Toronto Massey Tower Condos | 206.95m | 60s | MOD Developments | Hariri Pontarini

I've been in touch with a number of people about this today.

In fact the building is being held up for the moment by an appeal at the OMB, brought on behalf of the off-shore owners of 205 Yonge Street, which is the vacant Bank of Toronto building immediately to the north. The owners have never had a tenant in their building, and they have allowed it to deteriorate—much to the concern of the Ontario Heritage Trust who hold the Heritage Easement Agreement on the property.

It's probably financially-motivated. I don't see their objection having any planning merit.

MOD is trying to arrange a hearing as soon as possible so that both they and Massey Hall can proceed with their projects. That probably means a few months.

So, patience is required on this now!

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The owner of that building is a gentleman from Ireland correct?
 
There is a massive back log of cases at the OMB which is currently under-staffed and under-resourced. Unfortunately hearing dates can often take months to set.
 
Wouldn't the 205 owner be appealing because the presence of windows and balconies on the north side of Massey Tower will forever prejudice his ability to similarly develop the back end of his property?

I thought that this was an issue dealt with at the planning stages and tentatively resolved with the City, though evidently not with 205.

If this is the case (while I don't take his side) it hardly seems like a meritless appeal or an abuse of process.
 
There are no balconies on the north elevation
 
bilked said:
Wouldn't the 205 owner be appealing because the presence of windows and balconies on the north side of Massey Tower will forever prejudice his ability to similarly develop the back end of his property?

I thought that this was an issue dealt with at the planning stages and tentatively resolved with the City, though evidently not with 205.

If this is the case (while I don't take his side) it hardly seems like a meritless appeal or an abuse of process.
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One would have to question the "ability to similarly develop the back end of his property", given the Provincial HEA covering the entire EJ Lennox building with its elaborate exterior and magnificent banking hall. This was, of course, not the case with 197 Yonge in that it never had a visible north elevation (unlike 205's south elevation), and its banking hall interior had been gutted in the 1950's. Given the existing heritage controls, there is literally no redevelopment potential for 205.

See: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8843
 
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There is nothing to worry about it here, this is just a very minor obstacle.
It's a typical strategy that developers will bring their developments to the OMB, as (for better or worse) the OMB will eventually pass all applications.
MOD has strategically formed an alliance with most of the property owners on the block and the donation of lands to Massey Hall was an extremely smart political move in getting this development moving forward and getting support of the City and the public.
If the owners of 205 did what MOD a few years back than the tables would be totally flipped.

Unfortunately for 205, the Massey Tower condo will indeed prevent them from building anything more than an mid-rise. They just lost out because they were too late in the game and didn't have the political strategy as MOD. I don't know why the owners of 205 finally realized that they are sitting on a gold mine and have been letting their property sit vacant for all this time -- they could have purchased the property to the south when they had the chance and could have potentially developed something greater than what MOD is selling.
 
This is from the City staff report re: 205 Yonge http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-56135.pdf

The setbacks to each face of the base and the tower are outlined previously in this report. The heritage status of the Bank of Toronto building at 205 Yonge Street has a layered protection for the whole of the building including the interior and the rear banking hall. Development potential of this site has been discussed with the Ontario Heritage Trust with the result that no alterations to the existing structure would be permitted with the current protections in place.
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metroTO, you're right that the owners of 205 should have done something with their property earlier - either buying adjacent properties, or just selling theirs. thecharioteer above you is right; as the interior of 205 is protected as is its exterior, making it virtually impossible to redevelop, so it would have had to be combined with an adjacent property to make a go of it. Stuck to some cobweb in my brain is a memory of having heard way-back-when that MOD offered to purchase the property from them, but they were not interested. They will have a harder time realizing a return on their investment in the property now… unless they do some resoration/renovation within it that protects the interior while making it work for today. Maybe it could be retrofitted as one helluva restaurant, or a store?

Why they have let it sit though, one can speculate…

We now have to worry about the possibility of "demolition by neglect" if 205 deteriorates too far. Without a remedy to expropriate from the owners of such neglected but designated and supposedly protected properties, the owners of 205 may just be sitting back waiting for it to fall in, with eventual plans to redevelop. I would hate to see it come to that; to me that would equal a criminal intent.

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Looks like we have to wait until at least May or June before this one starts construction I am guessing. That's a shame because I really am looking forward to seeing it go up.
 
Concerning demolition by neglect was there any policy established to prevent a repeat of the Lalani episode at the Empress(?) hotel?
 
"Concerning demolition by neglect was there any policy established to prevent a repeat of the Lalani episode at the Empress(?) hotel?"
QUOTE; buildup.

From what I remember, The City has always had The Power through Building Standars/Safety, but seldom seems to enforce such.
Eg: Walnut Hall, the former Empress Hotel, The Gooderham House on George Street, et al.


Regards,
J T
 
I hate to be a killjoy, but why does everyone think this is such a great design? It's just an extruded balconied box like every other condo...
 
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