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Final sign off for the development proposal here at 500 Duplex has been completed, and we can now share the results of our mediation with the Developer. Some of this you have heard before and some is available on the City’s site, but this highlights some of the questions and concerns we have received from Residents.
First, the buildings will NOT be glued together as portrayed in the original drawing.
This confirms that in the Tower, bedroom windows will not be lost, nor will people be forced to move because of the joining to the podium of the new buildings.
There will be two new buildings. The one that replaces the current townhouses is scheduled to be a Condo. It has multiple amenity areas which will be shared by everyone on site. There is a legal document guaranteeing permanent access at no cost to tower residents.
The decision about the status of the south building was not decided during the mediation hearings. It could be either a condo or rental building, but since it has much less amenity space, we feel it may be a rental building.
The three buildings will be connected by a walkway running across the West side where the visitors parking is now. All parking for residents and visitors will be underground with an entrance off Roselawn.
Access to the site will change. The main access to the complex will be from Roselawn Avenue. However, the Tower will have an additional access point to allow for pickups, drop offs, deliveries, and Wheel Trans. This will be from Duplex Avenue and run between the Tower and the South building. This is expected to be about where the sidewalk from the building to Duplex is now
There will be considerable change to outdoor space. What is now parking is scheduled to become a gathering space with seating and BBQs. We managed to have the building setbacks increased to allow for a wider sidewalk and a double row of trees. Sadly, both the Arborist employed by the Developer and the one, we as a corporation hired, identified serious disease in most of our big trees and many will have to be removed.
There will be a small park at the end of the South building.
While we will lose the tennis court, we will have a new pool, located just to our Northwest corner in the building link.
The Tower will have a new entry point located in the current lobby space. There are plans to upgrade the whole area. That means the store will move to another location in the link/amenity space to the north of the Tower.
Mediation is over but we have assurances that we will be participating in the construction site plan and be part of an information hub.
We do not have a start date of any kind.
Click on image to view pdf to enable enlarging of image.
DETAILED TAKE AWAYS FROM THE NEGOTIATIONS BENEFITING RESIDENTS AT 500 DUPLEX
DETAILED TAKE AWAYS FROM THE NEGOTIATIONS BENEFITING RESIDENTS AT 500 DUPLEX
Buildings Separated
All partners within the 500 Duplex Coalition took issue with the fact that all 3 buildings would be attached up to the 8th storey of the existing tower. This would have created a continuous wall spanning the entire block along Duplex Avenue, appearing as a canyon when viewed from the street. We felt the greatest improvement that could be achieved would be to break the new buildings apart from the existing tower, creating 3 distinct buildings and breaking up the massing along Duplex Avenue. We are pleased to report that the settlement we have negotiated will result in a separation distance of 11m (36ft) between each of the new buildings and the existing tower. AS A RESULT The windows from the north and south units no longer need to be removed, as the buildings will now be separated above the first floor.
Increased Setbacks
The new buildings as initially proposed each had setbacks of approximately 3m (10ft) each from Montgomery, Duplex and Roselawn Avenues. The negotiated settlement doubles the setback of the south building along Montgomery to 6m (20ft), the setback of both new building along Duplex has increased to 5.2m (17ft) and the setback of the north building to Roselawn has been increased to 4.7m (15ft). By achieving greater setbacks on all sides, there will be more landscaped area around the buildings and more room to grow healthy trees. Additionally, there will be no underground parking beneath the increased setbacks to improve tree growing conditions. There will be a double row of trees along Duplex and Roselawn. A double row of trees is not possible along Montgomery due to utility conflicts. By pushing the buildings back from the sidewalk, the visual impact of the new buildings is reduced.
Reduced Height, Density and Improved Massing
In addition to the changes noted above, the height of the south building has been reduced from 15 storeys to 12 storeys. Both of the proposed buildings now include more generous step-backs facing all three streets, with the upper floors terracing back from the streets. This will create an improved transition to the surrounding neighbourhood and mitigate the impact on each of the three side streets. The total density of the new buildings has decreased by 18%. The total number of units proposed has dropped from
621 to 523, a reduction of 16%.
New Public Park
A new public park will be provided at the southeast corner of the site, fronting on Montgomery Avenue. The park will be 929m2 (10,000ft2), the equivalent of 10% of the site area. This is the same size as originally proposed. The Toronto Parkland By-law would have required a 15% parkland dedication. This became a moot point, when in November the Ford Government capped parkland requirements for developers at 10% of a site for sites less than 5 hectares in size. This area will be transferred to the City, and become City-owned parkland. In spite of its size, the park will be new publicly-owned green space in our community. The new south building will be setback 5m (16ft) from the new park.
South Building
Montgormery Avenue
North Building
Roselawn Avenue
Pool Ideas
This is not the plan but rough visuals for further thinking of final design.
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
On July 7, 2021 the City received a zoning bylaw amendment application for 500 Duplex. The application proposes removing the existing townhomes, surface parking area, tennis court and swimming pool to accommodate two additional tall buildings on the site which would be attached to the existing 34-storey apartment building. The proposed buildings would be 16 and 12 storeys floors and nearly triple the number of units on site. In a departure from the usual practice, the Developer appealed the application to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) before City Planning held a community meeting or issued a Planning Report.
On March 21, 2022 a Community Consultation was hosted by the City. The meeting was well-attended by residents but the developer refused to participate. City Planning prepared a report for the April 10th meeting of North York Community Council and the subsequent City Council meeting on May 11th and May 12th. The report recommended that City Council send Legal and Planning staff to oppose the application at OLT. LPRO has several concerns with the proposal, which fails to respect numerous City policies:
The proposed buildings are too close to the existing tower, which would create a massive, continuous wall along Duplex Avenue.
The proposed buildings are too bulky.
Insufficient transition has been provided to adjacent low-rise areas.
The proposal would remove a large amount of open space in exchange for dedicating 9% of the site to a City Park, which is a shortfall compared to the required 15%.
Despite infrastructure challenges, the Yonge and Eglinton Area will continue to grow. Although the subject property is a larger site and is capable of accommodating additional housing; however, attaching two buildings of the proposed size to the existing tower is not an appropriate form of intensification.
The application was on the April 18, 2022 Agenda of the North York Community Council (NYCC). Members of the 500 Duplex Community Coalition spoke to the Councillors, and many sent letters to support the City’s opposition. Councillors Colle, Robinson, Filion and Carroll all weighed in strongly against this proposal. It was noted that the City’s carefully planned Midtown in Focus report had envisioned a complete community – not only condos, but also space for parks, offices, social services – as development proposals were dramatically increasing in the Yonge-Eglinton area.
North York Community Council and Toronto City Council adopted motions directing the City Solicitor, Planning and other City Staff to oppose this application at the OLT.
Mediation began in mid-November. Members of the 500 Duplex Coalition: Eglinton Park Residents Association, 500 Duplex Tenants’ Association, Lytton Park Association and The Stanley Knowles Coop. participated.
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