QuadReal, the developer for the former Campbell’s Soup site at 60 Birmingham, has provided us with their Construction Mitigation Plan (“CMP”), which is linked below. Demolition will occur from January until April 2021.
A flyer will be distributed to the community through mail and the CMP, which will also be made available at the 60birmingham.com website.
Flyer distributed to Mimico Residents
60 Birmingham Demolition Construction Mitigation Plan
Any comments should be directed to 60birmingham@quadreal.com.
I have been a Mimico resident for over ten years, living next to the proposed new development site at 60 Birmingham Street. I am very disappointed by the plan to build a massive last-mile distribution centre right next to a quiet residential neighbourhood, next to an elementary school. It is disheartening that residents’ opinion has been ignored throughout the planning and execution of this project.
I understand that the City wants to protect the area for employment. However, the kind of businesses our Councillor brings to New Toronto (Canpar Distribution, the cement factory, Bondi Produce warehouse and Gambles produce warehouse) only provide minimum wage jobs and hardly contribute to the betterment of our community.
Residents had to go the extra mile and collect over 600 signatures for a petition to extort a simple information session from the developer, QuadReal. This session was extremely one-sided, with minimal time for the residents’ questions. Below I collected some of the questions/concerns and suggestions I have heard from my neighbours.
Questions/concerns:
1. The information session with QuadReal was hardly a discussion; most questions remained unanswered. These questions should appear and be answered on the 60Birmingham.com site. An open, ongoing discussion should be fostered by the builder and city planners. Further studies on traffic should be conducted be to deduce the accumulative traffic of other nearby truck depots and the new development. With Canpar, Bondi Produce, and Gambles Produce in the immediate vicinity; trucks will likely take more time to reach the depot, leading to increased air and noise pollution.
2. Why build a new distribution centre when there are several depots just across the rail tracks. They should be refitted and used, as they are also more accessible from the highway.
3. What was the Campbell Soup Factory’s ground floor area, and how does it compare to the proposed development?
4. Most noise/air quality standards regarding large-scale distribution centres have been determined based on the assumption that the nearby area would be industrial. Since the proposed development is right next to a school and quiet residential streets, it is unfair to apply the same standards. What are the real noise levels expected?
5. What are other large-scale distribution centres in such proximity to residential areas/schools in Toronto?
6. Does the City not have any better ideas to do with such a big piece of land? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revitalize New Toronto between Dwight Avenue and Kipling Avenue.
Suggestions:
1. Establish open communication between the Mimico and New Toronto residents (e.g., via the Mimico Residents Association, New Toronto Residents Association) and the City to have an integrated view of the proposed development projects in the Mimico/New Toronto area.
2. Establish a platform of negotiation between the Mimico and New Toronto residents (e.g., via the Mimico Residents Association, New Toronto Residents Association) regarding the number of loading bays and operation hours.
3. Establish a communication AND action pipeline between residents and the City to mitigate potential (and likely) complaints regarding the noise, traffic and air quality
4. Residents demand regular testing of air quality, noise and traffic, with the results being transparent and accessible (e.g., via the Mimico Residents Association, New Toronto Residents Association). The recent fatal accident on Judson/Royal York is an example of how increased truck traffic already impacts road safety in the neighbourhood.
5. Developers should be committed to hiring locals for the construction and as staff of the industrial establishment.
Our neighbourhood is already carrying lots of responsibilities on its shoulder, housing THC, a Women’s Shelter and a Waste Management plant, which is also right next to Toffee Court, a few feet away from residential houses. It seems like the neighbourhood is becoming a dumping ground of truck depots, waste management and social services, effectively inhibiting our community’s growth.