The RAD News
Danforth Residents for Appropriate Development
Our Past | Our Present | Our Future
DanforthRAD Update – April 12, 2024
The main site for current and former public consultations on the Ontario Line TOCs is here – https://engageio.ca/en/ontario-line
For the Pape-Danforth Transit Oriented Community, the following links will send you to the “official” information including info, feedback survey, in-person meeting registration, online meeting slide deck, and online meeting recording.
main site – https://engageio.ca/en/pape
In-person meeting registration: https://engageio.ca/en/register-pape-toc-open-houses
feedback survey: https://engageio.ca/en/Pape-share-your-feedback
online meeting recording: https://engageio.ca/en/pape-virtual-open-house-1-april-2-2024
online meeting slide deck: https://engageio.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/240328_OL_Pape_OpenHouse1.pdf
DanforthRAD Update – March 12, 2024
Pape Danforth Transit Oriented Community (TOC) Development
The Pape-Danforth transit hub has been designated a Transit Oriented Community (TOC). This designation means that Infrastructure Ontario will decide what will be built around the the Pape subway station all the way to Eton Avenue with the exception of the 49-storey building right at the corner of Pape and Danforth. An appeal by the developers regarding latter building is before the Ontario Land Tribunal. Below are some details and the events/meetings where you can get more information on these “moving parts”
1. Proposals for the Pape/Danforth Station Transit Oriented Community (TOC) available now
Check on Infrastructure Ontario’s (IO’s) public consultation website. Let’s show them we’re interested — register at https://engageio.ca/en/pape
April 2 – Online Public Information Meeting (intro, images and Q & A)
April 15 – Open House (large posters with staff available to discuss, but no presentation)
2. More Details
The proposed rezoning and plans show
i) a large transit station entrance building, to be built by Metrolinx, on the west side of the Metrolinx lands.
ii) a west building in the TOC, partially constructed over the new station building, with
iii) streetscape along Danforth Avenue starting at five to seven storeys high, and rising to 11 storeys on the north,
iv) a tower form topping out at 29 storeys in the centre of the site
v) a seven-storey building at the east end of the block
vi) significant setbacks from Danforth and a mid-block pedestrian connection running north to Lipton Ave.
vii) a seven-storey building on the south side of Gertrude Ave.
viii) a total of approximately 439 housing units
3. What the proposed plans do NOT show
i) the 49-storey tower proposed for the northeast corner of Pape and Danforth, right up against the property line, and scheduled for an appeal hearing in September.
ii) the dramatic difference between that tower and what Infrastructure Ontario thinks is “a development that is appropriate to its surrounding context”. SO we’ve done that for them. (see image below)
4. Another Transit Orieneted (TOC) Community at Pape & Cosburn TOC
The Infrastructure Ontario engageio.ca website now lists details of this TOC. The plans include two projects on the west side of Pape. Both have 5 to 6 storey base podiums with towers rising to 29 and 28 storeys. Register for the virtual open house on April 4, and/or the in-person on April 15 at https://engageio.ca/en/cosburn
We’ve been invited to join consultation meetings, which will begin soon. If you are interested in helping us attend and report on those meetings, contact us asap.
5. Our understanding of the TOC process:
The redevelopment of the entire neighbourhood will not take place until after the new Ontario Line subway interchange below the existing Pape Station (Line 2) is finished.
When completed, the land Metrolinx land expropriated for construction and “staging” will be transferred to Infrastructure Ontario. (Staging mostly relates to onsite offices, construction materials & heavy equipment.) Meanwhile, Infrastructure Ontario will will be calling for bids from developers where negotiations for the actual plans and zoning for this development will take place.
DanforthRAD Update – March 1, 2024
An exciting few weeks ahead!
- TRANSIT ORIENTED COMMUNITY AT PAPE & DANFORTH (TOC)
Infrastructure Ontario’s proposals for redevelopment after the new subway is finished are expected to be posted online at engageio.ca. An online public meeting is scheduled in very early April, followed by an in-person Open House a week or two later. We’ll let you know when the information goes up. And check out our website at https://danforthrad.ca/home/
- ONTARIO LINE CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS (Paula Fletcher’s information meeting)
Find out how Metrolinx is planning to handle the ongoing disruption to our traffic flow, roads, sidewalks, bus routes, etc. during construction of the Ontario Line. They are looking for residents’ input. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_G6ms7vIVRqu2PykT7bkocA#/registration
- GERRARD-CARLAW SOUTH TOC
Public comment survey at https://engageio.ca/en/gcs-feedback
Online and in-person meetings took place Feb 13 & 20. This TOC stretches south of the railway line below Gerrard almost to Dundas between Carlaw and Logan. It includes mid- rise development along Carlaw including part of the old industrial building facade, and three high rise towers at 23, 30 and 39 storeys to the west. Details at https://engageio.ca/en/GerrardCarlawSouth
If you make comments, please share them with us at admin@danforthrad.ca
- THORNCLIFFE PARK TOC
A little further away, on Overlea Blvd, this project includes six residental buildings and one office tower with street level retail throughout. Building heights range from 13 to 56 stories. Details at https://engageio.ca/en/ThorncliffePark . Check the Planning and Urban Design Rationale report, particularly from page 50 on.
- DEL BOCA VISTA’S 49-STOREY TOWER AT PAPE AND DANFORTH
We understand that informal mediation meetings are being scheduled for the summer. The Ontario Land Tribunal has set Sep 16 for the appeal hearing to begin. See our website for more details and updates. https://danforthrad.ca and https://danforthrad.ca/home/the-danforthrad-newsletter/
Ford Government to Decide Future of NE Block at Pape / Danforth
Where does Pape/Danforth stand today?
The bottom line is that even though Toronto City Council has directed its lawyers to oppose the
49-storey tower proposal in its current form, the future of this block at Pape and Danforth is no longer something that will be decided by Toronto City Council. Instead, a significant part of the development of the neighbourhood will be decided by two provincial government agencies (Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx) and the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT).
For the Del Boca Vista proposal, the City will be a key Party in the appeal, involved in making arguments and negotiating towards a solution better than the developer’s proposed zoning amendments, but the big decision will be made by the OLT.
Infrastructure Ontario map showing the Pape Station Transit Oriented Community site A and B outlined in red. (Yellow puzzle piece indicates the Del Boca Vista Property proposed 49 storey tower.)
For most of the block east of the Del Boca Vista site, the province’s October 19th announcement that is being designated as a Transit Oriented Community (TOC) means that there will be new buildings aimed at increasing density on those lands, and on the smaller Gertrude Ave site.
Although they “will work with the City” and “consult with the community”, those TOC decisions will be made by Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx, and probably through a Minister’s Zoning Order from the Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. What buildings that get built will set the context and precedent for other development around the new Ontario-line subway station at Pape.
IOs draft preliminary concept for public space along Lipton Avenue in the Pape TOC, with a pedestrian connection to Danforth Ave. There is no guarantee the final projects will look anything like the artist’s concept.
Developers’ Appeals to the Ontario Land Tribunal
There are two appeals at the Ontario Land Tribunal of interest to DanforthRAD.
1. The 2022 appeal by Del Boca Vista and several others on the city’s overall plan for Danforth Ave,
1.1. DanforthRAD representatives attended the August 25th Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) meeting on the Danforth Ave plan appeals, where the 49-storey tower developer, Del Boca Vista (DBV), discussed consolidating its objections in this appeal with its new appeal on its own tower application. This might have helped the City’s plan (maximum 7-8 storeys along most of the Danforth) finally come into effect. On Nov 3, we found out that plan was dead. Then at the CMC in early December, DBV and the City presented a plan to adjourn DVB’s appeal while its zoning bylaw appeal (see below) goes ahead. This is similar to an adjournment agreed with CP REIT at Broadview and Danforth earlier this year. A hearing on this Danforth Ave. plan appeal is being scheduled for Dec. 2024.
2. Del Boca Vista’s 2023 zoning bylaw appeal on the tower proposal at Pape and Danforth
2.1. The City’s planning department sent a recommendation to the Sept 19th Toronto & East York Community Council giving many reasons the City should oppose the Del Boca Vista appeal at the OLT. The full position is available here:https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2023/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-238940.pdf
2.2. DanforthRAD sent a position statement supporting the recommendation and urging the Toronto East York Community Council to recommend it to City Council.
2.3 The newly-incorporated “Danforth Residents for Appropriate Development Inc.” requested Participant status in this appeal. (As a “participant”, we can make a written submission outlining our concerns.)
2.4 Three of our representatives attended the first OLT meeting (Oct 5, by zoom). (Case #: OLT-23-000444)
2.5 At that meeting, Metrolinx requested Party status as the tower would be right next door to the Ontario Line subway and station it will be building. (As a “party”, Metrolinx is able to make presentations, take part in negotiations and bring expert witnesses at the OLT. At this point, Metrolinx’s opinion about the 49-storey tower proposal is not clear.)
2.6 Just 8 days later, Infrastructure Ontario announced it would be building several new Transit Oriented Communities (TOCs) on the planned Ontario Line, including Pape Station.
2.7 The Del Boca Vista site was not included in the Pape TOC.
2.8 On Nov 3, the Ontario Land Tribunal decision from the Oct 5 meeting set Sept 16, 2024 for a 10 day Hearing, with a June deadline for any revised proposal.
3. DanforthRAD Petition
2.9 Meanwhile, DanforthRAD assembled the full list of petition supporters from the door-to-door petition campaign, petitions at stores and businesses, and the petition page on the website, DanforthRAD.ca, for our Ward 14 Councillor.
2.10 On October 11. Councillor Paula Fletcher presented our then-886-signature Petition to City Council. The proposed tower is “far and above any of the guidelines that have been set before,” she said. “So they’re letting Council know that they’re extremely concerned about it and they definitely support City Council going to the Land Tribunal in opposition to this going forward at this time.” Councillor Fletcher added that the project was very premature, given the Province’s plans to build a major subway interchange, new station and probably a Transit Oriented Community.
Councillor Paula Fletcher on Transit Oriented Communities
Here’s how Councillor Paula Fletcher described the situation in a recent newsletter to her constituents:
“A ‘Transit-Oriented Community’ (TOC) is a business arrangement between Infrastructure Ontario and a private developer to increase density around future transit stations.
“These would normally be dealt with through the city’s planning process, but the provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing has final approval over TOC projects and will most likely use their MZO (Minister’s Zoning Order) powers as they have done numerous times. Any agreements the city can secure are also subject to the concurrence of the province.”
Councillor Fletcher added that the city was not given advance notice of this announcement, and she noted that there were no commitments for affordable housing within the newly announced transit oriented communities.
Here is a link to the Minister of Infrastructure’s Oct 19 announcement, which says the Pape TOC will provide 440 residential units. That compares with the 496 proposed in the Del Boca Vista project site, which is to the left of parcel A.
Four additional TOC’s are planned in Ward 14:
- Pape and Cosburn
- Carlaw and Gerrard South
- Carlaw and Gerrard North (public consultation recently concluded)
- 356 Eastern Avenue.
So far, details are scarce. Some are given here:
https://news.ontario.ca/en/backgrounder/1003668/ontario-building-more-homes-in-toronto-near-transit
Is this our future?
This map shows Del Boca Vista’s idea of the potential for new buildings around Pape and Danforth. Decisions on their 49-storey tower proposal (shown in orange) and the Transit Oriented Community to the east of it will set the context and precedent for future development in this area.
Awesome 67% Petition Growth!
Several people and companies have been doing a bang up job of communicating through posters; postcards; and talking to their neighbours.
Thanks to all the volunteers and commercial businesses who have helped us attain more than 900 signatures on our petition! That is a 67% increase in under 3 months. Well done!
A special nod to Sandra and Pam who volunteered to spend a very hot July 1st weekend at the local Farmers Market in Withrow Park. Their work signed up 75 residents in just a few hours.
We hope to continue the pressure so please let your friends and neighbours know about our cause.
JOIN DanforthRAD
About DanforthRAD
DanforthRAD began when a few residents came together to discuss their concerns about a massive skyscraper that was being proposed for the corner of Pape and Danforth. The few became many (900+) and we continue to grow, and learn.
We now know that the proposed 49-storey tower development fails to address city and provincial policy objectives such as affordable family housing. We have also learned that Toronto city planners share our concerns about the size, scale and compatibility of the proposed development, which blatantly disregards the city’s own plan for the Danforth.
Under the original Danforth plan, increased density would be encouraged, but buildings would be limited to heights of about eight storeys to preserve the “rich culture of community on the Danforth.” As we followed the proposal through the planning process, we were surprised to learn that the Ford government has changed the rules around urban planning, removing key decision-making power from the city. As a result, the future of the 49-storey tower will be decided, not by Toronto city council, but by an unelected adjudicator appointed to the Ontario Land Tribunal and, to be involved in that process, and to be taken seriously by politicians, planners and developers, we learned that we would need to incorporate. So we did.
DanforthRAD Inc. will continue to closely follow the 49-storey tower proposal and other developments in the neighbourhood, with the goal of encouraging appropriate expansion and change that will bring new neighbours and new vitality to our community.
Directors of DanforthRAD Inc
Rowena Moyes: Chair
Scott deVeber: Secretary
Paul Hamel: Communications
Volunteers Needed!
These proposals have created uncertainty about what future development will look like in our neighbourhood and what input residents will be able to have on the way their community evolves.
That’s why it’s more important than ever for residents to get involved.
Please consider becoming involved in the newly incorporated Danforth Residents for Appropriate Development.
We have a variety of positions we need help with (See the list under Positions Available). Please come join us and let us know where you can help.
Contact us through our website at: DanforthRAD.ca
Positions Available
Campaigns
Communications
Petition
Research: We are looking for people to develop and distribute surveys.
Treasurer to assist on the leadership team
Next Steps
- Continue the petition drive and search for a new volunteer to lead it
- Recruit a volunteer to be treasurer for DanforthRAD Inc.
- Enlist volunteers to develop surveys (either web or door-to-door) for research purposes to understand what the community would consider appropriate.