Toronto 66 Isabella | 73.15m | 23s | BDP Quadrangle

From city planning.....

66 ISABELLA ST

Site Plan Approval 11 310294 STE 27 SA Ward 27
- Tor & E.York Nov 15, 2011 --- --- --- ---

The purpose of the application is to construct a 32-storey addition to the existing 26-storey residential building located on the western portion of the site. The building height would be 89.2 metres (95.7 to mechanical the penthouse). The proposed addition contains 212 dwelling units including 196 rental units, four townhouse condominium units on the ground floor and 12 condominium units on the top two floors. The proposal also includes 481 sq m of at grade retail space fronting on Church St..The applicant is proposing to reduce the amount of underground parking from 183 parking spaces to 166 parking spaces.

 
i think its sad we are going to lose the green space. Even if it was private property it was nice to have an area of grass and trees in the neighourhood.

Has this project been approved?
 
This bldg is ugly! I really hope it's not approved.
Unfortunately it'll never be a Public Park as long as Ford Nation prevails - but a public park would be the best option for this site and the Village in general.
 
marsh said:
i think its sad we are going to lose the green space. Even if it was private property it was nice to have an area of grass and trees in the neighourhood.

Has this project been approved?
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agreed, marsh. hasn't been approved yet no.
 
DC83 said:
This bldg is ugly! I really hope it's not approved.
Unfortunately it'll never be a Public Park as long as Ford Nation prevails - but a public park would be the best option for this site and the Village in general.
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As much as like to see Ford taken to task for things he's trying to foist on us, I don't see how he or his minions can be faulted for this. The land is privately owned, and I'm pretty sure there's a parking garage underneath it all. I can't imagine to complexity of the legal document that would be required to maintain the garage in private hands while ground level became a public park.

42
 
interchange42 said:
The land is privately owned, and I'm pretty sure there's a parking garage underneath it all. I can't imagine to complexity of the legal document that would be required to maintain the garage in private hands while ground level became a public park.
Click to expand...

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure there's a precedent for that nearby, with the Alexander Street Parkette. I assume that little staircase leads to the parking garage for 25 Maitland.

Not that I necessarily think we need to buy this land and stick a public park there, but I guess it could be done if we wanted to.
 
This property was discussed at the Church Wellesley Neighbourhood Association meeting last night and they indicated that Kristyn Wong-Tam isn't showing a lot of interest in this property as it's a losing battle, it's basically a go. I also learned that the few green spaces we have in the neighbourhood (namely the parkettes which run from Charles to Dundonald Streets just east of Yonge) are owned by the Toronto Parking Authority (they used to be parking lots) and could, in principle, be developed. Luckily there's a subway underneath to hopefully discourage that from ever happening. The Yonge Street North Planning Framework (an excellent document from those who have seen the latest draft), which is nearing completion, are ironically those parks greatest threats as the document indicates no highrise construction within 50 metres from the sidewalk on Yonge in order to save the human scale feel of the street.
I still say this addition to 66 Isabella is one of the strangest projects this real estate cycle (ya, I know it's mostly rentals, just sayin').
 
I used to live in the apartment building- I was quite happy when I first moved there - well over 15 years ago - clean, big apartments (nothing fancy), well run building; nice people, I left becaus I felt the building was not being maintained as well as it had been and finally was in a position to buy something. But I had nice memories, I enjoyed my view looked over the green space. And I think its sad that those big beautiful trees are going to destroyed. I am surprised this is going ahead. I too agree it is a very strange development.

ps = the summer yard sales were a community tradition! I guess those will be gone too (I liked them) :)
 
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I looked at a two bedroom in there back around 2003 before I decided to live where I am now, nice apartment size, big balcony, dog friendly, decent looking lobby/hallways but one of the three elevators was out of service (not a good sign) and they had no A/C or dishwashers, which were deal breakers.
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (January 6, 2012)
Isabella Street residents stage ‘occupation’ to save lawn and trees
A five-hour ‘OCCUPATION’ by tenants of 66 Isabella Street and its surrounding neighbourhood will take place Saturday, January 7 from 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. on the lawn of 66 Isabella Street, north-west corner of Church Street.

The protest is about the destruction of the evergreen lawn and eight large trees to make way for a proposed 23-storey apartment/condo high rise to be built a mere two feet from the existing 66 Isabella Street apartments. The City of Toronto and East York Community Council meet next Tuesday, January 10, to decide the project’s fate. If Mohican Holdings (owners of 66 Isabella) get approval the destruction of the lawn and trees will be almost immediate.

At present the lawn represents “green therapy’” for a wide community from as far away as Sherbourne Street and Bloor. Neighbourhood residents frequently choose to pass this corner on their way to and from work in order to enjoy the last bit of green space in an otherwise sterile landscape of steel, glass and pavement.

The corner is also the playground for residents’ dogs who romp with one another while their owners safely chat at any hour of the day or night.

If the project goes through tenants from 50 units facing east will be forced to relocate for at least six months while their apartments are revamped. Many are seniors and have called it home for 30 plus years. Residents of the other 150 units who are already suffering deafening noise from the continuous construction of high rises on Charles Street will be exposed to another 18 months to two years of the same for 12 hours a day. Many of these residents are seniors, shift workers, home office workers or parents of small children.

Has the City abandoned its responsibility to protect the few small green spaces left?

Contacts: Peggy Jennings, 416-972-0139, peejay09@bell.net
Yvonne McKinnon, 416-920-1292, ymckinnon@sympatico.ca
 
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