from Leaside Unite
We regret to inform you all that we’re extremely disappointed in the City of Toronto staff reports on the 70 Wicksteed project that were released today.
They are almost uniformly in favor of the project as proposed, and include recommendation for approval of rezoning by North York Community Council and City Council.
The staff apparently have no concerns over traffic or the impact of the development on surrounding small retailers. As most of you know, the staff recommendations are extremely important, as they tend to very strongly influence the direction of the City Council votes.
It should be noted that the developer has included, under Section 37, $500,000 in funding for the Leaside Arena expansion, as well as funding for an extension of the median on Laird.
At this time, we are not sure of our approach going forward and will be consulting with our lawyers to explore our options.
From the City Staff Report:
Conclusion
The applicant’s proposal for a new large-format retail store on a portion of the property and plan of subdivision including provision of new public roads is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement and in conformity with the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
The proposal also conforms to the general objectives of the Official Plan.
It is recommended that Council approve the rezoning application and that prior to introducing the necessary Bills for enactment that the owner be required to enter into agreements and secure approvals as outlined in this report.
The city staff recommendation was to go to North York Community Council on Feb. 26. It will then be considered by city council on March 21, subject to the actions of the community council.You can see the full staff report at http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/
You can see the full staff report at http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/ny/bgrd/backgroundfile-56048.pdf