.

A survey was conducted by Councillor Minnan-Wong in Ward 34 over the weekend preceding the City Council meeting in February 2010. As the councillor states in this letter, the results showed that the majority of respondents were opposed to the Settlement offer.

Other than Councillor Minnan-Wong's survey in Ward 34, there was no community-wide survey which disclosed the greater densities and heights proposed by Cadillac Fairview.

In addition to the above surveys, three public meetings were held regarding the proposal:

1)       At the July 2007 public meeting at Spirale's, the residents in attendance were overwhelmingly and loudly opposed to what was presented.

2)       In the Fall of 2009, Councillor Minnan-Wong held a public meeting at Don Mills Collegiate, which was the only meeting at which there was full disclosure of the proposal by City Planning and Legal Staff. The majority of the residents in attendance were adamantly opposed to the proposal.

3)       At a public meeting organized by the DMRI on February 18, 2010, to discuss the settlement agreement (which was still under a confidentiality blackout at the time the meeting was held), the information presented was again heavily weighted towards the benefits of the community centre, and when the building heights were revealed, residents loudly voiced their displeasure. Once again, the residents in attendance were left with the impression that the Secondary Plan did not apply (see Myth #2) and that the OMB would approve the application, whether the settlement agreement was approved or not (see Myth #1).

Myth #4: The applicant may argue that provincial policies support the densities and heights that far exceed those provided for in the Central Don Mills Secondary Plan.

Fact:
 The Planning Staff Report states the following:

  • (p. 10): "The Provincial Policy Statement (2005) and the Growth Plan that was approved on June 16, 2006, do not apply to the applications. Because the application was filed in November 2001, the application is subject to the provisions of the previous Provincial Policy Statement (1997)."
  • (p. 11): "… the applicable policy framework for this application consists of the Metropolitan Toronto Official Plan, the City of North York Official Plan and the Central Don Mills Secondary Plan (Part D.7 of the North York Official Plan).:
  • (p. 11): "…the Growth Plan does not apply in this application.

     

Myth #5: The community centre proposed by Cadillac Fairview under the Settlement Agreement is touted as a fantastic deal for Don Mills. 

Fact:
 Don Mills could certainly use a community centre, but not at any price. In earlier plans, Cadillac Fairview showed a 14,000-sq.ft. community centre for the residents of their development. With the Settlement Agreement, they would instead provide a 37,000-sq.ft. community centre, in return for which they would be given the right to develop an additional 1 million square feet more than permitted under the Secondary Plan. In addition, the proposed community centre might not even be built until 2020. 

Not only is this an overdevelopment, but it is also a bad business deal.

To put this in perspective, the additional square footage requested by Cadillac Fairview would be the equivalent of 1,000 existing Don Mills homes being rebuilt each with an additional 1,000 square foot of space.