Vaughan petition, ratepayer group formed after synagogue high density bid

Proposed residential building will have 125 units

Yorkregion.com
October 5, 2020
Dina Al-Shibeeb

Nearly 2,000 people signed a petition as of Sept. 30 and a ratepayer association was officially formed Sept. 4 in reaction to a proposal to transform a synagogue area from low- to mid-rise in Vaughan.

In a bid that would further intensify 8001 Bathurst St., where the Chabad Flamingo Synagogue is located, a proposed tiered three- to 12-storey residential building would see 125 units and be attached to the south side of the existing place of worship, replacing the majority of the existing surface parking area.

The proposal also comes with 33 surface parking spaces and 204 parking spaces located within a two-level underground parking garage.

In a similar reaction to other higher density proposals in Vaughan, residents are objecting.

For many, the area is already experiencing traffic gridlock and street parking issues. Also, a highrise building would mean more intensification, possibly pushing home prices down.

Opposition also comes from people who attend the synagogue as worshippers.

During a public hearing on Sept. 22, the renderings of the proposal were made by Weston consulting, and the objection was obvious.

One of the deputants was Renan Levine, a University of Toronto professor, who shared a survey of 307 respondents from the community expressing “anger” and “sadness.”

Levine said the survey showed that about 121, or 40 per cent, of those surveyed have donated to the synagogue and many participate in the Chabad-Flamingo community.

Levine said the respondents who already participate in the Chabad community don’t wish to create a “splinter” within the community as “almost half reported having attended services or events at the synagogue for the past 12 months.”

During his deputation, Rabbi Mendel Kaplan explained that the proposed project would allow “different levels of income to live in the neighbourhood,” dubbing the scenario as an “entry point” for people who don’t have the “fortune” of having “wealthy parents.”

“We feel it’s very helpful for the entire community,” the rabbi said, adding it would provide “vibrancy” and allow “younger families” into the neighbourhood, pointing out how “expensive” housing can be.

Anet Mor, president of the new Flamingo Ratepayer Association, shared numerous reasons the group feels the proposal isn’t sound.

Mor lamented traffic gridlock, a problem councillors promised to tackle in 2018 municipal elections.

“We've already come off of the expansion of Viva and the Viva line and that didn't go so well with a lot of people in the neighbourhood,” Mor said, citing long lines of traffic and people needing to leave home about 25 minutes earlier to “avoid” congestion.

Mor also pointed to accidents while construction was ongoing.

Saying the proposed parking space “doesn’t make sense,” Mor said the ratepayer group made its own calculations. Using Vaughan’s Building Standards Department memo dated Feb. 5, which stipulates the apartment building requires 220 spaces for residents and visitor parking, she said the synagogue needs an additional 586 spaces based on the square footage of the building.

“So, according to the city bylaw, a total of 806 parking spaces are required,” Mor said, sharing her group's figure via email. However, according to the rezoning application, only 237 parking spaces are allocated in the underground garage and surface parking lots.

“I’m sure, you can imagine that as a resident of the area, I am concerned that instead of 806 spaces, there will be 237,” she wrote. “This is only 30 per cent of the required spaces, which means during a synagogue event, 70 per cent of the attendees cards will be on city streets.”

She added, “I find this totally unacceptable.”

Transparency is also an issue for the ratepayer group.

“We had all these questions and they did not provide us with any kind of answers or solution,” she said.

Deputations made during the public hearing will be “incorporated into a recommendation report” for a future committee of the whole meeting, the City of Vaughan said.