No council public meeting for proposed 54-storey tower in Richmond Hill

LPAT has final say on proposal for city’s tallest skyscraper

Yorkregion.com
May 27, 2020
Sheila Wang

Richmond Hill residents won’t have a chance to participate in a public discussion on the most ambitious development proposal made for the city, as planning protocol was changed in response to COVID-19.

City staff is expected to bring forward a report on a development proposal for a 54-storey skyscraper at the northwest corner of Yonge Street and Garden Avenue, near Hwy. 7, without holding a public council meeting, according to a council decision made April 1.

A public hearing for the development -- about the same height as the Toronto-Dominion Centre -- was originally slated for April 1 and was cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation.

A city notice reads Metroview Developments (GARDEN) Inc., a Woodbridge-based real estate developer, made the proposal to amend the city’s official plan so it could build the 54-storey high-density, mixed-used commercial/residential tower on the lands currently home to the Emerald Isle Motel.

The official plan, which is currently under review, allows a maximum height of 15 storeys in the area.

The tower is expected to comprise 710 units and 520-sq.-m. commercial/retail space, with 572 parking spaces, at 8700 and 8710 Yonge St., according to city documents dated April 16.

It is among more than 200 official plan and zoning bylaw applications that are under consideration in Richmond Hill during the pandemic.

The proposal is under appeal at The Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.

Under normal circumstances, development applications are required to be considered at a statutory council public hearing in Richmond Hill, as part of the planning process.

Last month, council approved a staff recommendation at a special council meeting to revise the city’s planning protocol and not to hold a public meeting on the proposal as part of the city's emergency response in light of COVID-19.

The report says council will not be the final approval authority because the development has been appealed to LPAT.

The new application was a revision from last year, when the developer originally proposed 13-storey and 20-storey mixed-use towers on the same land, yorkregion.com reported last April.

A hearing was previously scheduled on April 9 at LPAT before it was cancelled due to the pandemic. A new date has yet to be set, according to the tribunal's website.

The applications are being reviewed by city staff and a report for consideration by council has not been scheduled at this time, according to the city.