Feb 9 - Parkway Forest Development Stalled

The Large development application for Parkway Forest was refused in its preliminary report at North Community Council yesterday. It made the newspapers and I'm including a link to the Toronto Star article below but there is more to the story.

Development applications come to Community Council for preliminary report from City Planning staff. The merits of the application are weighed against the Official Plan and Policies. In this case staff submitted a refusal and North Community Councillors have upheld their recommendations.

I want all the residents of Ward 33 to know that this 10 building proposal can still be taken by the developers to the Ontario Municipal Board. Supportingthe position of refusing the application will be hard work for us all. However, staff also recommended that if the owners would set aside their application and not proceed straight to the OMB that the City Planning office and my Council office would embark on a year long community-based process to come to terms with more appropriate intensification of the Parkway Forest community. At Community Council I assured the Parkway Forest residents present and the El Ad Group who own the lands that are the subject of the original application that I am prepared to develop a schedule for such a process with help from Planning Staff and move it at the February 16th City Council. This would make my commitment to the process a matter of public record and hopefully discourage El Ad from proceeding immediately to the OMB.

I know I can count on this great community, tenants, condominium owners and landowners to join me in the important work ahead.