Jennifer Renaud-Nicholson, Planner, provided an overview of the staff’s recommendation report for rezoning application of 5100 Erin Mills Parkway highlighting the site context, subject lands, proposal, perspective drawings, application history, submission of a draft plan of subdivision application, building heights and massing, non-residential uses, engineering and traffic related matters.
Councilor Reid thanked staff for their work and noted that planning efforts are ongoing and guided by documents such as Reimagining the Mall, Erin Mills Major Node Area Plan, and the Housing Task Force Report. Councillor Reid acknowledged public concerns including traffic, infrastructure capacity, and building height, and spoke to future development opportunities and the role of community and student consultation in the process.
The following people spoke:
- Glen Broll, Planner, Glen Schnarr & Associates Inc, acknowledged community concerns on services and infrastructure and noted the three major nodes with significant intensification potential, where heights above 25 storeys may be acceptable if supported by appropriate public space.
- Moataz Elsayed, Resident, spoke in opposition to the development application and raised concerns about hospital wait times, school capacity issues, lack of community benefit, traffic impacts, absence of affordable housing, predominance of one-bedroom units, excessive heights, and balconies.
- Arvinda Rustomji, Resident, raised concerns about impacts on parks, schools, hospitals, traffic near a daycare on Glen Erin, the future of the plaza, increased noise, density, and service capacity.
- Don Ling, Resident, raised concerns about impacts on local stores, stormwater management, erosion and sediment control, and groundwater discharge into the Sawmill Valley watershed.
Andrew Whittemore, Commissioner, Planning and Building, advised that submissions are reviewed in conjuction with By-laws with ongoing application review processes funded by the developer.
- Anthony Almeida, Resident, noted concerns about long-term construction disruption, reduced parkland access, safety risks from wind and debris, and potential schools relocation during the 20-year build-out.
- Natalie Spizzirri, Registered Nurse at Credit Valley Hospital, expressed concerns that the hospital is overcapacity and that the health care system cannot support further population growth.
- Yanfang Song, Resident, noted the proposal overlooks community character, strains infrastructure, increases traffic and student safety risks, reduces student spaces, and affects mental health, environment, and walkability, with prolonged construction leading to air pollution and associated social and emotional impacts.
- Lu Cheng, Resident, raised concerns about school portables being unsuitable for learning and issues with program registration at community centres. Mayor Parrish, Chair, confirmed that school proposals must be approved by the respective school boards.
- Lacshana Kugadasan, Resident, echoed prior concerns, highlighting limited park space and the need for more green areas, especially in the summer. Mayor Parrish noted that green space and environmental sustainability are planning priorities, reviewed as part of the process and that the new community centre plans will be evaluated during the site application process.
- Tian Yang, Resident, on behalf of Empowering Erin Mills Neighborhoods, spoke to a petition with over 2,400 signatures opposing the high-rise proposal at Erin Mills Town Centre, and highlighted lack of notice to parents and school staff at John Fraser and St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary schools, fire concerns related to hydrants, pressure, and evacuation plans, and inadequate healthcare resources.
- Joyce (Li) Song, Resident, raised concerns about daycare and fire station capacity. Mayor Parrish noted that the City would not permit fire station capacity to be exceeded.
- Yi Shen, Resident, raised concerns about access to John Fraser Secondary School, the low-density character of the established neighbourhood, potential impacts on property values due to uncertainty, and asked Council to reject the application.
- Xiao Ya (Christy) Zhou, Resident, inquired about the projected 8,000 new residents and the availability of jobs for them. A. Whittemore responded that the City forecasts population and employment growth by analyzing employment activity within each community.
- Carole El Masry, Resident, echoed previous concerns and spoke to the impact on seniors in the area.
- Alice Psai, Resident, spoke to an enrollment cap at John Fraser Secondary School, suggesting that new residents from the development be restricted and priority be given to existing residents. Mayor Parrish advised that these matters would be addressed through the site application process.
- Allan Xiong and Bei Zhang, Residents, spoke to changing the meeting times to for public participation and raised concerns about high-rise proximity to low-rise homes, and impacts on the migration patterns of Canada Geese. Mayor Parrish noted bird-deterrent glass and height limits near the hospital for helicopter access.
- Rachel Wen, Resident, echoed previous concerns and thanked Members of Council for considering the views of the community.
- Jordan Shun Shun, Resident, spoke about population growth leading to school boundary changes and forcing students outside their local areas; limited teacher capacity for after-school programs; loss of walking paths to the mall due to construction; long wait times for drop-in programs at community centres, including two-hour lines for badminton; and a general lack of community space.
- Lucas Sun, on behalf of Chenchen Zhang and Xin Li, Residents, noted concerns about sunlight potentially being blocked from schools and affecting the children's mental health.
- Yanhui Huang, Resident, spoke in opposition to the development application and echoed previous concerns.
- Jiarou Yang, Resident, noted that students at John Fraser Secondary School are engaged and interested in this development application, emphasizing the importance of access to community facilities. Mayor Parrish invited J. Yang to organize a school assembly where staff could explain the development process and address concerns, and asked staff to follow up with the student offline.
- Austin Tian, Resident, echoed previous comments and asked staff to carefully review such development applications.
- Ali Qureshi, Resident, raised concerns about traffic on Glen Erin Drive and pedestrian safety when crossing the street.
Councillor Butt spoke to the school board concerns and questioned the absence of comments from Credit Valley Hospital, noting the potential impact; staff confirmed the hospital was circulated but did not submit comments.
Councillor Damerla thanked the deputants and encouraged residents to contact their Provincial and Federal representatives. In response to Councillor Damerla's inquiry about the 45-degree angular plane requirement, Chris Rouse, Director, Development and Design, confirmed that it is part of the urban design guidelines and that shadow studies are included in the application to assess impacts on adjacent properties.