Virtual meeting on proposal for 11-storey building at Murphy’s Law site cancelled due to technical issues, will be rescheduled
By MATTHEW STEPHENS
A virtual community consultation meeting slated for last night to discuss a proposal for an 11-storey mixed-use residential building at the Murphy’s Law site in the Beach was cancelled following technical difficulties.
The Monday, Oct. 6, online meeting had been scheduled to take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. to discuss the proposal for the site at 1684, 1698, 1700, and 1702 Queen St. E., on the northwest corner of Kingston Road.
“The meeting for 1684 Queen St. E. is going to be cancelled and rescheduled as promptly as possible,” said Bradford on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday night about 45 minutes after the meeting was supposed to have started.
“I’ve made it clear to staff that this technical difficulties and delay to this are unacceptable.”
Bradford said city staff would be “sending an email to registered attendees” with a time and date for a new meeting on the proposal.
Several residents who attended the meeting voiced their frustrations after being left in a virtual lobby for more than an hour.
“There were 108 people in the virtual lobby that waited for over an hour,” said Michael Genin, an attendee of the meeting. “I called the planner, and he said it would be rescheduled. I still haven’t seen an email myself.”
A Beach Metro Community News reporter who registered and attended the meeting has also not received a follow-up email from city staff at this time.
In recent months, residents have expressed concern that the new 11-storey proposal ignored the existing Queen Street East Urban Design Guidelines (UDG), which limits buildings in the Beach to six-storeys between Coxwell Avenue and Nursewood Road.
Several years ago, a six-storey building proposal was approved by the city after the demolition of existing buildings at the site, including the former Days Inn hotel in 2022. No further work had taken place since demolition.
In his X post last night, Bradford apologized to attendees who were left waiting for a meeting that never began. “I apologize to the many people who wanted to participate and whose time was wasted tonight,” said Bradford.
Does anyone really believe that Microsoft Teams had a “glitch?”
108 people were in the “virtual lobby”. Ready to go.