OUR City Is Changing...

The RCMI could become the site of a 42-storey, bike-friendly condo

Know your zoning

BY Chris Bilton September 30, 2009 13:09

Toronto’s planning and growth committee wrapped up the public consultation part of the new Comprehensive Zoning By-law Project with what was essentially a non-meeting last night. (Scarborough councillor Norm Kelly was the only one of the six scheduled councillors who showed up.) Which isn’t to say that the endeavour is unimportant. In fact, this harmonized by-law — which will affect pretty much every built structure in the city — is one of the most intensive undertakings of David Miller’s mayoralty. Admittedly, talking about lot frontages and natural hazard lines is totally unsexy as far as politics goes. But it’s not unimportant.

In fact, some of the features of this harmonized by-law — which is replacing 50-odd years of rules and regulations from former the municipalities, along with everything that’s been passed since amalgamation — are actually pretty interesting. Some are even contentiously so.

For one, residential lots (i.e., detached homes) are now required to have soft ground covering half of the rear yard and 75 per cent for the non-driveway part of the front yard. As well, the city is completely doing away with down-sloping driveways (ones that go into basement garages) in an effort to reduce basement flooding. (Apologies to the Batcave stylings of Forest Hill’s mansions.)

As for building big-box retail stores, these will have to go through a re-zoning process, even in former industrial zones, which should help protect Leslieville from any future potential nightmares. And in line with council’s continuing efforts to reduce the amount of traffic on city streets (a.k.a. The War on Cars), parking requirements for buildings will now be based on proximity to public transit, not the arcane car-centric presumptions of yesteryear. See the proposed 42-storey condo at the soon-to-be former Royal Canadian Military Institute (RCMI) on University Avenue — which will only have nine car-share parking spaces but room for 315 bikes — for an example of what will likely be a development trend.

While the harmonized by-law is intended to create some uniformity to what is built in Toronto, it should also make it easier for both city staff and the general public to understand the just how this will be achieved though a handy interactive website. As well, the by-law is another measure — like the Official Plan and the continued front against the OMB — to help prevent unwanted developments. That’s not to say that some of the things residents deem inappropriate won’t still get approval through city council variances. Today, in fact, council will be voting on an eight-storey development on the otherwise Victorian-heavy and heritage designated Hazelton Avenue in Yorkville. Though residents are opposed, the new by-law wouldn’t necessarily help their case.

In any case, we’ll have to wait until at least next February, which is when staff is hoping to have it before council.

...and it seems like these changes are being decided by bureaucrats rather than our elected officials.