‘Such an eyesore:’ Richmond Hill resident raises concerns about monster home under construction in Don Head Village

The proposed house is to be 10.97-metres tall, which is merely 0.03 metres lower than the maximum allowable height

Yorkregion.com, Thestar.com
August 4, 2022
Sheila Wang

Every time Craig Lee walks by a big house under construction in the Don Head Village of Richmond Hill, “a monstrosity” is the word that crosses his mind.

Measuring 11-metres high and 19-metres deep, the single-family detached home being built at 26 Lund St. can be spotted from a mile away towering over the regular-sized houses along the quiet residential road.

“I don’t know how the city allowed it to be built. It destroys the look of the street,” Lee said.

Shocked by the sheer size of the new three-storey home, the Richmond Hill resident said he worried about its effect on the integrity of the decades-old neighbourhood and the possibility of setting a precedent. “The fact that one has been built, to me, makes it much easier to get another one built,” Lee said.

Despite its striking size and height on a narrow lot, a city spokesperson said the city has issued a building permit in accordance with authorities and requirements of the Building Code Act.

It required no amendment to the city’s existing zoning bylaws and as a result the city is not required to consult with or notify the public.

“I totally feel for the residents. I’m as appalled by it as they are. But it is ‘as of right.’ Those are the three words. The landowner was permitted to build the structure,” Ward 5 Coun. Karen Cilevitz said. The councillor pointed out the landowner has pushed parameters to the limit of what is allowed in the existing bylaw.

A new house is being built at 26 Lund St. in Richmond Hill, towering over the homes on both sides. Jul. 18, 2022. -- Sheila Wang/Metroland

Statistics obtained by the Liberal councillor show the new house is proposed to cover 39.7 per cent of the 3,600-sq.-ft lot while the maximum lot coverage in the area is 40 per cent.
The garage on the first floor sits only 6.96 metres away from the front line of its front yard, roughly one metre longer than the minimum front yard setback.

The house is proposed to be 10.97-metres tall, which is merely 0.03 metres lower than the maximum allowable height on Lund Street where the number of storeys are not regulated.

Calling it the “worst possible example” for what infill developments could mean to a well-established neighbourhood, Cilevitz said neither the area residents nor herself as the ward councillor received any advanced warning on this because no amendment to the zoning bylaw was needed.

“When you see a house that’s been demolished, you just presume that they’re going to put another nice one up or something, but you don’t think it’s going to be that gigantic and such an eyesore,” Lee said.

Some residents in the area didn’t mind having a big building on their street.

“I’m OK with it. It’s a good-looking house,” Antenna Vanaki, who lives two houses down the street from the new building. Vanaki said she moved to Richmond Hill three years ago and appreciated having a tall building in the neighbourhood.

Parisa Moradi, a new Richmond Hill resident who lives just across the street from the new house said, “It’s slowly happening in Richmond Hill,” but she does understand the concerns about the size.

Acknowledging changes happening to the community, Cilevitz noted the importance of finding “a middle ground” between the rights of the established residents as well as the rights of the incoming landowner.

For Andrei Istomine, a Richmond Hill resident since 2003, he worried about the impact on his own property. “I was thinking what is going to happen if someone does the same next to my house and apparently there is no recourse,” the resident said.

Istomine said the zoning bylaw needed to be changed so that at least the adjacent property owners would have a chance to review the building plan and have their input.

The comprehensive zoning bylaw review is underway in Richmond Hill.