A big “THANK YOU” to those of you who included a donation to the Save Our Village fundraising campaign on your To-Do List last month!  In December, we raised just over $4,300 which has helped take us closer to our $20,000 goal. We still have a ways to go, so please help us with your donation by clicking here, and also let us know if you’d like a lawn sign to show your support.
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 scheduled for February 7, 018. Watch for further updates, before and immediately after that date, on the progress of informal negotiations that may take place, along with the scheduled date for Mediation, should this step be needed.
This holiday season, the entire Bloor West Village Residents Association would like to thank you for all the confidence you have shown in us throughout the year. We are especially thankful  for the donations we have received towards the Humber Theatre redevelopment. We are getting closer to our goal of $20,000.00 by December 31, 2017, but we’re not quite there!
We realize that this is a very busy time, you’re engaged in holiday planning and many organizations are reaching out to you for donations. A contribution to the Save Our Village fund is an investment in your neighbourhood and a future that includes sustainable, integrated and community supported development that will complement the Bloor West Village community. Your $200 donation will help us to pay for the time required by our legal and planning professionals.
Please donate today!
With all our best wishes,
Jamie Isbister, Chair BWVRA
We’ve received great feedback from donors so far, on what the BWVRA does and how it engages the village. If you need help in deciding to support us, check out their comments. And watch this space, because more are posted as we get them. Thank you.
…as the song lyrics go. Our BWVRA signs are starting to appear everywhere and they’re going fast. If you support our involvement with the Humber Theatre development, show it by getting sign. Just email us at info@bwvra.ca with your address. Thank you.
Coyotes. And that’s OK, providing they’re left alone and not fed. There have been calls received by Sarah Doucette’s office about coyote sightings around the Rennie Park area as well as near the Humbercrest Blvd. and Dundas St. West areas. Residents and coyotes can (and have) lived together but if you do see one, you can report it to 311 so Animal Services can investigate, and the City can track their location. More information about coyotes in the city can be found here.
On December 6th, Toronto City council voted unanimously to oppose Plaza Corp’s proposed development on the site of the Humber Theatre! This is great news and now we need to prepare for our Mediation session with the developer on February 7th, 2018.Â
A big thank you to the many generous people who have already stepped up with a donation to the Save Our Village Fund: we’ve raised close to $9,000 so far but we still have a long way to go. To help get us there, the BWVRA has agreed to match donations, up to a total of $2,000, between now and December 31, 2017. If you’ve been planning to donate, now is your chance to have double the impact! It’s fast and easy to do at our donation page.Â
A big victory for residents of Bloor West Village yesterday when Toronto City council voted unanimously to oppose Plaza Corp’s proposed development at the site of the Humber Theatre! Thank you Sarah Doucette (@DoucetteWard13) for your leadership! We’re now two months away from mediation with the OMB and residents support will be crucial to a successful outcome: follow our page to stay informed as to how you can help.
On November 18, many residents picked up their new (and free!) trees and shrubs at the Tree for Me event at the Annette Street Public Library. Native trees and shrubs were provided by the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation. Residents learned how to plant and take care of their new woody friends and received free mulch to help get them off to a good start. Over 150 trees and shrubs were distributed. The goal is to increase Toronto’s tree canopy to 40% coverage. More trees in yards are a big part of that and every tree counts.
Check out the photos at snapd Bloor West.
Thanks to Green 13 and the Annette Street Public Library for hosting the event and, of course, the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation. And keep an eye out for the Spring 2018 Tree for Me event – not long from now at all!
The Bloor West Village Residents’ Association is a group of resident volunteers committed to fostering a well-balanced and liveable community, both now and into the future. Our neighbourhood is currently facing an urgent challenge with a proposed development on the site of the Humber Theatre.
The Theatre sits on a landmark site with most of the stores now empty and windows papered over, awaiting development. Renewal of this block is urgently needed and the BWVRA supports responsible re-development that respects the existing scale and character of the immediate neighbourhood.
Jane Jacobs has inspired more than one generation to take action in defence of the neighbourhoods they value. If you missed the screening of Citizen Jane at the Revue Cinema, here’s a link to a review on Variety: http://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/citizen-jane-review-doc-nyc-1201916211/
The City of Toronto is undertaking an initiative with the goal of considering the opportunity to allow and regulate laneway suites on the numerous laneways across Toronto and East York areas of the City. If you missed the meeting held recently at City Hall, feedback can be found here.
