BBBD holds meeting with Primaris over parking lots to apartments

Have you heard that another large redevelopment is in the works for our neighbourhood? It’s hard to keep up these days, but we want to be sure you have the details because our neighbourhood is undergoing significant change.

Members of Build a Better Bloor Dufferin met last week (11 January) with Primaris VP of development Matthew Kingston. Primaris owns Dufferin Mall and proposes to build up to four towers on the Dufferin Mall site—of the same height as the proposed buildings to the north at Dufferin and Bloor, which range from 11 to 39 storeys. While the company’s promotional material says that the site will be rental housing, Kingston has said in meetings with BBBD and other community groups that Primaris could change course at any time to build condominiums instead. Other details such as park land and community space have yet to be determined.
Plans for the Dufferin Mall development are still in an early phase, and a formal application to the City is not expected until May or June. The community will have its first opportunity to provide input at an open house on January 21, at the soon-to-be-demolished Bloor Collegiate.

Date: Monday January 21, 2018 (6:30–8:30pm)
Location: Bloor Collegiate Institute (Cafeteria), 1141 Bloor Street West

In her 4 December newsletter, City Councillor Ana Bailão said public participation in decisions about the proposed Dufferin Mall development is “crucial.” She said, “I am bringing this to your attention as soon as I became aware to ensure you have an opportunity to get involved.”
Many residents are concerned that the neighbourhood’s physical and social infrastructure isn’t ready to sustain the thousands of new homes now proposed for the neighbourhood. In addition to the two proposals at Bloor and Dufferin, other large new developments are planned just blocks away, at the Galleria Mall and at Bloor and Dovercourt. As local resident Jason Brown put it, “These developments are just the beginning of the changes Bloordale will see in the coming decade. Instead of treating each proposal as a separate entity, the City needs to step back and look at the whole neighbourhood. Can local schools, transit, and services accommodate this many new residents? Will we see small businesses and lower-income families pushed out of the neighbourhood by rising prices? Now is the time to stop and make a plan, so that our community develops sustainably.”
BBBD will be at the public consultation next Monday. Join us to learn more about what the current proposal looks like and be sure to introduce yourselves to us so we can stay in touch. Let’s work together to make sure all of these proposed developments are healthy ones for our neighbourhood.

Signed,

The Build a Better Bloor team

P.S. Ward 9 is having its first ward forum with the new TDSB trustee, Stephanie Donaldson, on Thursday, January 31 at 6 PM at Bloor Collegiate Institute. This will be an opportunity to learn more about plans for the rebuild of BCI.