Property owners stall Waterfront plan

By Dennis Hanagan –

The city is continuing to haggle with waterfront property owners over details in the Central Waterfront Secondary Plan (CWSP).

City planners and property owners’ representatives met for a brief Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) pre-hearing on Sept. 4 to report on the progress of their negotiations. Another pre-hearing is scheduled for Nov. 15.

“We are currently in discussions with a variety of appellants in relation to their appeals of the CWSP,” explained Angus Cranston, city planning project manager.

The ongoing discussions are concerned with two relatively small areas in the Keating Channel and East Bayfront areas.

Cranston said talks involve six primary property owners. “They have an idea of what they want to build which they believe the zoning bylaw in place does not allow them to do.”

A sticking point seems to be owners’ disagreements regarding the provision of affordable rental units which the CWSP identifies as a major priority for new development.

Redpath has a different concern about the secondary plan. It doesn’t want occupants moving in to new residential developments next door and then complaining about noise, odors and fine particles of sugar released into the air.

“They want to ensure they can continue their operation without being impacted negatively by adjacent development … so that there would be no appeals of their on-going industrial operation,” explained Cranston.

It might mean developers would have to install triple-glazed windows, not build units with balconies facing the refinery, or incorporate special filters to deodorize outside air entering units.

Waterfront Toronto declined comment due to the OMB pre-hearings.