City
Massive development good or bad for St. James Town?
With close to 18,000 residents living within a few city blocks (and that's only according to official records — the actual number is believed to be much greater), North St. James Town is, without question, the most densely populated community in Canada. And if plans for a three-block overhaul are brought to fruition, that density will surely be pushed to the limit.
Already under consideration for more than a year, the project would see four new towers with heights up to 50 storeys erected along Bloor Street from Sherbourne to Parliament, along with a five-storey residential structure, a row of semi-detached houses, and a low-rise mixed-use commercial and residential structure. In all, the Lanterra Developments project would make some 1,800 new units available for occupancy, along with parking for over 1,100 cars.
If you head to the area in question now — that is, the wedge between Bloor and Howard streets, intersected by Glen Road — you'll find rows of boarded-up former heritage homes (the designation was revoked), a couple of small food shops, and not a whole lot else. Not the best use of urban space mind you, but if you ask many nearby residents, it's better than the proposed alternative.
Critics of the mega-development have cited concerns about excessive heights, density, and increased traffic congestion, specifically as they relate to the proposed towers along Bloor. Of particular worry is the likelihood that the structures will cast shadows over the Rosedale Ravine and South Rosedale.
And it's not just St. James Town's neighbours who are wary of the impact of the development. The Wellesley Institute reported that existing residents would much rather see the space put toward additional resources or services for the community, rather than simply adding density, which only exacerbates the strain on the already-limited system.
There's no question that this area has been long overlooked, but is adding a few thousand new residents really the way to go? (Though I suppose that's a moot point, considering the progression of the plans.) And if Lanterra gets its way, will north St. James Town really develop for the better?
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Mind you, chances are good the first thing to go when it comes time will be the new bike path on Sherbourne to make room for additional traffic
This would be right next to Sherbourne station, plus most traffic in the area would be heading to Bloor E, Parliament, Jarvis/Mt Pleasant.
Just weeks and several days before, I had notified both the city and the fire department (the fire department was located only about 50 metres away at the end of the block) about the fire hazard that place posed because of the caretaker's hoarding of old, broken furniture all over the place, blocking exits and filling entire rooms until they became uninhabitable. Despite repeated calls and warnings by me, the city and the fire department ignored the warnings, both refusing to conduct inspections.
On the morning of the fire, I was awakened to the sound of multiple smoke alarms. Upon opening my door, I saw nothing but smoke and flames engulfing the stairs, so I had to escape by jumping out of the second-story window shown in the top-right of the third photo down.
The place was managed by Greenwin Property Management who absolved themselves of all responsibility, refusing to put any of the tenants up for the night or find us a new place to live.
It's impossible to make any claims about the planning implications of this development if you don't state anything about the project other than the amount of people proposed in the towers. 1300 units might be a lot of units, but it depends on the size of the site. If you have a very big site, 1300 unit might be incredibly reasonable, if it's small, it might be completely unacceptable.
1100 parking spaces sounds like bunk to me. Besides that, there's really nothing in this article to advance a proper dialogue regarding the just development of Toronto.
I don't agree with the scope of this project but I am definitely happy to hear those particular houses will be salvaged. There's so much history there if you do the research.
Also interesting/funny that the Glen Road houses have their own twitter handle: @GlenRdHousesTO
Sounds like a good idea though, bringing in mixed incomes to the neighbourhood to help gentrify it. Problem is usually the stores and services in a particular area are catered to the residents, but if you have people with more money those types of stores will take precedence, and the low income residents won't be able to afford shopping in their own neighbourhood. Hopefully they find a good balance.
I'm looking into these old houses for the Toronto Star. I'd like to get in touch with some old residents. Email me: moved@thestar.ca
Your comments about the local residents are ignorant and full of assumptions.