RE: 2405-2411 Lake Shore Boulevard West (21235704 WET 03 OZ)
March 6, 2024
Dear Rozhen & Mimico Residents Association,
Thank you for your patience as we reviewed the concerns you have raised and checked in
with Staff regarding the development application for 2405-2411 Lakeshore Boulevard West.
To confirm, City Council has directed the City Solicitor and appropriate City Staff to oppose
this application at the OLT. I supported this motion when it came before us at Etobicoke
York Community Council on September 18, 2023 and then again at City Council on October
11, 2023. You can find the specifics of that motion on the Toronto Meeting Management
Information System (TMMIS) Item – 2023.EY7.7 and the attached report. From the report
you can better understand the City’s position and concerns with this application which
reflect many of the concerns shared by the community, including the inclusion of sites not
owned by the applicant such as a portion of Amos Waites Park.
Once a development application has been appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT), it
becomes a legal proceeding and is effectively removed from the Municipal approval
process. While the OLT provides municipalities with the opportunity to work with applicants
to resolve issues or represent/defend the municipality’s interests through a hearing process,
the ultimate approval/denial of a development application proposal is at the discretion of the
OLT. Additionally, when an application is appealed to the OLT much of the most current
information may be confidential and cannot be made public without the agreement of all
parties on the appeal.
An unfortunate consequence of an OLT appeal is the City coordinated Community
Consultation Meeting (CCM) is no longer mandatory. The CCM that is most familiar to
residents and typically occurs early in the development application review process is a
requirement of City of Toronto policies and procedures and is not the mandatory meeting
required by the Planning Act. The mandatory public meeting required by the Planning Act
actually occurs when the item comes to Community Council, where residents can register to
depute. While City coordinated CCMs can still occur following an OLT appeal, the developer
must opt in to this meeting, the City cannot require that they participate.
I value these CCMs highly and believe they are important to the development application
review process. It is important that residents be provided an opportunity to learn about
proposed changes in their neighbourhoods and be allowed to provide their feedback to the
City and the applicant. My office is working with our Community Planning Staff to try
and coordinate a CCM for this application so the Mimico community is provided this
opportunity and we hope to have an update on this meeting soon. However, as
previously mentioned, if the applicant does not want to participate this is not something we
can require of them.
I have also received and reviewed your additional letter with a more in-depth outline of your
concerns with this application. In your letter, you made reference to aspects of the
application that violate City policy documents such as the Tall Building Design Guidelines
and the Mimico by the Lake Secondary Plan; these policies are always considered during
development application review and will certainly be considered by Staff as they work
through the appeal process. The City will also fight to ensure that, in the event that the
application is approved at OLT, our standard processes around Rental Housing Demolition
& Conversion are adhered to and appropriate Tenants Assistance Packages are secured
for affected residents. I will be sure to raise the concerns highlighted by the Mimico
Residents Association to the attention of City Staff working on this file and schedule a
meeting to discuss them more thoroughly.
Yours in community service,
Deputy Mayor Amber Morley
City Councillor, Ward 3, Etobicoke-Lakeshore