Virtual community meeting on proposal for 12-storey residential building at 150 Clonmore Dr. set for this Thursday

By AMARACHI AMADIKE, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A virtual community consultation meeting to discuss a development proposal at 150 Clonmore Dr. in southwest Scarborough is set to take place on Thursday, March 23, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

The rezoning application aims to build a 12-storey residential building which includes a rooftop mechanical/amenity floor.

The proposed building will contain 287 residential dwelling units with a total Gross Floor Area (GFA) of approximately 18,350 square metres.

There will also be 158 vehicle parking spaces available.

At the March 23 meeting, residents will have the opportunity to discuss the development application and planning review process with City Planner Samuel Baron and Scarborough Southwest Councillor Gary Crawford.

Those attending will be able to provide feedback and learn more about development on the lands that were once described by Crawford as the “most complicated piece of land development in the east end.”

The Quarry Lands consists of two separate development sites. One is owned by the city while the other, just east of the city’s land and running between the railway tracks and Gerrard Street East—and then a portion of Clonmore Drive—is owned by GCD (formerly known as the Conservatory Group).

For many years this site received no building applications due to the complexity of the land which made approval more difficult and an expensive process for many developers.

In the past, both lands were used as sand and gravel quarries, a brick-making operation and a former municipal landfill.

Specifically, the quarry on GCD’s land was a municipal landfill. This history has complicated application process as much work must be done to remediate the contaminated land before construction of proposed buildings can be undertaken.

Other past concerns about development in the area have been about potential rush hour traffic increase on Gerrard Street East and Clonmore Drive. It can be expected that these issues will be further discussed during Thursday’s consultation meeting.

As of now, the land to the west of 150 Clonmore (northeast of Victoria Park Avenue and Gerrard Street East) is in the early stages of being developed as Birchley Park with a mix of mid-rise apartments and townhouses creating 1,052 new residential units. That plan also includes two new roads and a public park of approximately 2.4 hectares.

Anyone interested in participating in the meeting can access the event link by visiting the City Planning Consultation webpage at www.toronto.ca/cpconsultations

Residents who are unable to participate in the meeting but have comments or questions are encouraged to contact Samuel Baron (Samuel.baron@toronto.ca), or Councillor Crawford (councillor_crawford@toronto.ca) in order to ensure their voices are heard.

For more information on how to participate in the meeting, please go to https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/get-involved/public-consultations/city-planning-consultations/

Once at the above website, look at the list of addresses and click on the Register link for 150 Clonmore Dr.

Amarachi Amadike is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for Beach Metro Community News. His reporting is funded by the Government of Canada through its Local Journalism Initiative.

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