ALLIANCE OF TORONTO RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATIONS APPEALS GARDEN SUITES OVER-REACH BY CITY

TORONTO, March 8, 2022 /CNW/ - Building Better Neighbourhoods, a city-wide alliance of Toronto residents' associations, has launched a legal appeal of the City's decision to include multiplexes in its new "Garden Suite" zoning bylaw.

In its appeal, the alliance argues the City clearly over-reached Provincial regulations that limit garden suites to single detached, semi-detached, and townhouses. The alliance further states there is neither legal authority, nor good planning arguments, to allow garden suites in zoning for multiplexes and low-rise apartments without development of appropriate standards.

"Residents' associations across Toronto have consistently supported community renewal, including affordable housing and garden suites, where the planning rules are clear, sensible, and sustainable; the City's current rules for Garden Suites are not," said Janet May, Cliffcrest Scarborough Village SW Residents Association. "We believe the City's policy goal for rethinking Toronto's neighbourhoods must focus on improving and sustaining our communities for the long term benefit of homeowners and tenants, not destabilizing them to satisfy developers and speculators."

The alliance states that residents' associations welcome and support planned intensification, including garden suites, tailored to the different circumstances of neighbourhoods and implemented with appropriate policies and standards.

"We are hopeful that the City will use this process in a positive way to start a real dialogue on the current 'one size fits all' framework being forced on communities across Toronto," said Geoff Kettel, Co-Chair of the Federation of North Toronto Residents' Associations (FONTRA). 

"Critical planning concerns and recommendations to improve the regulations for present and future residents, including better protecting existing trees and green space, were raised repeatedly with the City but were left unaddressed," said Christine Mercado, Chair, Long Branch Neighbourhood Association. "We hope this legal appeal will tell the City that now is the time to deal with the legitimate concerns and positive suggestions of the residents and associations that know their communities best."

"The new City By-law for garden suites is poorly written legislation with ambiguous wording that must be corrected now," said William Roberts, Chair of the Confederation of Residents & Ratepayer Associations in Toronto (CORRA).

Building Better Neighbourhoods is an alliance of residents' associations from across the City of Toronto.  The appellants come from each of Toronto's four Community Council areas. Additional residents' associations are expected to join the alliance once the appeal is launched.

LIST OF APPELLANTS AND DISTRICTS:    

1. Cliffcrest Scarborough Village SW Residents Association – Scarborough district
2. Long Branch Neighbourhood Association - Etobicoke and York district
3. Don Mills Residents Inc. – North York district
4. South Armour Heights Residents' Association – North York district
5. Bedford-Wanless Ratepayers Association – North York district
6. Swansea Area Ratepayers' Association – Toronto and East York district
7. Confederation of Resident and Ratepayer Associations in Toronto (CORRA) – all districts

SOURCE Toronto Alliance for Building Better Neighbourhoods

MEDIA CONTACTS: Christine Mercado - [email protected]; Janet May - [email protected]