CADILLAC FAIRVIEW PHASE II REDEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL APPROVED
We are very pleased to advise that at the Feb. 23 City Council meeting, the vote was overwhelmingly in favour of the revised proposal negotiated between CF and the City. The offer includes $17 million for a Community Centre on the site as well as a contribution towards the cost of a new arena, which unfortunately will be off the DM Centre site but will remain in the Don Mills area. Further details will be included in the March DMRI Newsletter. A big thank you to all who wrote in support of this proposal. We will work hard to see that the various components of the agreement will serve the needs of ALL of the members of our community.

OUTLINE of SITE PLAN in the NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT
Following the City Council vote in October 2009 that voted down the CF Phase II proposal for the residential part of the DM Centre redevelopment, the DMRI was able to arrange a facilitation process, through the Provincial Government, on the proposal. This was seen as a preferred method to the OMB hearing scheduled for April 2010. It was almost certain that the OMB would find the original CF proposal in keeping with the permitted heights, densities and overall land use for this area. The OMB would not have had the authority to require a community centre and the plan that CF submitted to the OMB did not include a community centre. Because the resulting proposal did address a community centre and as the overall density was unchanged, the DMRI supported this plan.

In the process, a design team that included representatives from the City, CF, three leading architects, and an urban planner, created a revised proposal. The resultant proposal that was acceptable to all parties was presented to Council on Feb. 23 The vote was 37 in favour, 3 against. The dissenting votes were from Councillors Del Grande, Ford, and Minnan-Wong.

While the overall proposal and density is very similar to the one that was voted down (by one vote) in October, there are changes to the heights. Several of the originally mid-rise buildings along The Donway West were lowered in height, some townhouses were added to the project toward the middle of the site, and most dramatically, the 2 centre towers that were 26 storey’s are now 1 of 24 storey’s and 1 of 32 storey’s. The community centre which was part of this proposal is to be located at Don Mills Road and the Donway West intersection.

OCTOBER 2009 CITY COUNCIL MEETING
In the Toronto City Council meeting held Oct. 1st, 2009 the application for the re-development of the DMC site was refused by City Council on a very narrow vote of 17 to 16.

VOTES in SUPPORT
Augimeri, Cho, De Baeremaeker, Di Giorgio, Feldman, Filion, Ford, Jenkins, Luby, Mammoliti, Milczyn, Palacio, Parker, Perruzza, Stintz, Walker

VOTES AGAINST
Ainslie, Bussin, Carroll, Davis, Del Gande, Giambrone, Hall, Holyday, Kelly, McConnell, Mihevc, Minnan-Wong, Pantalone, Perks, Shiner, Thompson, Vaughan

DID NOT VOTE
Ashton, Fletcher, Grimes, Heaps, Lee, Miller, Moeser, Moscoe, Nunziata, Ootes, Rae, Saundercook

SEPTEMBER 2009 NORTH YORK COUNCIL MEETING
In the North York Community Council meeting of Sept. 15th, 2009 there was no vote on the CF application for the proposed buildings along The Donway West, between the Post Office and 75 The Donway, and the related proposal for a Don Mills Community Centre. This item was referred instead to the full City Council.

The DMRI had been negotiating for many years with Cadillac Fairview regarding their proposals for the Phase Two addition of residential units to the Don Mills site and had reached agreement some years ago on the number of units, density, layout and maximum heights. As part of this agreement Cadillac Fairview had agreed to provide a Community Centre on the site that will include a full size swimming pool. The details of this agreement were circulated to the whole community and were overwhelmingly endorsed at that time by nearly 90% of those who replied to a questionnaire.

Unfortunately, City planning staff did not support this application citing a number of issues, including the amount of designated land for parkland or recreational use to be given to the City (it would be less than that required under the current bylaw), the height of the proposed buildings along the Donway West, and the overall density of the proposal. Cadillac Fairview indicated that they were prepared to meet the requirements of the designated parkland bylaw and in addition had offered a commitment of $17. million in 2010 funds for the construction of a Community Centre of approximately 50,000 square feet. The commitment of the $17. million was contingent on the acceptance of the CF proposal by Community Council. In the case where the application was not accepted, it would proceed to the Ontario Municipal Board. The OMB does not have the power to require Cadillac Fairview to build a Community Centre. Our own experience and the advice of our legal Council suggested that the OMB would accept the Phase Two application as requested, particularly as the OMB has to follow Provincial Guidelines that currently call for increased density within designated urban areas, which would apply to Don Mills. The proposed heights and densities were considerably lower than those being agreed upon for neighbouring communities in Toronto. The DMRI believed strongly that with the current financial crisis facing the City, such a facility might never be built in Don Mills if this opportunity was lost.