Sent: February 17, 2015
Re: EY4.5, Preliminary Report – 2313 and 2323 Lake Shore Boulevard West – Zoning By-law
Amendment Application
To the members of Etobicoke-York Community Council:
Dear Councillors,
This letter is being submitted jointly by the Mimico Residents Association and the Mimico
Lakeshore Network. The latter is an umbrella organization that brings together eleven different
community groups that share concerns about development in Mimico and the surrounding
area.
We welcome the three recommendations in the Preliminary Report on item EY4.5; we urge
Community Council to pass them, with one possible amendment suggested below; and we
hope there will be substantial, active participation in the community consultation by a large and
representative gathering of Mimico residents.
We note that the proposed building fails to meet the requirements of the Secondary Plan for
Mimico-by-the-Lake in a number of important respects, some of which are listed on page 10 of
the Preliminary Report under the heading “Issues to be Resolved”. Since this is the first
significant zoning by-law amendment application to come forward since City Council enacted
the Secondary Plan, it is vital that these issues be resolved in a way that does not undermine
the intent of the Plan or set a precedent that will be regretted in the future.
The situation is, of course, complicated by the fact that the Secondary Plan has not yet been put
into effect, on account of the appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board lodged by, among others,
the same property owners who have now applied for a zoning by-law amendment for their
property located within the Secondary Plan area. This is a situation in which the City will
benefit from the widest possible consultation with the community.
Because of its implications for the whole of the Secondary Plan area, we would urge that notice
for the community consultation meeting be given, not only to landowners and residents
within 120 metres of the site, but also to those who attended the design charette and other
public consultation meetings during the Mimico 20/20 visioning process, and who provided
the City with contact information.
We also urge Community Council and City Council to direct staff to complete a Final Report and
schedule a public meeting under the Planning Act within the targeted time frame, so as to
forestall an appeal to the OMB.
For the Mimico Residents Association,
John Cary, President
For the Mimico Lakeshore Network
Martin E. Gerwin, Judith A. Rutledge