Community backlash builds over a Thornhill development

citynews.ca
February 3, 2014

Residents of a Thornhill community are speaking out over a proposal to construct two residential highrise buildings in a low-density neighbourhood.

The proposed condos would be built at the Jaffari Community Centre, at 9000 Bathurst Street, and would contain 377 units.

Residents who live in the Thornhill Woods neighbourhood, located right beside the community centre, say they don’t want the area to become overcrowded.

The Jaffari Centre has submitted a proposal to turn its 30-acre property into a high-density Muslim community which would include the highrise buildings as well as 61 townhouses.

Residents opposed to the plan have started an online petition which had garnered over 2,500 signatures by Monday evening.

Shabbir Jeraj, president of the Jaffari Centre, told CityNews this kind of expansion is going on everywhere in the area.

“As far as we are concerned this is very consistent with all the development that’s going on around us, especially north of Rutherford and Bathurst,” he said.

Neighbourhood residents say they are also concerned because some of the proposed housing will be subsidized, which they believe may decrease their property value.

A meeting has been set up on Tuesday for community members to express their concerns over the development.