Post City Column: Bayview design study underway

By Jaye Robinson
Post City Magazine — Bayview Edition
January 2014

Bayview Avenue from Lawrence Avenue East to Highway 401 is facing significant intensification and development pressure.

Throughout the fall, I have been working with residents and ratepayer associations as well as senior City of Toronto planning staff, including our chief planner, to develop solutions to protect and preserve Bayview’s unique and distinctive character.

In early November, I held a community meeting to give residents an opportunity to speak directly to city planning staff. A clear majority of the neighbourhood —including Bayview-area residents’ associations — voted to undertake a design guidelines study of Bayview from Lawrence to the 401.

I am pleased to report that immediately after the meeting I moved a successful motion at North York Community Council directing staff to get the study underway.

Design guidelines provide a framework for evaluating development applications and setting out setback, landscaping, privacy and other key design issues. They should also help prevent townhouse creep onto adjoining side streets. A similar study was undertaken for Bayview north of the 401.

Community and neighbourhood consultations will be the focus of the study. We need your input, and I encourage you to get involved when the study gets off the ground next year!

If you would like to receive updates about the study — including public consultation dates — please send me an email at Councillor_Robinson@toronto.ca, or give my office a call at 416-395-6408.