UPDATE: At their meeting, starting December 17, 2024, there was a Motion to Refer this Item, moved by Councillor Stephen Holyday (Carried)
That City Council refer the item back to the Chief Planner for consultation with the public and residents’ associations accompanied with a professional communications campaign through mainstream media channels to explain the proposal and gather their opinion.
The text of the post before the update above was as follows:
The majority of this post was put together in an email by our fellow ratepayer group to the north at Humbertown (HVVRA), and is gratefully posted for you today in the hope you will take immediate action.
On Tuesday, December 17, 2024, City Planning will recommend City Council pass a new bylaw to permit wide-ranging retail and commercial activities throughout all residential neighbourhoods in Toronto.
Retail: including coffee shops, bars, small eateries with patios permitted on front and side lawns, cannabis stores, small groceries and convenience stores.
Commercial including: alterations, cleaners, medical offices, personal services i.e. physiotherapy and massage, barbers, hair salons, nail spas, home offices with up to 3 staff, and art galleries. All will be permitted, and encouraged, as of right, with no parking requirements!
How? By converting existing detached and semi-detached homes to new use, or by tearing down existing houses and rebuilding up to 4 storey buildings, with retail/commercial at street level and with housing on the top three levels.
Planning recommends this change of use for all major streets. (Think of Royal York Road) On interior residential streets, e.g. within Humber Valley Village, (think The Kingsway, Wimbleton, Lambeth), any house on a corner lot or across from a park can be converted to retail/commercial.
Planning makes these recommendations under the guise of increasing housing stock and making our communities more ‘livable’ while discouraging driving. Yet these recommendations do exactly the opposite – converting residential units to retail/commercial and diverting traffic to inner streets. Not to mention increased noise, garbage, and the impacts on housing values. How did this happen?
Residence Associations, including ours, all across the city were shocked and outraged to learn of this sweeping by-law proposal late last week. HVVRA found out when it received a hastily called Notice from Planning about a virtual consultation (2 meetings, same day, for ALL Toronto residents’ associations) with only 6 days notice and, thankfully an Urgent email from Beaconsfield Village Residents’ Association with details on what’s being quietly floated by Planning.
Is this what you want to see next door or down the street from your house? Please write to the following folks to let them know how you feel about this unholy rush to distort our neighborhoods without our permission:
Email Councillor Holyday, Mayor Chow, and Councillors on the Planning Committee. (Email addresses are below. Write one email, c.c. the others!)
Tell them to vote against this proposed by-law amendment "Neighbourhood Retail and Services Study" on Tuesday December 17th.
Be sure to include your name and postal address in your email.
Your email must include "To the Mayor and Members of City Council, Reference: PH17.2
Email addresses: (note the correct format with an underscore after the first word of the address: Mayor_chow, Councillor_holyday, etc.)
(Michael Noble is the Project Manager, please include him.)
Supporting city documents include