Anything but Transparent Quandary
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TORONTO EDITION FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2013 Vol. 17 • No. 18 The future of the glass tower Motion to extend rent controls ANYTHING BUT RENTAL MARKET TRANSPARENT QUANDARY By Jake Tobin Garrett By John Michael McGrath While Vancouver may be “the city of glass,” Toronto could Toronto has added tens of thousands of new units of soon be able steal away that title with its growing number condominium housing in the last decade, driven in part by of residential glass towers, whether at the water’s edge or in investors who then rent out those units. Th e catch for those North York. As Toronto’s skyline becomes ever more refl ective, tenants is that unlike residents of Toronto’s older apartment architects and developers are responding to the challenges buildings, they aren’t protected by Ontario laws from sudden, and opportunities this building form presents. large rent increases. “Th ere is simply no future without the glass tower,” Cityzen Two Toronto councillors are requesting council to ask the Development Group president Sam Crignano said at a province to extend rent controls to buildings constructed recent discussion on the topic. aft er 1991, in the wake of what they say are unreasonable rent But the subject isn’t so easily put to rest, with concerns increases by landlords in their wards. raised over the aesthetics of a city dotted with glass towers as “You move in, you agree to a particular rent, then, when well as questions around energy effi ciency and marketplace the landlord decides, he can raise your rent will-nilly,” demands. Councillor Anthony Perruzza told NRU. He and Councillor E.R.A. Architects Inc. associate Graeme Stewart pointed Josh Matlow have put a motion on the agenda for council’s to a future of residential tower development that may not May 7-8 meeting asking the Ontario government to remove rely entirely on fl oor-to-ceiling glass, but a combination of the exemption in the Residential Tenancies Act for buildings diff erent materials. Building a tower not entirely out of glass occupied aft er November 1, 1991. aff ords the architect “a lot larger vocabulary to work with” in Perruzza says this exemption is letting landlords in new terms of diff erent materials, he said. buildings—primarily condominiums—demand rent increases Crignano noted that the use of glass in place of, or in that landlords in older buildings cannot. concert with, more traditional heavier materials would allow “I’ve got condos in my ward just south of [York University] architects to be more creative in their designs. He pointed to campus where [tenants] are moving in, and those landlords the increasing use of curtain wall systems, CONTINUED PAGE 3 > can charge whatever they like,” he says. CONTINUED PAGE 4 > INSIDE OUR LEGAL TEAM. YOUR SUCCESS. s0LANNING City state Budget 2013 Mid-rise appeal s$EVELOPMENT What TO needs Liberals unveil HOT dismissed s-UNICIPAL Jim Harbell Calvin Lantz lanes, infrastructure No planning [email protected] [email protected] for the future s2EALPROPERTY grounds found funds s&INANCE s)NFRASTRUCTURE > 4 > p 9 > s000 p 2 p s,ITIGATION s%NVIRONMENTAL STIKEMAN ELLIOTT LLP | www.stikeman.com 2 CITY OF TORONTO EDITION FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2013 UPCOMING Joe Pennachetti’s Toronto DATES STATE OF THE CITY MAY 7 Karen Stintz speaks at the Toronto By Jake Tobin Garrett Region Board of Trade, 11:30 a.m., 1 First Canadian Place MAY 7-8 In his second annual state of the city address, good-repair issue with the city’s housing Council, 9:30 a.m., council chambers city manager Joe Pennachetti highlighted units, but added that this number is MAY 9 Toronto’s road to better fi scal health over growing by $100-million a year. “Th at’s the Kevin Roche: Architecture as environment, 5:00-8:30 p.m., Eric Arthur Gallery, 230 the last few years. He also emphasized the problem,” he said. “So we can fi x and try to College St. need for revenue streams that grow with get the $750-[million] down, but we have MAY 10 the economy and provincial and federal that cumulative impact.” Aboriginal Affairs Committee, 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 funding that goes beyond capital projects. However, he stressed that funding can’t be MAY 13 He was grateful, however, for the level of all about “cherry-picking” capital projects, Government Management Committee, fi nancial support from the provincial and noting that until 1998 the province had 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 federal governments in the past fi ve years. funded half of the operating costs for transit MAY 14 Etobicoke York Community Council, 9:30 “It’s been a goal of Toronto to become in Ontario. Th e fact that the province no a.m., Etobicoke Civic Centre partners with the feds and the province, longer does this, in addition to obtaining a North York Community Council, 9:30 a.m., and we’ve achieved that,” he said. share of the harmonized sales tax, is one of the North York Civic Centre Th e city used to get pushback from the “biggest issues from my perspective,” he said. Scarborough Community Council, 9:30 a.m., Scarborough Civic Centre province, which would tell them it needed “When we get into the Metrolinx debate Toronto and East York Community Council, to get its fi scal house in order, he said. of funding for capital [at council], I will 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 But with all the effi ciency reviews and bring up this operating [cost-sharing issue] Redefi ning Utility: Infrastructure Corridors, BMO Atrium, 7:00-9:00 p.m. refi nements the city has undertaken in the because I think it’s the time to fi nally push 550 Bayview Avenue. last few years that dialogue has ended. the province to say it’s not just for the growth MAY 15 “Th ey no longer talk to us when we capital, it has to include operating. And I Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 meet about ‘you have to get your house in know our council will be saying that next MAY 16 order, your expenditures are not in line’— week when we fi nally debate this issue.” Planning and Growth Management they know we have.” Regarding the share of the sales tax, Committee, 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 But he said that his “big message today” Pennachetti stated a number of times that MAY 21 Parks and Environment Committee, 9:30 is that those partnerships have to grow— the city “needs more revenue tax powers in a.m., committee room 1 and they have to grow beyond off ering order to ensure that we can build. Without MAY 22 money for transit projects to include both that we will be struggling. We will be very Economic Development Committee, 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 operating costs and the city’s housing. close to fi scal sustainability, but we will Th e city doesn’t “have the revenue tools to never quite be there.” build and maintain a housing corporation Pennachetti was speaking at the University and housing units in Toronto that would of Toronto’s Institute on Municipal Finance CITY OF TORONTO EDITION include the growth that’s needed,” he argued. and Governance at the Munk School of He noted the $750-million state-of- Global Aff airs this Wednesday. nru Ian A.R. Graham, Publisher John Michael McGrath SALES/SUBSCRIPTIONS NRU City of Toronto Edition NRU Publishing Inc. Billings Department [email protected] Municipal Affairs Reporter [email protected] is not to be redistributed Editorial Offi ce 46 Old Bridle Path [email protected] without the written consent 26 Soho Street, Suite 330 Toronto, ON M4T 1A7 Lynn Morrow, Editor Annual subscription rate is of the publisher. Toronto, ON M5T 1Z7 Tel: 416.440.0073 [email protected] Jeff Payette, Design/Layout $369 +HST (ON). Tel: 416.260.1304 Fax: 416.440.0074 [email protected] NRU City of Toronto Edition Fax: 416.979.2707 ISSN 1918-753X Jake Tobin Garrett Complimentary trial is published 50 times a Planning Reporter Irena Kohn subscriptions are available. year by email by NRU [email protected] Sales and Circulation [email protected] Publishing Inc. Advertising rates available Twitter @nrupublishing upon request. CITY OF TORONTO GREA TER TORONTO VANCOUVER 3 CITY OF TORONTO EDITION FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2013 ANYTHING BUT TRANSPARENT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “which aff ord more design fl exibility and more height panels,” he said. fl exibility because of their embedded structural benefi ts.” Th is Crignano expressed scepticism about the use of techniques system, he said, has come down in price. that would shrink window space. Th e last thing people want As an example of this design fl exibility, Crignano pointed to when they’re sitting on their sofa is to stare at 42 inches of the Daniel Libeskind-designed L Tower, which uses a curtain wall, he said. “You want to be able to look out and enjoy the wall system on its north side where the building bows out. cityscape.” “You could not achieve that look, that curvature without He said he wanted to see the industry move forward utilizing curtain wall,” he said. towards some of the new technology being developed that Aside from architectural design, there is also a marketplace may actually turn the glass of a building into something that demand and quality of life issue in the use of glass buildings in produces energy through the use of photovoltaic panels.