King-Spadina residents demand proof of study results

By Kimberly Spice —

Planner James Parakh (at podium) presented the East Precinct Built Form study to a skeptical crowd on April 20.

Worried that their neighbourhood is turning into sunless, windswept caverns, King-Spadina area residents were left unimpressed as city planners presented their future recommendations for balancing local needs against the ongoing highrise development in the district.

Planners presented the East Precinct Built Form study to an unenthused group of over 25 King-Spadina residents at Metro Hall on April 20. Criticism was almost immediate.

“I can’t run down Spadina anymore because the tall buildings create such a wind tunnel,” stated one woman. “I now have to drive to get to the Martin Goodman Trial so I can do a run.”

“Has anyone looked at the effect of the wind that is created by these high rises?” she added, noting that as high rises are erected throughout the neighbourhood, residents are faced with wind problems and no sunlight at ground level.

Residents demanded more transparency on the issues addressed by the study.

“We don’t get to see this data on what are those projected wind systems,” commented another resident. “We don’t see the data on where the shadows are going to be thrown. Are we going to see that?” he demanded.

Senior urban designer James Parakh was sympathetic to residents’ complaints and said they are looking into what impact the placement of the higrise towers might have on neighbourhoods.

“Obviously we are trying to model all of these applications so we have an understanding of what the accumulated effect of these shadows will mean,” said Parakh. “We are starting to look at the placements of towers in construction in terms of their applications, understanding their individual shadow plans and also their accumulative shadow impacts.”

Planners will submit their recommendations next month in a directions report that will include the possible implementation of a new development permit, which may in turn result in a new bylaw.

The permit would force developers to meet specific criteria that would balance building height, neighbourhood needs and city requirements.

If developers follow the specific criteria then they can build taller, notes south district planning manager Lynda Macdonald. “We will also build into that contributions to various improvements to the public realm as part of the criteria. [Builders will] have to achieve those improvements in order to achieve performance.”

For information and updates visit www.king-spadina.com.