Tag Archives: Ward 27 Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam

50-storey condo tower proposed for Jarvis/Carlton parking lot site across from historic Allan Gardens

February 5 2012: Looking west from Allan Gardens toward the 308 Jarvis Street site, currently occupied by a pay parking lot, where a developer has proposed building a 50-storey condo tower with a 9-storey podium

February 5 2012: A view of the proposed tower site, looking southwest from Jarvis Street just below Carlton Street. At left is the 10-storey Ramada Plaza Hotel at 300 Jarvis Street, while at right is a heritage mansion at 314 Jarvis

February 5 2012: Northwesterly view from Allan Gardens toward the proposed condo site. At left is the Ramada Plaza Hotel, at center is the parking lot and the mansion at 314 Jarvis, and at right rear is the 25-storey Best Western Primrose Hotel at the southwest corner of Jarvis & Carlton Streets

February 5 2012: The developer proposes to incorporate into its condo tower only the “front portion” of this designated heritage house at 314 Jarvis Street

February 5 2012: The tower would rise behind the rear right side of the Allan Gardens Palm House, built in 1910, and would dominate the backdrop in this view

February 5 2012: Looking toward the proposed condo site from the northwest side of Allan Gardens. City parks and planning staff are worried about the potential shadow impact a 50-storey tower would have on this part of the park …

… as well as on these greenhouses connected to the Palm House conservatory

Tower above the trees?: With its 154- year-old park and century-old Palm House conservatory boasting rare tropical plants from around the world, Allen Gardens is one of downtown Toronto’s oldest and most important botanical parks. But plans for a 50-storey skyscraper that would soar high above the historic park from the west side of Jarvis Street aren’t flying well with city parks and planning staff.

The application for a “50- storey with 9-storey podium mixed-use building” was filed with the City on January 23 2012. The proposal would redevelop property situated at the municipal addresses of 308, 310, 312 and 314 Jarvis Street, as well as 225 Mutual Street. The complex would contain 590 units, of which 5 would be townhouses fronting on Mutual Street at the west side of the property. The podium would include commercial space. The building would have five levels of below-ground parking.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Pages: 1 2

Church-Wellesley village loses some of its heritage with demolition of Odette mansion & coach house

3 Replies

January 19 2012: Demolition commenced yesterday on Odette House, a 3-storey Victorian-era mansion at 81 Wellesley Street East …

… seen here on September 27 2010 after the property was sold for a reported $4.5 million by its former occupant Wellspring, the cancer support organization

Demolition has also started on the coach house at the rear of the property …

… the building in which Wellspring initially launched its programs in 1992. The north side of the 2-storey coach house is seen here on September 27 2010

Ignominious end: Residents of the Church-Wellesley Village area are dismayed that a stately Victorian-era mansion that has stood for approximately 100 years near the corner of Church and Wellesley Streets is being destroyed just 12 weeks after their city councillor requested that the “architecturally significant structure” be considered for heritage designation.

Yesterday afternoon, a wrecking crew began tearing apart the 3-storey Odette House and the 2-storey coach house behind it at 81 Wellesley Street East. As I reported in a September 27 2011 post, the two buildings had been owned by Wellspring, a non-profit organization that describes itself as “offering psychological, emotional, social, spiritual and informational support to individuals and families living with cancer.” Wellspring had decided to sell the property and relocate not only since it had outgrown the site, but also because maintenance and repair of the two old houses had become too expensive.

Wednesday’s demolition activity took neighbours by surprise, since no safety fencing or scaffolding had been installed around the property before the wrecking commenced, nor had any signs been posted to warn that demolition was imminent. Debris from the top floor fell to a heap in front of the mansion’s former main entrance, landing mere steps from the public sidewalk on the south side of Wellesley Street. The gate in the wrought iron fence next to the sidewalk had not even been closed.

Heritage review requested in November 2010

The demolition had not been completely unexpected. Area residents were aware that, on December 1 2011, the City had accepted an application to demolish the two buildings. However, many were holding out hope that City Hall might be able to designate Odette House as a heritage property before its new owner could take any steps to redevelop the site. Just one month earlier, on November 2 2011, Toronto and East York Community Council had adopted a motion in which Ward 27 Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam requested that city staff consider designating 81 Wellesley East under Ontario’s Heritage Act. In a letter to the council, Councillor Wong-Tam explained that Odette House “is an architecturally significant structure but is not currently protected by heritage designation. The building is clearly a surviving part of the early neighbourhood development of this area. In order to preserve the building as an important heritage resource, I am requesting City staff undertake a process to review it for designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.” However, the heritage designation process typically takes months, if not years, largely since the City’s understaffed and overworked Heritage Preservation Services team is swamped with an extensive caseload.

Outraged neighbours vent on Facebook group site

After crews started smashing apart the two buildings at 81 Wellesley yesterday, outraged area residents posted photos of the wrecking work on the members-only Facebook page for the Church Wellesley Neighbourhood Association (CWNA), decried what one man called “another major heritage preservation failure in Ward 27,” and speculated about the motive for what appears to some people to be a suspiciously hasty demolition. One CWNA Facebook group member, who reproduced details of the demolition application from the City’s website, said: “It looks like the developer wants to demolish these buildings pronto before any action can be taken to save them.” “Without doubt,” said another, “it was [Councillor Wong-Tam’s] motion to have the property designated which provoked the demolition on this site.” A third man, observing that the demolition had begun from the rear of Odette House, wondered if this was a tactic “to hide work till last possible moment?” Whatever the real reason, another huge disapppointment is likely in store for Church-Wellesley Village residents. As one of the CWNA Facebook group commentators pointed out, “Aside from the terrible loss here, now we’ll be staring at a gravel lot come Friday for the next few years” and quite possibly “a whole lot longer” if there is a “correction” in the Toronto real estate market. Just one block along Wellesley Street, he noted, an empty gravel lot occupies the property where a former St John Ambulance building was demolished several years ago to make way for a condo highrise project that hasn’t materialized. The lot is an eyesore that irks many neighbours, who would like to see the City acquire the property to establish a public park — something they realize is highly unlikely to happen.

Condo development proposal expected

So far, there has been no public word on what 81 Wellesley’s new owner plans to do with the property, though it’s widely expected that a condominium tower will be proposed for the site. A Colliers International real estate listing had described Odette House as a “rare boutique building” with “development potential,” while a September 26 2011 Twitter post by real estate research firm Urbanation announced that 81 Wellesley had been sold for $4.5 million with a “future high-rise condo site planned.” In a quick Google search this afternoon, I found one real estate website touting “luxury condominiums” for 81 Wellesley. The website for Milborne Real Estate Inc. Brokerage sales representative Nadine Robbins includes several photos of the property and says it “is sure to be developed into a modern, luxurious and extremely convenient residential condominium.” Since the website provides an email address and phone number so people can “find out more about this exclusive pre-construction condominium,” I emailed to ask if Ms. Robbins could provide any details about the development plans for 81 Wellesley. She replied promptly, saying: “Unfortunately, I have no new information on the project.” Similarly, the development application status page on the City of Toronto website does not yet list any proposals for the site.

However, two things do seem certain at this point. One is that the former Wellspring buildings will soon disappear forever from the Church-Wellesley Village landscape. The other is that neighbours are mad as hell about it — and worried about what will take their place.

Below are photos I snapped this afternoon of demolition progress on Odette House and the coach house. Wrecking crews were not working either of the two times I passed by 81 Wellesley, so snow from today’s light flurries was beginning to accumulate on the rubble.

Odette House front window and porch demolition

A huge heap of rubble lies outside the main entrance to Odette House, just inside the front gate. Demolition started without any scaffolding being put in place.

Debris and a destroyed tree at the northeast corner of Odette House

Looking up the brick wall on the east side of Odette House. The building’s roof, and much of the third floor, have been knocked down

A pile of demolition debris at the southeast corner of Odette House

The wrecking machines were idle, and no demolition workers in sight, when I took these photos of 81 Wellesley this afternoon

An idle wrecking machine behind partially-demolished Odette House

Demolition site viewed from the apartment building parking lot next door

Half of the coach house’s second floor has been knocked down

A closer view of the coach house roof demolition

A view of the coach house from a service laneway leading south from the property to Maitland Street. Area residents are dismayed that a condo tower might ultimately rise on the site.

The south-facing side of the coach house is still intact — but for how long?

Graffiti tags on the rear brick wall of the coach house

Maintenance and repair of the coach house and Odette House had become too expensive for the former owner, Wellspring

Another view of the coach house, from a laneway to its southeast

The 46-storey Casa condominium tower on Charles Street is slightly visible in the background. Area residents worry that a similar tall glass condo tower might be built at 81 Wellesley.

Public urged to pressure politicians to create park on Wellesley St. site of stalled apartment project

1 Reply

April 19 2011: A southwest view of hoarding around 11 Wellesley St. W., between Yonge & Bay Streets. Behind are the Murano condo towers (left), the Opera Place condos (center) and The Bay Club apartments (right), all on Bay St.

April 9 2011: A northwest view of 11 Wellesley Street West from the corner of Breadalbane St and St Luke Lane. A half-dozen highrise apartment and condo towers, and the Sutton Place Hotel (center), overlook the site.

Potential parkland: Could a big piece of prime downtown real estate become a public park instead of the apartment complex that a developer had planned to build on the site? Apparently so — if enough people can convince city and provincial politicians to make it happen.

The land in question has a municipal address of 11 Wellesley Street West, and occupies the eastern half of the city block bounded by Wellesley to the north, St. Luke Lane to the east, Breadalbane Street to the south, and Bay street to the west. Over the past two decades, it has earned notoriety as a site where ambitious development plans fail to materialize.

Back in the late 1980s, the provincial government donated the entire block of land for construction of a new ballet/opera house. Various levels of government pledged tens of millions of dollars toward the project, and construction of a spectacular building designed by architect Moshe Safdie was supposed to start early in 1991. However, with Ontario in the throes of a recession and facing a $2.5 billion budget deficit, the province’s newly-elected NDP government withdrew its $65 million cash pledge. In turn, the federal government and Metro Toronto cancelled their pledges for $88 million and $20 million, respectively, and the project was cancelled.

A skateboard park occupied the site for a few years until a developer acquired the western half of the property and built the Allegro at Opera Place condo tower and The Bay Club rental apartment building along Bay Street. The developer, Morguard, planned to build two more apartment buildings, 9 and 10 storeys tall, on the 11 Wellesley West site, along with a recreational amenities facility for the use of residents in all of the buildings (including two more Opera Place condo towers previously constructed one block south on Bay Street, between Breadalbane and Grosvenor Streets). However, shovels never got in the ground for the final phase of construction, and the property has sat vacant behind hoarding ever since — an eyesore that annoys hundreds of residents in the condos and apartments overlooking the site, not to mention passersby on Wellesley and Breadalbane.

I have long wondered why Morguard wanted to build only low-rise apartments on a location ideal for highrise development — to me, tall condo towers would suit the space better, and might even be substantially more profitable. I have also wondered why it has been taking so long for the final phase of Opera Place construction to commence. Last month, a city planning department official told a community meeting I attended that the site has sat empty for years because the developer and the Ontario Government have been embroiled in litigation over the property. No further details were provided about the nature of the dispute, but the planner said the parties are close to signing a settlement under which the province could re-acquire the land. If that does happen, the province apparently has indicated that it would be willing to give the property to the city for use as a community park — if that’s what people want.

Now, at least one neighbourhood group is encouraging residents to write to their city councillor and their MPP to say they want 11 Wellesley West turned into parkland. A page on the Bay Cloverhill Community Association website urges residents to contact City Councillor Kristyn Wong-tam and MPP Glen Murray to show their support for the creation of a new park. Will it happen? Perhaps, if enough Toronto residents put pressure on the local politicians.Personally, I favour turning the site into public green space; even though I didn’t skateboard, I still remember enjoying the wide open space along Wellesley before the skateboard park was closed off. The empty land and the unsightly hoarding have been a blight on the neighbourhood ever since, and it’s high time something creative is done to enhance the property and surrounding streetscapes. At the same time, I’m skeptical that we’ll see a new park on Wellesley anytime soon. Empty land in downtown Toronto rarely gets repurposed as parkland; inevitably, it attracts the attention of developers, and winds up sprouting condo towers instead of trees. Moreover, this particular piece of land seems to have been jinxed since the opera house plan fell apart. I hope I’m wrong. I’d really love to see trees along Wellesley.

The 11 Wellesley Street West site appears as an empty white space in the center of this aerial image from Google Maps. The Sutton Place hotel is at top left, while the downtown YMCA is near the bottom right.

September 28 2008: Breadalbane Street view of weeds and rubble on the 11 Wellesley Street West site

September 28 2008: Northeast view from Breadalbane Street

December 5 2008: East view from outside the Sutton Place Hotel

December 5 2008: East view from Breadalbane Street

April 17 2009: Northeast view from Breadalbane Street. The Casa condo tower is seen under construction on Charles Street to the north.

March 11 2010: North view from Breadalbane Street

March 11 2010: Breadalbane Street view of 11 Wellesley Street West. From time to time, someone rips out weeds and clears rubbish from the site.

March 11 2010: Although there are dumpsters and construction trailers on the property, I’ve never seen anyone on it.

March 16 2011: Southwest view of 11 Wellesley Street West from the corner of Wellesley and St Nicholas Streets. The property is virtually surrounded by highrise condo and apartment buildings.

March 27 2011: Looking north at the big empty lot. At left is the Sutton Place Hotel; at center is the Century Plaza condo tower at 24 Wellesley St. W.

March 27 2011: A view toward the northeast corner of the lot

March 27 2011: The property is less than half a block from Yonge Street and just a short walk from the Wellesley subway station.

April 1 2011: South view of 11 Wellesley Street West from St Nicholas Street

April 9 2011: Now that it’s spring, weeds will once again flourish on the lot

April 9 2011: This north view will change in a few years during construction of the 45-storey Five Condos, which will rise behind the brown building at upper left.

April 9 2011: Residents of the condo and apartment towers have looked down on this eyesore for more than a decade

April 9 2011: West view of hoarding along Breadalbane Street

April 9 2011: North view of the hoarding along St Luke Lane

April 9 2011: Breadalbane Street view of the towers to the north and west

April 9 2011: South view of the hoarding along St Luke Lane

April 9 2011: Looking west along Wellesley from the corner of St Luke Lane

April 17 2011: More rubbish, rubble and weeds await a spring cleanup

Will developer pursue plan to shoehorn 42-storey condo tower into tight Bloor/Sherbourne site?

2 Replies

From the ward development update in the Spring/Summer 2011 edition of Ward 27 News from City Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam (Toronto Centre-Rosedale)

Tight squeeze:Residents of northeast downtown are waiting to see what step a developer will take next with its proposal to develop a condo tower without any residential parking on a narrow site near the busy intersection of Bloor and Sherbourne Streets. The 40-storey tower would rise above a two-storey podium to be built on 395, 401 and 403 Bloor Street East, sites presently occupied by two-storey structures with retail and restaurant space. (The commercial property at 403 Bloor is attached to a three-storey brick house which is included on the city’s list of heritage properties.) The proposed glass and steel residential tower would be bookended by two considerably shorter condo buildings — one six storeys, the other 16 — standing smack against its east and west property lines. It would contain 386 units in bachelor, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom configurations, but no on-site parking for residents — just three car-share parking spaces along with 200 bicycle parking spots.

The developer’s rezoning application was filed with the city in May 2010. During the previous two years, the developer and its consulting team held “pre-application” meetings with city planners to discuss three separate conceptual plans. The first proposed an 18-storey tower atop a six-floor podium; the second a 40-storey tower atop a two-storey podium, with 77 parking spots in a five-level underground garage; and the third a 40-storey tower on a two-storey podium, but with 80 parking spaces. City staff raised numerous planning concerns about each proposal, including height, density, parking, neighbourhood transportation issues, site access, impact on the adjacent condo buildings, and possible shadow effects on the nearby Rosedale Ravine. The plan eventually submitted to the city raised just as many issues. Consequently, in a July 13 2010 preliminary report, city planners said they could not support the application “in its current form” because of “serious project deficiencies and a general lack of fit with the existing and planned context.”They recommended that a community consultation meeting be held “to determine the nature and extent of changes to be required.”

That meeting took place at the end of January. More than 50 area residents attended, along with Ward 27 Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, staff from City Planning, Transportation and Heritage Preservation Services, and representatives of the developer. According to Councillor Wong-Tam’s March 2011 newsletter, the developer and its architect (listed as Page and Steele Architects in rezoning application documents) were “invited to join a Working Group process in order for residents and the applicant to negotiate an agreement on aspects of the building design.” However, the developer has not yet advised the city if it will participate, Councillor Wong-Tam told a meeting of the Upper Jarvis Neighbourhood Association last week.

People living in the immediate vicinity are concerned, among other things, about the impact the tower could have on neighbourhood traffic congestion and parking availability. They say it’s already challenging for residents of the houses and low-rise apartments on nearby Selby, Huntley and Linden Streets to find on-street parking for themselves and their visitors; they’re concerned that it will become even more difficult to find parking on the pleasant, tree-shaded streets once the new James Cooper Mansion condo tower at 28 Linden Street — which concluded construction this winter — is fully occupied. Yet another condo tower bringing hundreds more residents — plus visitors, delivery and service vehicles — into the residential area would only compound that problem. Increased traffic volume and congestion is another worry, since Selby and Linden are one-way streets, as are two blocks of Huntley from Selby to Isabella Street, so it’s inevitable that more vehicles driving to and from the condo towers will wind up circulating through the neighbourhood. Traffic flow on Bloor Street also could be impacted adversely by the 395 Bloor tower, since the developer has proposed incorporating a service and delivery laneway into the building’s west side, accessed off Bloor. Vehicles turning into and out of the laneway undoubtedly would hinder the heavy traffic flow at this point on Bloor, which is only a few dozen meters from the intersection at Sherbourne Street.

I’m sure the tower also would have a huge negative impact on the property values and quality of life for residents in the adjacent condo buildings whose windows would directly face the new tower mere meters away; their units would sit practically within spitting distance of the condos at 395 Bloor. I recall viewing several units in the neighbouring 16-storey condo building at 419-421 Bloor East, including at least one that had west-facing windows. Although the suites were bright, and one had an enormous northview outdoor terrace, I didn’t like the close proximity of the 20-storey Greenwin Square office building to the west, or the two condo towers on the north side of the street (17 and 18 stories, respectively). The highrise “canyon” on this block of Bloor felt uncomfortably confining at the time; I can only imagine how claustrophic and dark it would become with the 395 Bloor tower right next door (both for residents in many units in the new building as well as for those living in the existing condos on either side). To me, a 42-storey building would just be too awkward and inappropriate here; however, I love space and light and enjoy having privacy in my condo. On the other hand, I do realize there are many downtown condo dwellers who don’t mind keeping their blinds closed all hours of the day, and wouldn’t be bothered by a tower looming close to their windows. It will be interesting to follow this project not only to see if the developer does go ahead, but also to watch how quickly the units sell if the condo does get to market. Below are recent photos showing the proposed tower location from Bloor Street as well as from Selby Street to the south.

November 11 1010: South view from Bloor Street of the low-rise commercial retail properties where a developer would like to build a 42-storey condo tower. The James Cooper Mansion condo tower is seen while under construction just one block to the south, on Linden Street.

Condo development proposal sign on Bloor Street

November 11 1010: The proposed condo tower site is bookended by a 16-floor condo building on the corner of Bloor and Sherbourne (left), a 6-storey condo to its immediate west, and the 20-storey Greenwin Square office building (right)

March 1 2011: A view of the east-facing windows on the 6-storey condo building beside the site proposed for a new highrise. The tower would have a service vehicle laneway where the vacant Saisha store sits at present (right)

March 1 2011: The three-storey brick house behind the Hakim Optical outlet is a city-listed heritage property that would be demolished

March 1 2011: Bloor Street view of the proposed development site, showing part of the 16-storey condo building on the corner of Bloor and Sherbourne that would abut the new tower’s east side

March 1 2011: Another view of the site as seen from the north side of Bloor Street

March 1 2011: The upper two floors of the heritage property at 403 Bloor East

March 1 2011: Direct south view of the site from the opposite side of Bloor Street

March 1 2011: The peaked roof of the heritage house behind Hakim Optical

March 1 2011: West view along Bloor of the storefronts on the development site

March 1 2011: East view along Bloor of the storefronts on the development site

March 1 2011: Another view of the commercial establishments on Bloor Street

March 19 2011: Selby Street view toward the rear of the 395 – 403 Bloor Street East condo tower development site. The building with the orange accent stripes, at right, is the 600 Sherbourne Street medical arts centre with doctors’ offices, pharmacies and medical testing facilities

April 2 2011: Selby Street north view of a parking area for the Greenwin Square office building (left), the 6-storey condo at 387 Bloor Street East, an 18-storey condo building at 388 Bloor Street East, and the 16-storey condo building at the corner of Bloor and Sherbourne

April 2 2011: Selby Street view of the medical arts building parking lot that sits to the rear of the 395 – 403 Bloor Street East development site

March 19 2011: Selby Street north view toward the 395 – 403 Bloor East condo tower development site

March 19 2011: Rear view of the low-rise buildings currently on the site

March 19 2011: Rear view of 395 – 403 Bloor East condo tower development site

March 19 2011: Back patio area for the Gov’Nor pub at 401 Bloor Street East

March 19 2011: Rear view of the 387 Bloor Street East condo building next to the condo tower development site

March 19 2011: Rear view of the 16-storey condo building at 419 – 421 Bloor East

March 19 2011: Northwest view from Sherbourne Street toward the 395- 403 Bloor Street East condo development site. The new tower would rise in the center rear of the photo. The elegant mansion and adjacent tower are part of the James Cooper Mansion condo complex at 28 Linden Street.

From a city planning department preliminary report, a site plan illustration for the proposed 395-403 Bloor Street East condo tower

From the planning department report, an illustration of the tower’s south elevation

From the city report, an illustration of the tower’s north elevation

Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing
Building Boom.

www.TheTorontoBlog.com

Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing Building Boom.