Controversial Thornhill Islamic project granted extension

yorkregion.com
Sept. 11, 2014
By Adam Martin-Robbins

City council has granted the proponent of a controversial Islamic condominium and townhouse complex in Thornhill Woods a chance to revise its development proposal before a final decision is made about whether or not to reject it.

Following a brief closed-door session to receive legal advice, councillors voted to give Islamic Shia Ithna-Asheri Jamaat of Toronto (ISIJ) until Nov. 15 to come back with a substantially different proposal for developing its 11-hectare property at 9000 Bathurst St., south of Rutherford Road.

“What we’ve done is set clear guidelines of what is expected of them (ISIJ), what they are supposed to do when they come back with a revised plan and timelines,” Concord/Thornhill North Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco said.

“We’re not rejecting the application outright. We’re basically saying, we’re not happy with what has been proposed so we want you to go back and concentrate on (specific) areas and come back with a revised, comprehensive, conceptual master plan so we know exactly what the entire plan is.”

This latest decision comes just a week after councillors voted, at a committee of the whole meeting, to nix ISIJ’s application to build residential towers, townhouses and retail space around the Jaffari Community Centre.

The proposed development has been the source of tension between local Muslims who frequent the community centre and residents in the predominantly Jewish community of Thornhill Woods.

The latter have vehemently opposed the proposal citing concerns about density, traffic volume and the height of the condominium towers.

Recognizing that, council took the unusual step, back in February, of striking a working group aimed at resolving those and many other issues.

But, last week, area residents pleaded with councillors to call an end to the working group meetings, which they said were not making substantive progress, and quash ISIJ’s application.

ISIJ representatives, meanwhile, asked that the working group be allowed to continue meeting to try to resolve the outstanding issues.

Councillors initially supported request made by the Thornhill Woods’ residents.

Now, a week later, council has given ISIJ until mid-November to submit a revised application, containing a conceptual master plan for the site, which “comprehensively” addresses four key matters.

Those matters include: development of the entire site, development principles from the working, character of the neighbouring community and the land use planning principles in the city’s official plan from 2010, which designates the area for low-rise development.

Should ISIJ do that, the working group’s tenure will be extended by five months to allow discussions to continue.

If the ISIJ fails to submit a revised application that meets the requirements, by the deadline, the working group will be terminated and city staff will begin the process of evaluating the development applications and set out recommendations for their approval or rejection.

“I believe, through this motion, we have provided more stringent guidelines and timelines for the applicant to work with and, at the same time, provide a more definitive plan that the residents are more comfortable with,” Yeung Racco added.

Rom Koubi, chairman of the Preserve Thornhill Woods Association, said his group, which has opposed the proposed development, is pleased with council’s decision.

“We’re very happy with the ultimatum the city put on them for Nov. 15 and we’re excited to see what they’re (ISIJ) going to come back with,” he said in an interview Wednesday morning. “We are hoping that they are going to finally understand and put down what should be there instead of what they want to put there.”

Koubi emphasized that the residents’ group is “willing to work” with ISIJ to come up with something that is acceptable to “their community and our community.”

For its part, ISIJ said in a written statement that it “respects council’s decision and is aligned to working with the city in meeting its responsibilities.”

“As a matter of record, throughout the working group process, which began in March 2014, we respected and cooperated fully with the guidelines set out for the process,” the statement reads. “We have consistently demonstrated our willingness to work collaboratively with the area residents and city staff, and will continue to do so as we prepare a revised proposal for submission on or before November 15th, 2014.”