TORONTO FORESHORE: ARE WE THERE YET?
A chaotic Council meeting on Monday 26 August, with 150 people in an extended public
Council committed to continue with the Toronto Foreshore Master Plan BUT did not vote to include the Bath Street site in the Master Plan, thereby continuing to ignore the community’s 5200-signature petition, the 450 people at the public meeting, etc., etc.
The motion did, however, vote to commence a process to reclassify most of the Operational land in Victory Row to Community land and also to commence a process of ‘investigating the reclassification of all or part of the Bath Street and the [adjacent] Victory Row site to community land and consult with the community on future planning for that site’.
The Mayor took the initiative to break the longstanding deadlock and apologised to the community for a flawed process.
So has the community won? Not yet.
The Mayor and the majority of councillors are to be applauded for resetting the agenda but the immediate hurdle is a rescission motion moved by Councillor Pauling that leaves everything on hold until Council’s next meeting on Monday 23 September. The decision could still be reversed or watered down.
IF Council affirms its decision of 26 August, then the proposal of Council’s Property & Business Development section to define a new Bath Street precinct with a new Local Environment Plan for high-rise development will thankfully become irrelevant.
And the review of Council’s property portfolio should identify other sites in Toronto township that are much better suited for apartment buildings.
Meanwhile the tanking of the Australian economy means that there will be surplus apartment units on the market for the next several years and even approved new projects are likely to be kept on hold.
That leaves a big question mark over the future of the Bath Street site.
The community has long had a firm view on how to resolve that question: include Bath Street in the Foreshore Master Plan! The contract is let, professionals have been engaged, the process is under way. It should be a ‘no brainer’. 5,200 petitioners are not wrong and they should no longer be ignored.
The Master Plan is the proper way to evaluate all options, including NSW MP Greg Piper’s concept design, and come up with an integrated strategy for community comment.
That process should be coordinated not by Council’s commercially oriented Property & Business Development section but its Planning section in close liaison with Community Planning & Leisure Services.
If these sensible steps are taken, the growing population of Toronto will be able to look forward to a vibrant and enhanced Foreshore that will also once more attract visitors. With $9 million in earmarked funds, this project can be carried out through the looming recession.
The September 23 Council meeting will decide which way it goes. We need to stand firm and do what we can to make our views known to the Mayor and Councillors.
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