Toronto's oldest apartment set to get 10-storey addition — tenants still inside
CBC
The city's oldest apartment building appears set to get a brand new life.
A Dutch developer, ProWinko, is planning on adding 10 storeys to an existing low-rise heritage building in the Annex — while the current tenants continue to live inside.
But tenants at 41-45 Spadina Rd. say they're worried.
"If something catastrophic happens, we end up with the Red Cross for two weeks," said Charlotte Mickie, a 32-year resident of the building. "What's plan B?"
Mickie said tenants want assurances that they'll be safe and free from excess noise and vibration while the "unprecedented" addition proceeds.
But at Wednesday's meeting of the Toronto and East York Community Council they got no such assurance.
The community council passed the zoning amendment, which WND Associates filed on behalf of ProWinko back in May — with a few conditions.
Councillors added provisions that ensure residents will be kept in the loop through regular consultations, as the proposal passes through the approvals process at City Hall.
They also insisted an architect examine the designated heritage building, built in 1906, to ensure the structure can bear the load of 10 additional storeys. ProWinko's current design would see the addition supported by a single pedestal erected within the building's existing courtyard.
"We're disappointed so many of our questions had to go unanswered," Mickie said. "But we made some small gains."
She said residents are happy that ProWinko must agree to keep the residents informed through each step of the approval and construction process.
CBC Toronto has reached out to ProWinko by both phone and email. The company, based in the Netherlands, has not yet responded.
Coun. Dianne Saxe, who represents the neighbourhood, said the city has little choice but to approve the zoning amendment without agreeing to the residents' demands.
Saxe says the provincial Planning Act dictates that municipalities cannot hold up new developments while awaiting details of the finished product.
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