Potential OMB showdown over controversial Woodbridge condo proposal postponed

Yorkregion.com
March 30, 2016
By Adam Martin-Robbins

A potential showdown at the Ontario Municipal Board over a controversial condominium proposal has been postponed as the city seeks to address concerns raised by residents opposed to the project.

According to city officials, the developers agreed to hold off until September on a hearing for the proposed seven-storey, 119-unit building at the corner of Woodbridge Avenue and Wallace Street  - an area designated for heritage protection where two historic homes currently stand.

And councillors are hoping, in the meantime, that the developers, Cityzen Development Group and Fernbrook Homes. will work with planning staff and a heritage consultant hired by the municipality “to improve” the proposal.

It’s unclear, at this point, if the developers are willing to make changes to the proposal.

Calls and emails to the developers’ representative were not returned by publication deadline.

Depending on what unfolds, council is slated to render a decision on the re-zoning application and site plan by June, at the latest.

Regardless, in all likelihood, there will still be a seven-storey building on the site.

That’s because council, back in January, signed off on a settlement agreement with the developers to resolve an appeal of the city’s official plan, The agreement allows for a seven-storey building on the properties, instead of only four-storeys as permitted under the official plan.

In return, the developers agreed to make a $100,000 contribution toward streetscape improvements along Woodbridge Avenue.

“It (a seven-storey building) is a given so we can’t do anything about that,” Regional Councillor Michael Di Biase said. “But the concerns from the ratepayers, all the letters they’ve sent in and their deputations, they still have concerns with the treatment of the heritage homes and the location and so forth. I think we can deal, still, with the (concerns) through the zoning and the site plan.” 

Council’s move to postpone a decision on a re-zoning application and site plan comes a few weeks after a group of angry residents flocked to city hall to object to the developer’s proposal.

That proposal includes levelling the hilly site, removing several large trees and relocating portions of Dr. Peter McLean House (built in 1893) and Thomas Frazier Wallace House (built in 1875) to the edge of the property to accommodate a 119-unit condominium building.

At that meeting, residents argued the building, described by many as institutional-looking, would overshadow the historic homes.

They also opposed the destruction of several mature trees on the property and raised concerns about adding more traffic in an already congested area, among other things.

Christopher Tanzola, lawyer for the developer, said, at the time, his client held five community meetings to get input from residents and made changes in response to their concerns including reducing the height of the building from eight storeys to seven storeys and reducing the number of units from 146 to 119.

But the local ratepayers group is “cautiously optimistic” that through further discussions more can be done to address, at least, some of the remaining concerns.

“The Village of Woodbridge Ratepayers Association is cautiously optimistic that the deferral will allow productive dialogue between the applicant and the residents as previous meetings failed to bring about a satisfactory resolution to this situation,” Maria Verna, president of the ratepayers association, wrote in an email. “Throughout the process we have been consistent with both City Staff and the Applicant, we do not oppose development but any development needs to be sympathetic and appropriate for the Heritage District.”