City heading to OMB hearing
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The city is being hauled into yet another rezoning hearing before the Ontario Municipal Board.
The owners of Belmont Long Term Care Facility are challenging the city’s denial of a rezoning request aimed at converting an existing building into a fitness and physiotherapy facility at its Bridge Street West address.
City staff said the owners had been permitted to construct a building adjacent to the nursing home, for storage purposes, but later sought to change it to commercial usage.
“They argued that this commercial fitness facility and massage therapy clinic was an accessory use to the nursing home.” said Art MacKay, manager of policy planning. “But the clientele would be staff as well as off-site people and we argued that’s a commercial operation and there is no way to control who the clientele is.”
The zoning request sparked a wave of community opposition and council’s subsequent rejection of the change.
“Staff couldn’t support it because it doesn’t comply,” he said. “It’s not appropriate for commercial use. There are properties immediately to the north as well as future residential on the west side.”
Residents on Boyce Court, near the site, complained about traffic and having such a commercial operation abutting on to residential properties.
The city solicitor will also be representing its interest at another upcoming hearing linked to the condominium development being opposed by a Toronto developer over its density.
East Marina Investments, the company behind the sprawling condo development tagged for the former Morch Marina Property, has agreed to incur the legal costs from the city solicitor fighting on its behalf.
A third OMB hearing filed against the city by a local daycare operator has been pulled.
MacKay said First Adventure Child Development Centre, won’t be proceeding with an appeal of the city’s rejection of its request to rezone a Scenic and Maitland drives residence to accommodate a day nursery.
“They have formerly withdrawn their appeal and we’ve been notified by the OMB,” MacKay said.
Council shot down the development after the city’s planning advisory committee recommended it not endorse the project.
Residents had raised a litany of concerns about the daycare’s potential negative impact on property values and safety risks arising from traffic congestion.
jason.miller@sunmedia.ca