September 2021 Meeting Minutes

Minutes for MRA meeting September 15, 2021
Attendees
Adam Matheson; Michael Majeski; Neil Arcot; Lauren Facto; John Stephenson (note-taker)
Regrets
Emma Park; James Stack; Phillip Stainton; Tim Ellis, Mostafa Shaheen
Minutes

1. Roles & responsibilities
   • Communications
     • Currently Adam is managing the website, but everyone should have ability to post; e.g.; the usual note-taker James should have access to post meeting minutes. Neil volunteered to contribute to the website
   • Enews – Chimpmail.
     • Neil volunteered to start sending Enews to members via Chimpmail
   • Social Media
     • Lauren & Michael volunteered to post on Facebook.
     • Michael volunteered to send Facebook postings via Instagram.
   • Letters
     • Currently done by Michael, Adam, Mostafa and other Board members
2. Events
   • None until spring 2022.
3. Community Meetings
   • Tim and John active on Etobicoke Climate Action Group. It organised one of the 100 Debates on September 10. Liberals, NDP and Green parties participated. This group will be at the re-grouped children’s Fridays for the Future demonstration at Queens Park, noon, September 24. All are invited to support the kids.
4. Development
   • 60 Birmingham
     • Nothing to report.
   • Christies
     • Nothing to report.
   • 351-365 Royal York
     • Michael & Mostafa attended a meeting today, September 15, where developers & architects presented and answered questions:
       • 282 new units,30% for families
       • retail and residential on ground floor
       • some parking spots outside
       • 30 parking spots for electric cars, rough in for more
       • huge building in small space
       • small units, yet < 2% bachelors
     • Michael thought it needs a Green P (i.e., a low-cost municipal parking lot for shoppers) and it would have helped to have 3 underground levels of parking to ease surface congestion. He foresees that industrial area north of tracks, east of Royal York will become filled with condos.
   • Vandyk
     • Chief planer has written to the Province & Metrolinx complaining that the developer has not responded to the City’s requests. The developer has until the end of this month to respond.
     • There is a fear the province will try to push approval through without public consultation. If the site plan is not approved by a certain date, then 30% must be affordable housing
     • The unsatisfactory features of this development are:
       • 687 units on top of GO station
       • not affordable
       • they are selling without zoning override approval
       • not according to Mimico Secondary plan with 44 storeys
     • We should request MPP Christine Hogarth to intervene to not allow approval without zoning
   • Park Lawn GO Station
     • Notice of commencement of transit planning presentation requires feedback before Sept 17.
5. Projects
   • ML Ready Mix
     • Adam, Lauren and Michael discussed need to keep on pressure but not in an annoying, over-repetitive way.
6. New Business
   • Doubtful whether COVID will allow Halloween Dance.
   • There has been a recent spate of new sign-ups
   • We need to have a meeting on transit, after the upcoming traffics study meeting.
   • Lauren suggested we have an agenda session to develop a list of what we want from new developments to benefit the community, like green space.
   • The City asked for feedback on CafeTO.
   • Tim to send out notice encouraging members to vote