The Board of Directors of the HVVRA is pleased to announce that on Monday, August 25th, Toronto City Council approved funding for a Site and Area Specific Policy (SASP) to guide future development of the apartment neighbourhood adjacent to Humbertown Plaza. The SASP was recommended by IBI Group, following a preliminary study of the area last spring that included community consultation and Working Group discussions.
The SASP is a planning tool used in ‘stable’ neighbourhoods like this one to establish criteria for future re-development including height, density, and set-backs. IBI noted in its report that a Secondary Plan, which was initially requested by Council, was not the appropriate tool to use as it likely would result in greater intensification in the area.
This announcement should come as a welcome relief to area residents who have been concerned that the low-rise apartment neighbourhood is at risk of over-development.
The HVVRA Board would like to thank Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby for her exhaustive efforts to convince Council that providing funding for a SASP is the only way to preserve the low rise characteristics of this community. The Board also wishes to acknowledge and thank the twenty HVVRA residents who volunteered to participate in the Working Groups for their candid input and feedback.
The SASP process will take approximately one year and will include further community consultation in which the HVVRA will participate.