2 BIA MERGER One better than two 5 HOUSING CHOICE Etobicoke high-rises added FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2019 Vol. 23 No. 9 EMPLOYMENT LAND CONVERSION PROTECTING JOBS Rachael Williams ith the proposed changes stability of the employment City officials say employment If Amendment 1 is to the Growth Plan areas over a longer period lands susceptible to conversion approved, these conversions W for the Greater Golden of time so that they only to non-industrial uses include, would be allowed to take Horseshoe putting 33 per cent of come up for review when but are not limited to, lands place outside of the city-wide the city’s employment lands at the city looks at the question connected to the city’s agri-food municipal comprehensive risk of conversion, Toronto city comprehensively and city-wide industry, including Redpath review (MCR) provided a council is requesting additional and that allows businesses to Sugar, Nestle Canada and the significant amount of jobs are protection of its designated job- decide that they’re going to Ontario Food Terminal, as well maintained; that infrastructure generating industrial areas. invest,” Lintern told council. as office parks. is in place; and that the In a presentation to council conversion request is based on on February 26, Toronto an existing need. chief planner Gregg Lintern “I think people just have to outlined his concerns about really get the idea that because the potential for employment you say I’m going to keep this land conversions because of the swath of land for employment province’s proposed Amendment uses, doesn’t mean the 1 to the Growth Plan. As part of employers are going to come. the amendment, the province CONTINUED PAGE 7 seeks to create 29 “provincially significant employment zones” As part of Amendment 1 to the Growth Plan for the Greater Gold- (PSEZ), 10 of which are partially en Horseshoe, the province has or wholly situated in Toronto. identified provincially significant These PSEZs account for 67 per employment zones that account for 67 per cent of the city’s locally cent of the city’s employment identified employment lands. area land base, leaving the SOURCE: CITY OF TORONTO remaining 33 per cent exposed to potential conversion to non- Some food processing and ware- house establishments, pictured employment uses. here, were not included in the “The cadence that we’ve province’s growth plan amend- established with our employment ment, according to city officials. lands approach is to protect the SOURCE: CITY OF TORONTO BIA MERGER UPCOMING MARCH 4 Executive Committee (special meeting – 2019 budgets), 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 ADDING IMPACT 5 General Government & Licensing Committee, 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 Rob Jowett Subcommittee on Ontario Place, 5:30 p.m., committee room 1 wo neighbouring west-end that we share an annual festival, will streamline the processes,” business improvement which is called Dundas West says Dundas West Fest festival 6 Economic & Community Development Committee, 9:30 T are seeking to merge to Fest,” Dundas West BIA chair producer Alex Bordokas. “Right a.m., committee room 1 heighten their impact and better Lubo Brezina told NRU. “The now, for example, everything 7 Council (special meeting – 2019 promote local business. two BIAs [have] been having the goes through the Dundas budgets), 9:30 a.m., council chamber If approved, Dundas West festival together. And that creates West BIA and then it has to BIA and Little Portugal a lot of overlap in terms of all the be reconciled with the Little Design Review Panel, 12:00 p.m., committee room 2 BIA would become a single business [we do].” Portugal BIA. So that step would organization to be named Little Dundas West Fest was be eliminated… [and] everything 18 Infrastructure & Environment Committee, 9:30 a.m., Portugal On Dundas BIA. established in 2012 as a two- would go quicker.” committee room 1 The two BIAs are adjacent to day annual community festival He says a lot of the work now 19 Etobicoke York Community each other on Dundas Street to promote local businesses done by the two BIAs is already Council, 9:30 a.m., council chamber, Etobicoke Civic Centre West, with the Dundas West and attract visitors to the integrated, adding to the case for BIA running from the CN rail multicultural community. It a merger. Currently, the two BIAs North York Community Council, 9:30 a.m., council chamber, corridor to Rusholme Road while is the largest event run by the share an office and work together North York Civic Centre the Little Portugal BIA begins at current Dundas West BIA and on most issues and initiatives. A Scarborough Community Rusholme and runs to a laneway attracted 120,000 people in 2018. steering committee to explore the Council, 9:30 a.m., council chamber, Scarborough Civic between Roxton Road and Shaw This year’s festival will be held creation of the new BIA includes Centre Street. The consolidated BIA June 7-8. executives from each of the Toronto & East York Community would represent a little more “It [the proposed merger] will existing organizations. Council, 9:30 a.m., committee than 300 businesses. help with the… festival because “Before this for the last two room 1 “The motivating factor is it will make everything easy. It years, both BIAs were sharing 20 Planning & Housing Committee, 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 a coordinator… [and] sharing different services,” Bordokas 21 Executive Committee, 9:30 a.m., committee room 1 says. “This would consolidate the spending, the finances, the 26 Toronto Preservation Board, 9:30 a.m., committee room 2 reconciliations, everything. CONTINUED PAGE 6 27-28 Council, 9:30 a.m., council chamber The new boundary of the proposed Little Portugal on Dundas BIA includes all the land area previ- ously administered by the two previous BIAs. SOURCE: CITY OF TORONTO NRU PUBLISHING STAFF NRU PUBLISHING INC Ian A.R. Graham, Publisher Rob Jowett Jeff Payette SALES/SUBSCRIPTIONS Novæ Res Urbis Toronto Editorial Office Billings Department [email protected] Reporter Design/Layout [email protected] is published 50 times a 26 Soho Street, Suite 330 NRU Publishing Inc. [email protected] [email protected] year and is not to be Toronto, ON M5T 1Z7 PO Box 19595 Manulife PO, Lynn Morrow, Editor Annual subscription rate is redistributed without the Tel: 416.260.1304 Toronto, ON M4W 3T9 [email protected] Peter Pantalone Irena Kohn $409 +HST (ON). written consent of the Fax: 416.979.2707 Planning Researcher Sales and Circulation Complimentary trial publisher. ISSN 1918-7548 Rachael Williams [email protected] [email protected] Reporter subscriptions are available. [email protected] Jennifer Lewington, Guest Editor Advertising rates available upon request. FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2019 NOVÆ RES URBIS TORONTO 2 DON MILLS CROSSING NEW VISION Rachael Williams s a major transit “What’s interesting to me Formerly an employment buildings, encourage new investment looms, is the idea that the decisions area, the Celestica site now is construction and bring life to A planning staff have crafted that are being made now with a proposed master planned the streets. a new vision to repurpose the community and the elected community headed by The master plan features under-utilized manufacturing officials and the landowners Diamond Corp., Lifetime nine residential towers ranging sites in Don Valley East. are being implemented in real Developments and Context in height from 15 to 44 storeys, On March 15, city planning time,” said strategic initiatives, Developments. It was clustered in the southeast staff will release the final version policy and analysis project lead designated a regeneration corner of the Celestica site of the Don Mills Crossing Christian Ventresca. area through a proposed closest to the proposed Eglinton secondary plan. Nearly three He said since 70 per cent modification to Official Plan Crosstown LRT station. A years in the making, this of the secondary plan area Amendment 231, which aims to total of 4,594 residential units comprehensive planning is already under application, preserve Toronto’s employment are proposed, of which 641 study seeks to capitalize on enabling policy development to lands. Regeneration areas are units would be in a low-rise the Eglinton Crosstown LRT be undertaken in conjunction unique areas of the city that townhouse form. The remaining investment by advancing with the review of the present an opportunity to 3,953 units will be provided a vision for a distinct and development application. attract reinvestment, re-use in mid and high-rise building complete community. This forms with a range of unit sizes. community will feature various Most of the towers are designed housing types, employment to incorporate retail or office opportunities, a full range of spaces in the podiums. mobility options, community The proposed development facilities and connections to the calls for a refined network Don River Valley system. of streets and blocks with The study area integrates recreational andcultural the three corners of Don Mills spaces, including a community Road and Eglinton Avenue East, centre and a hockey arena. with the Celestica lands to the CONTINUED PAGE 4 northwest of the intersection. View along Eglinton Avenue The 24hectare Celestica lands East towards Don Mills Road site is one of the largest private of potential public realm and development sites in Toronto. mobility improvements identified in the Don Mills Crossing The other three corners of the Secondary Plan. intersection are publicly owned SOURCE: CITY OF TORONTO lands, two of which have been selected for the city’s Housing Rendering of the proposed Now initiative to develop Celestica redevelopment, including nine residential towers affordable housing within as well as townhouses, office mixed-income, mixed-use and retail space, parkland and transit-oriented communities.