Giraffe development dismissed by Ontario Municipal Board

This development at Bloor St west and Dundas St. West has been rejected by the OMB with the cities will. In this post are image grabs from the decision that provide a good overview of the respective positions of both sides which also give a good idea of how developers view such issues.

They also give some insight into the Crossways development

In the Globe and Mail (thanks blog reader David for this link)

OMB decision download (pdf)

Canada Bread Junction plant to close as company plans to builds new state of the art plant elsewhere

[caption id="attachment_5873" align="alignright" width="473" caption="Inside the factory"][/caption]

1st this author believes this is not good, and is  really not willing to accept the loss of another Junction industrial business, not that I deride the Canada Bread decision to have a state of the art plant and work their business assets to their needs.

Yet local jobs and the industrial commercial viability of the Junction is at stake presently.



Just last year the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) wrote the following about the community, giving its understanding of the value of mixed use community. Hopefully the cities economic development team will work hard to attract a new business to the building.

Lindner Street roofing company

While looking to see how close the pile drivers for the West Toronto Diamond project were getting to houses, we came upon this wonderful adaptive use of a house for roofing companys office and plant.

The lot on which it stands backs on to the railways lands which allows for a large equipment storage area and no complaining neighbours it would seem.

Victoria Royce Presbyterian Church gets OMB approval

[caption id="attachment_2933" align="aligncenter" width="491" caption="The parties - The community"][/caption]

1st A reader updated us on the ONB reprt, thanks so much Hamish

It's always good to bring your customers to your Ontario Municipal Board hearing, as they promote your project to the board. (OMb File link hosted junctioneer). Having sorted out a few problems with a few neighbors the person doing this project seems to on his way both with sales and approvals.

but the issue (from OMB report)... is public information and consult

Victoria-Royce Presbyterian Church

We'll get back to this post Sat as we have been researching it and it's taken away the time today and we need to check something before we post it.

Ontario Municipal Board cites Junction as something of an anomaly in Toronto

[caption id="attachment_2896" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Text excerpt from the Ontario Municipal Board 6 Lloyd Ave report"][/caption]

yea, the Ontario Municipal Board has a good understanding of the Junction is all about, this opinion [1. http://www.omb.gov.on.ca/e-decisions/pl060854-Oct-21-2008.pdf]  (regarding the old Benjamin Moore plant lands condo development) can be applied to Vine Ave, The Dundas St. West and Jane area, Ryding Ave, Gunns Rd. and  more and with the city of Toronto's want to keep employment uses on historical employment lands companies such as National Rubber Technologies, Corp. (NRT) and Canada Bread.

Yet there remains a problem, the provincial and municipal governments have failed to tackle the issue of co existence of industry and residential is close proximity. If people can buy houses in industrial communities , where the industry is maintaining adherence to all bylaws, rules and  environmental laws, and then attempt to close the industrial plants, we will lose the integrated nature of the city, which the city owes much of it's life too.

Take a look at the NRT fact sheet below and see how green this company is, in it's efforts to work with the problem of used tires, which they convert into long lasting new products.

NRT Fact sheet form the companies site

If you examine the ownership structure of NRT, you can see a well interconnected group of companies, with the financial strength to maintain their plant in the Junction well, causing it to adhere to all codes, and remain here for some time.

Kinder Hook Industries (NY State)  -> KN Rubber - >Koneta, Inc (Wapakoneta, Ohio) <-> National Rubber Technologies, Corp.(Toronto) (previously NRI Industries)

Bloor & Dundas condo demo start? or just sales signs

HP Bloor Street Limited proposes to develop a 12 floor - 108 unit residential block with commercial stuff on the ground floor of the assembled lots at 1540 Bloor St. West. The scaffolding covered in green netting could indicate they have started their demo. Yet at the same time they are wrapping the building in great big sales banners .This photo from a quick fly by to check what was happening with the buildings. Hopefully we can find some workers at the site soon for more details.

Friends of Dundas and Bloor site on this development

HP Bloor Street Limited - Tas Design Build website.