A very important stage in the decades long battle by our
community to encourage responsible development in the quarry lands will be
taking place soon. A proposal by the
development arm of the City, Build Toronto, will be put forward for public
consultation and feedback this spring. If you live in the quarry area or are on
the CCQLD mailing list, you will be notified about where and when the
consultations are being held. We encourage you to come make your voice heard.
We at the CCQLD already have a pretty good idea where you
stand on the proposals. A recent survey of community priorities in the quarry
lands tells us people want to see a good sense of community integration. We
take that to mean ‘no towers.’ You also told us you wanted green space and bike
paths. The Build proposal includes a
four storey apartment building and a 110,000 sq. foot big box store that would
sit roughly on top of a portion of the former driving range. Some are opposed to the big box store and are
worried about how the city plans to manage the dramatic increase in traffic
that it will bring. These are legitimate
concerns and CCQLD will insist they be addressed, if in fact it turns out that
this element is part of the final plan
For the most part though, you told us that the Build proposal
is a starting point. Let’s get to
work. We now have something on paper for
the city owned portion of the quarry that does not include towers. Let’s fine tune this and make it the best
that it can be. How will customers enter
and exit the parking lot? What kind of housing do we want? What changes need to be made to take into
account that the city has been unable to acquire the land for the extension of Blantyre north of
Gerrard? The upcoming consultations are
your chance to let Build Toronto and city planners know how you want to see
your neighbourhood shaped.
As for the development plans in the eastern portion of the
quarry lands, CCQLD, the community, urban planners and all levels of government
stand united in opposition to high rise towers in our community. We need to be
prepared to move together on very short notice to drive home that point.
In closing, I want to
thank outgoing president Mark Brender for his time and devotion to the cause
over the last ten years. Mark is a passionate proponent of community building
and responsible development and it is our good fortune
that Mark has agreed to remain on the board. We didn’t want to lose his
experience. Mark has played a huge role
in keeping high rises out of our community and we are grateful for all his hard
work.
Tim Weber
