Comments?
For the basics, see
- Website & Privacy Policies
- How To Get Involved
- The Role of the Park
Search options:
Department Site Map
Custodians:
Printer friendly version
Dufferin Grove Residents Association
The Dufferin Grove Residents association has its own website at thedgra.org
Dufferin Grove Residents' Association
Report on the Dufferin Grove Resident's Association AGM March 30, 2005, 7:00pm, Dewson Street Jr. P.S., about the Dovercourt Square redevelopment
posted April 14, 2005
DOVER SQUARE DEVELOPMENT
On Wednesday March 30, the Dufferin Grove Residents’ Association held its first Annual General Meeting at Dewson Public School, following incorporation. The big issue at the meeting was, of course, the planned addition of another building containing 285 rental units - set to rent for considerably more money than the current apartments - at Dover Square, 730 Dovercourt. There was a big range of opinions at the well-attended meeting. One contingent felt that there should be picketers and a media campaign to stop the development altogether. Another opinion held that the residents’ association would need to collect at least $10,000 to hire a lawyer to represent neighborhood interests at the Ontario Municipal Board Hearings at the beginning of May. A third opinion felt that such an amount was too much and that since the City planners and Councillor Pantalone have now come out against the development, residents could put their faith in the City to resist the developer.
Former Toronto mayor and anti-amalgamation leader John Sewell had been invited to speak, and he suggested a fourth alternative. He said, find out what the people in the neighborhood, including the present Dover Square tenants, would like the developer to do, to improve his plans. Maybe the community would like a better green space plan between the buildings, rent control on existing units that become empty over the next five years (so the rents don’t all float upwards), a cap of 200 new rental units, and the free use of a party room, available for tenant meetings as well. And maybe the community would support direct planning discussions between the developer and the community. The talks would try to arrive at a building form that both can agree on, for the new building at the north end of the project - this process to be completed within two months.
If a solid core of residents can decide on what they want, Sewell said, they can agree to withdraw their objections, and ask others to withdraw theirs, and both sides can forget about going to the OMB.
Sewell’s approach says that the OMB is a big, expensive gamble and it’s better for both the community and the developer to talk directly. As of the printing of this newsletter, residents’ association founder Andrew Munger told us that the association’s approach had not been decided. For more information, go to the park web site at www.dufferinpark.ca and click on neighbourhood. You can also e-mail the Dufferin Grove Residents’ Association at thedgra@canoemail.com. [material pending]