Save Toronto’s Bloor West Village

The Swansea Area Ratepayers Association/Group’s

Call to Action

Save Toronto’s Bloor West Village and

Support the City’s decision to limit building in the Village.

Recently a developer proposed a 13 storey building near the ESSO Station at 2461 Bloor Street West. The proposal affects 9 existing retail outlets with a loss of 75% of the retail and associated jobs and threatens the Character of the Village.

The City reviewed the application, consulted with the Swansea Area Ratepayers’ Association and approved a 10 storey building. The developer was not happy and appealed the decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT). We need your help to participate in the proceedings and continue our work to keep the Village ours.

The Swansea Area Ratepayers’ Association has been working for many years to keep the Village vibrant, friendly and protected. We worked hard on a Heritage Conservation District application and an Avenue Study, both of which recommend maintaining the Village as a Character Area.

While the City’s approval is not perfect we are supporting it because it recognises the Avenue Study recommendation to reinforce the Village Character and it represents a precedent that will set the standard for future development. We need to be present at the OLT to ensure that our neighbourhood is protected.

Unfortunately the OLT prefers evidence from licensed professionals so we can’t be a full party to the appeal if we can’t afford a professional planner and legal representation. So we need you to donate and get us to the table.

A fully funded presence at the OLT will cost about $10,000. That is well within the means of this neighbourhood so please donate and encourage your neighbours to do the same.

Help to protect the place where we live, work and play. Support our work and our efforts at the OLT and donate now to our campaign so we can be at the OLT on September 17th.

Help keep your Village and support the work of the Swansea Area Ratepayers’.

Thank you from your SARA/SARG Board Members: Veronica Wynne – President, Nicholas Singh -Secretary Treasurer, and Board Members: William Roberts, Sybil Wilkinson, Sherrel Dhanpaul and Janice Kaldor.

Further information:

Sustainability and Employment of the Village:

1. Maintain & enhance the fine-grained built form & narrow retail frontages of the village for at least two storeys of the new building. With larger retail stores build in multiple entry/exit doors with a series of smaller windows rather than a long window façade to give the impression of character Mom & Pop stores.

2. Replace any existing retail space with an equivalent amount of retail or commercial space with a selection of store sizes designed to match the Mom & Pop character of the Village. Require the provision that only Retail, Restaurant or Commercial outlets may be built at the ground level with the height allowance of 4.5 metres to ensure economic sustainability.

View the existing Commercial and Residential Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_RyfrL-428