Cityplace residents balk at Concord Adex plan request

Kimberly Spice — 

CityPlace residents came together for community meeting at the SuperClub at 11 Mariner Terrace on Jan. 20 to rally against a proposed 79-storey and 68-storey tower development only to learn that the developer—Concord Adex—is planning to resubmit a revised proposal.

Municipal lawyer Stephen Bradley told the crowd of approximately 60 people about the the potential resubmission, stating that most likely the new plans will be presented at a community information meeting in the near future.

“I’m pretty confident that the plan described here in this report is not the one that is going to be submitted at the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) by Concord,” stated Bradley.

“We won’t know what they’re going to submit until probably sometime after the Feb. 18 pre-hearing. I don’t know if it will be the next day or the next month later that [the developer] will be resubmitting revised plans but it will be those revised plans that you will have to be familiar with because that’s really what the hearing will be about. It’s not going to be about this version.”

Concord’s rezoning application addresses the current sales office site at the north-east corner of Spadina and Bremner. Application to amend the original plan was met with indignation from a number of area residents.

Two residents of the area, Rose Becker and David Markham, worked hard to inform the neighbourhood of the plans and to gather as much opposition as possible.

Currently the group have amassed 570 signatures on a petition so far that asks the OMB to instruct the city and Concord to work together on a proposal within the scope of what is already allowed by the site’s current zoning and approvals.

Bradley is confident that area residents will be hearing more about the new proposal from Concord and will have a chance to make comments to the developer.

“I’m pretty sure at some point in time [the developer] is going to say, ‘I need to meet with the community and here’s the plans that I’m going forward with,’” Bradley commented. “She’d be crazy if she’s not going to do that. She’s got to do that.”

The OMB hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 18 at 10 a.m. at 655 Bay St.