In some ways, the Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue neighbourhood hasn’t changed in a generation. With its tree-lined streets and small, brick shops, the quaint retail strip between Lawrence Avenue and Teddington Park and the surrounding residential areas continues to hold its own villagelike character. But at a time when new condo developments seem to be bursting from every corner in Toronto, some residents worry it won’t be long before serious change comes to Yonge and Lawrence.

With the construction of the new 12-storey condominium at 3018 Yonge St. and two controversial, and much publicized, development proposals for nearby Strathgowan Avenue and Chatsworth Avenue, some are predicting that Yonge and Lawrence might turn into the next Yonge and Eglinton, where high-rise construction has exploded over the last decade, and the sun is all but blotted out by cranes and scaffolding.

Coun. Karen Stintz, whose ward includes the west side of Yonge and Lawrence, said that, although the area has not been earmarked as an area for greater densification, the approval of some developments could set a very different precedent.

The Lanterra development that was approved by the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) and is being built at 3018 Yonge St. has gone ahead despite residents’ concerns that the 12-storey building would cast shadows over the Locke Library playground.

On the other side of Yonge Street, the proposed development for 41 Chatsworth Dr. is also a cause for concern, said Stintz. The large lot, which used to belong to the Church of Christian Science, has already been levelled by developers. Church property, Stintz said, is subject to different rules than residential space, and developers have the freedom to destroy existing buildings before their proposals for a replacement building are approved by the city or the OMB.

“The city never intended for a seven-storey condo to be put on a one-way, residential street. Never,” she said. “If the proposal is approved by the OMB, there will be terrible ramifications for every church lot in the area.”

Stintz explained that in the 11 years she has represented Ward 16, 41 Chatsworth Dr. is the third church lot to be sold to create more residences. Earlier this year, the councillor and a handful of residents were involved in a standoff against developers in order to protect mature trees on the lot, which Coun. Stintz said were being taken down without a permit from city hall.

Nicholas Austin, a member of the Lawrence Park Ratepayers Association, said that, although change is inevitable at Yonge and Lawrence, he hopes that residents and developers will work together at the early stages of development.

“It seems to be the social norm for developers to not have a dialogue with residents at the early stages of their proposal,” he said. “Too many developments start from a point of contention.”

Austin said that the Alaska condominium proposal is one particularly egregious case of developers not consulting residents during the early planning stages. The 15-storey, modernist building proposed for the corner of Yonge Street and Strathgowan Avenue was designed by Will Aslop and widely panned by residents. The design was so unpopular that a new neighbourhood advocacy group, the Uptown Yonge Neighbourhood Alliance, was created to fight back against the development. The group’s founder, Belinda Karsen, said the residents are primarily worried about the height and density of the proposed building, which do not take into account the area’s limited infrastructure or existing character.

“Alaska will set a precedent for this stretch of Yonge Street,” she said.

Although Austin is not against new development at Yonge and Lawrence, he is primarily concerned with protecting the area’s ample green space.

“Yonge and Lawrence is on a subway line, so some development is inevitable, but eventually overdensification becomes a social issue,” he said. “We need enough room for our libraries and schools and especially our ravines, which are enjoyed by people from many different neighbourhoods, not just Lawrence Park.”

It is primarily because of that green space that Ward 25 councillor Jaye Robinson is not worried about unchecked growth at Yonge and Lawrence. Because the intersection’s east side, which is in Coun. Robinson’s ward, is home to the Locke Library playground (which leads into the Alexander Muir gardens and Sherwood Park), the area has not been zoned for greater densification by the city.

“Unlike at Yonge and Eglinton, the development at Yonge and Lawrence has been fairly steady,” she said. It has not been earmarked for high-rises by the city because protecting those ravines is a priority.”

Although Coun. Robinson admits the Alaska proposal is an exception to the intersection’s rule of “stable” densification, she believes the proposal, which will not be put before Toronto City Council until 2015, will only be approved with substantial changes.

“That proposal has been put through the wringer,” she said. “Residents have really mobilized against it, and that makes a difference.” As long as the citizens continue to be engaged, Robinson said she is hopeful about Yonge and Lawrence’s future.

“I am optimistic because of the residents’ engagement in the area,” she said. “They are not getting disillusioned or despondent about development. They are getting organized, and they are fighting back.

Although residents may wonder how much their voices can impact decisions, Coun. Robinson said that neighbourhood engagement can make all the difference.

“Developers expect to just ram through these huge proposals,” she said. “They don’t expect residents to be at the table, but residents have a huge influence on the decision.”