Here’s a run-down on key development the BWVRA has been involved in.

Humber Theatre

Some background: the first Pre-hearing Conference was held on September 28, 017, during which a number of Parties and Participants were identified and registered by the OMB.  As importantly Plazacorp, the developer, asked for Mediation but did not request an alternative date for a Contested Hearing, should Mediation fail.  BWVRA has interpreted this as positive sign, that the applicant would like to expedite a negotiated settlement; however, with an unusually large number of five Parties being involved, and with many divergent interests to address, this is not expected to be easy.

In the mean time, through consultations with our Members and with the advice of our Lawyer and Planner, we have been preparing to be able to clearly articulate the community’s interests when further negotiations, and possibly formal OMB Mediation, take place.  Negotiated settlements are usually dependent on all of the Parties narrowing down their focus to two or three key issues that matter to them most. From the perspective of BWVRA, these are as follows:

  • The proposed building is much too high, bulky and out-of-scale for the location,
  • Predicted shadow impacts on the adjacent neighbourhood are unacceptable
  • Wind tunnelling is already a concern at street-level, and the additional impacts of the proposed building need to be understood and properly addressed.

Our next date with the OMB is the second Pre-hearing Conference was on February 7, 2018 at which representatives for the developer and the five Parties to the Appeal, reiterated their interest in a Board-assisted Mediation process.  However, the presiding Board Member, citing the current overwhelming workload and lack of capacity at the OMB, was once again unable to offer a date for this to take place.  Even more significantly, no assurances were given that the Board would be able to assist in Mediation within the foreseeable future.  Instead, the Board Member offered a 3rd Pre-Hearing Conference scheduled for June 28th, 2018.

Plazacorp’s lawyer then declared that his client would be willing to engage in discussions directly with the five Parties in an effort to converge on a revised proposal that would be satisfactory to everyone prior to June 28th.  Should this initiative succeed, the expectation is that the 3rd Pre-Hearing Conference could then be converted to a Settlement Hearing.  If no agreement is reached by then, the Developer could request more time for informal negotiations, ask again for an OMB-assisted Mediation or, as a last resort, request a date for a Contested Hearing.

In view of the inability of the OMB to assist in a negotiated settlement, BWVRA remains cautiously optimistic that frank and productive discussions will take place with the Developer over the next several months.  To help facilitate this dialogue, our Association will also be reaching out to the Swansea Area Ratepayers Association (SARA) to explore issues that we have in common, and if possible, present a united front on behalf of all the residents of Bloor West Village.

Bloor Street Avenue Study

The Avenue Study is a first step toward better planning policies and zoning bylaws for Bloor Street from Keele to the Humber River. Changed policies and bylaws will determine the future size, design and character of new developments along Bloor. The current policies have proven to be very damaging when tested at the OMB, where developers have been winning the majority of the contested decisions.

Details of the Avenue Study can be found here on the City of Toronto web site.

Our residents’ association has two members on the local advisory committee with the City and the consultants to ensure residents’ concerns are incorporated into this study. The Avenue Study is targeted to be completed by the fall of this year.

2442 Bloor Street West

This is now part of the Humber Theatre site. See above section for more information.

2265-2279 Bloor Street West

Developers are proposing an eight storey mixed-use building with 83 residential units at this site, which includes the land from 2265 Bloor to 2279 Bloor, plus 116 and 240 Durie Street. See the summary on the Save Our Village site for details.  This project though, is now on hold.

2117 Bloor Street West/19 Harcroft Rd

A developer is working on a proposal for the property at the corner of 2117 Bloor St. W. and 19 Harcroft Rd. The developer held a well attended public meeting at Swansea Town Hall on August 20th and is continuing to meet with a Working Group made up of members from the community along with representatives from the Bloor West and Swansea residents associations.

2115 Bloor Street West

An 8 storey condo had been proposed for 2115 – 2117 Bloor Street West. This stretch of property is on the south side of Bloor at the south-east corner of Harcroft Street.

The BWVRA was involved in this development proposal.

Current status: the project is on hold indefinitely.

2114 Bloor Street West

Developers have applied to build 10 storeys (plus mechanical penthouse) with 110 condo units and 4,500 square feet of retail space. This exceed zoning NAD guideline for mid-rise buildings. The City Planning department is studying it and seeking public reaction. The plans can be viewed here. The developer’s segment study is also available. The same developer is proposed construction at 1990 Bloor West. We are following this development closely.

1990 Bloor Street West

The developer, North Drive Investments Inc, built a 11-storey mixed use building, comprised of 108 residential dwelling units, of which 24 replacement rental units were included, as well as 324 square metres of at-grade commercial floor area at 1990 Bloor Street West and 26 Parkview Gardens.

The BWVRA was involved in this development.

City material:

The developer has published a list of studies and reports about this property. The studies include:

Documents of interest

BWV Urban Design Study (PDF, 9Mb)

City of Toronto Midrise Buildings guidelines