I am one resident who thinks that turning this proposal down – when a developer has worked with the community’s representatives for an extended period, has retained an excellent architect for the site design, has arrived at an apparent group consensus, together with a package of public benefits, and then the developer gets shut down at Community Council – is not a “Victory”. This behaviour by residents disrespects the democratic process and displays a lack of good faith by the community, and only reinforces distrust and anger, rather than co-operation and understanding and positive outcomes.

A far smarter approach would be to negotiate in good faith for an excellent project – as this process began – and its attendant public benefits. Development is going to happen in our City, has to happen, in fact – 85,000 to 100,000 new residents move to Toronto yearly. The Humber Odeon site is a landmark subway site, in an area rich in publicly-paid-for amenities and services. The site is perfect for some level of intensification of significance and quality.

The logical outcome of the Community Council’s action is to send the developer straight into the arms of the OMB – a provincial authority charged with giving fair and impartial hearings on planning matters when there are divergent and unresolveable issues, contrary to the “rubberstamp” characterizations in the media. The Board would in all likelihood find the Humber Odeon proposal an extremely compelling project to approve, given the policies they must consider.

The “it’s not over” section below is absolutely correct. In fact, the smartest thing the BWVRA could do is to figure out a way to pull this thing back together again, and secure this investment in the community with the public benefits it will bring, and pave the way to a yes vote at Council. Our Councillor Saundercook is key to that vote, as in the amalgamated Council, development votes are most frequently decided by the ward’s representative with other members of Council going along.

The Bloor-Jane block is eminently visible as an entrance marker/bookend to our neighbourhood shopping street. For more than five years now, it has languished, and its redevelopment could spark reinvestment into that whole west end of Bloor West Village. This can only further reinforce the attractive shopping environment on our “main street”, and be reflected in the climbing property values we are all experiencing.

yours in encouragement,

Bronwyn Krog