Located between Leaside and Moore Park, Bennington Heights is one of Toronto’s hidden treasures. The relative calm of this stable community has to some degree been disrupted recently with rumours of development proposals. The concerns mostly relate more to matters of speculation than actual proposals. There have been enough of both, however, such as the 21 Evergeen Gardens project, to cause concern that Bennington Heights might feel the pressures of change.

Adding fuel to the fires of concern has been a general understanding that provincial policy — and city policy, for that matter — speaks of the need to accommodate population growth through increased residential densities in existing urban areas. I respond with this message, which I hope will be one of comfort to Bennington residents: The same official plan that encourages increased residential densities also identifies areas to be protected as much as possible from the impacts of population growth. Areas targeted for change, and thus targeted for increased densities, tend to be transportation corridors, particularly those with transit service.

Areas like Bennington Heights fall into another category, and the official plan designates them as “neighbourhoods.” We value our neighbourhoods. Official plan policies thus call for the character of neighbourhoods to be preserved.

The character of Bennington Heights is that of a community consisting almost exclusively of single family dwellings. To the extent that I have a say in the matter, the provisions of the official plan will be invoked to keep it that way.