The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) has approved a controversial development at 146 and 150 Laird Dr., the site of the old Durant Motors office building.
The facade of the listed heritage building, built in 1928, will be retained as part of an eight-storey seniors’ condo with 104 units. A seven-storey rental retirement home with 149 units will also be built just south of the building.
V!va Retirement Communities (V!va), a Canadian company that runs several retirement residences in Ontario, is behind the proposal.
Many local residents opposed the development, particularly those who live on Randolph Road directly behind and to the west of the property.
Residents argued the building would act as a towering wall at the property line of their backyards and the units overlooking their properties would ruin their privacy. Shading and preservation of the heritage building were also prevalent concerns.
At the OMB hearing, Philip Goldsmith, a registered architect and a member of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals, stated his opinion that the design will preserve most of the building’s heritage attributes, including views of the exterior details from both public streets (Laird Drive and McRae Drive).
But Geoff Kettel of the Leaside Property Owners’ Association (LPOA) said the group remains unhappy with the development.
“We are very disappointed that the OMB found for the developer in this case,” said Kettel. “This case has raised several issues for residents and their communities affected by development.”
Local city councillor Jon Burnside was also disappointed with the outcome.
“The city planning department originally felt that the proposed development was too large for the site. Somehow an OMB judicator from Belleville knows better,” said Burnside.
“It’s going to have a huge impact on the neighbours, which was totally discounted. At some point, the OMB needs to start being impartial at the very least.”
According to City of Toronto planner Guy Matthew, V!va still needs to submit a site plan.
Eli Marder, president of V!va, said the company looks forward to meeting Toronto’s growing demand for retirement living.
“We are pleased to be moving forward with this exciting project and finding an innovative way to preserve a heritage building that is very important to the Leaside community,” he said.
