The Stanley Knowles Housing Co-operative’s Position On Planning and Development in Midtown Stanley Knowles is a vertical community in the Yonge-Eglinton neighbourhood. Like other members of this community, we have been, and continue to be profoundly affected by the rapid onset of development occurring in this area. We recognize the inevitability of development in an area that has been designated for intensification, but we believe strongly that there is a better way of going about it; one that involves discussion, planning and better organization among all interested parties and takes into account the larger context of infrastructure needs and opportunities. In this document, Stanley Knowles Housing Co-operative presents issues, concerns and recommendations, specific to the needs of Stanley Knowles, and also those of the larger community, regarding development in the midtown area of Yonge and Eglinton. . A brief introduction to the Stanley Knowles Housing Co-operative and the people in our vertical community follows. This statement outlines where we are today and how we see the future. It lays out the fundamentals of planning required for the good of the area - and in particular what we need from development as we move forward to what we hope will be a better community. OUR FUTURE The residential population of our block will experience considerable growth with the anticipated condo and mixed-use development around Yonge and Eglinton. With the approved redevelopment to the west of SKC and further redevelopment expected soon to the east along Yonge, our block will experience a 5-fold increase or more in population. This will increase the pressure for access to green or open space through residential treatments such as trees, landscaping, public access to walkways and resting places. The Open Space available on the block has been limited to the surrounding sidewalk and the pedestrian pathways on the east and west ends of the Library-SKC complex. The recently approved condo development at Orchard View and Duplex provides no such publicly accessible open space and furthermore crowds streetscape by encroaching on public access, preventing opportunities for street park amenities The block is situated across the street from the Yonge Eglinton Town Centre that falls within the YE Growth Centre where even greater intensification is anticipated. This intensification can be expected to create additional population demands upon available Open Space. Meanwhile, the existing and projected increase of traffic congestion on surrounding streets makes it more difficult for SKC residents to have safe access to streetscapes east of Duplex and to Eglinton Park itself. This represents an even larger barrier to the elderly members and those with mobility problems accommodated within SKC who look primarily to Open Space enjoyment without having to traverse street barriers. WHAT WE NEED Stanley Knowles Co-operative’s Specific Concerns in a Planning Context Our membership consists largely of senior citizens, people with mobility handicaps and people of modest means. For them, enjoyment of their apartments and a comfortable easy access to local amenities and safe, attractive streetscapes in the immediate area is of vital importance as SKC members are often restricted by mobility issues to the immediate area. There is insufficient available park or green space for our members. Few SKC members own cars and many rely on public transit for their transportation needs. Access to the Yonge-Eglinton subway is already problematic for some of our elderly and mobility-challenged residents. The following requirements reflect some specific needs, interests and concerns of Stanley Knowles Housing Co-operative members: A better pedestrian experience: More set back from property lines will allow for wider sidewalks with seating and landscaping to accommodate a larger and aging population with an increased need for mobility assists (e.g. scooters, wheelchairs, walkers etc.). Safer Streets: Developers need to provide adequate provision by developments on their properties for large truck delivery, garbage pick-up, smaller delivery vehicles, passenger pick up and drop off, and visitor parking to allow for safer street and sidewalk conditions. Wherever possible, parking and/or loading areas should be consolidated to allow for greater pedestrian safety. Better retail facilities: These will be needed to serve the increasing population. People living in the area should be able to walk to the retail services they need (e.g. a second, larger supermarket). Better access/capacity at Eglinton Subway Station: The Yonge line is already at capacity; over-crowded platforms and trains, a single, over-crowded entrance, insufficient accessible entrances all combine to make using the TTC problematic for our members. Developers may have a role to play in contributing to improvements (e.g. wider platforms, more escalators, more entrances etc.) which will benefit the existing community, as well as the new residents who buy units in new developments. Better/safer pedestrian crossing facilities for Yonge and Eglinton: Crowded street corners and vehicles turning right create challenges for the elderly and those with mobility handicaps. Inclement or winter weather conditions present more problems. An open underground retail area (like PATH) would allow for safe travel by these members of our community. The present system of tunnels is dingy, unappealing, and not accessible to people with mobility challenges or the elderly. WHAT THE AREA NEEDS A Better Approach to Planning in Midtown: Stanley Knowles does not exist in a vacuum. We are part of a larger community that is profoundly affected when development occurs without the benefit of good planning and due process of discussion among all the stake holders. It’s time for an approach to planning and development in this area that demonstrates common sense and respect for the needs of all parties concerned. We need a more co-operative and cohesive plan in Midtown that takes into account the developers’ need for clarity and an easier process, the community’s right to consultation and a real voice in decision-making and City Planners’ and City Councillors’ ability to give advice and direction based on clear guidelines. This will be best achieved by a local planning authority that is well-informed on the needs and conditions in this area. A set of criteria/guidelines/standards is required that reflects a unified vision of how development should unfold in Midtown in a way that is beneficial to the community and developers. Principles of fairness, access and sustainability should inform all decisions about development. If developers understand the community’s needs in a broad context, it will make it much easier for them to design developments from the start that fit those parameters, saving time and money both in planning and dealing with rancorous disputes with the community and City Council. The role of local City Councillors should be enhanced by the creation of a local planning authority and the creation of a coherent plan for development in Midtown. Councillors will benefit from the clearer direction of such a plan that includes the views of the communities they represent. This plan will allow them to deal with development proposals from a position of strength and knowledge. A common sense approach to development is based on the understanding that developers should be granted the right to development that meets their financial goals, provided that these developments meet reasonable requirements of our community. Developers should take into account the consequences of the increased population their developments produce, and plan to provide improvements that support this increased population and enable Midtown to remain a desirable neighbourhood in which to live. The focus of the community’s requirements should be in how the development meets the street (e.g. set-backs, room for pedestrians, places to rest/meet, green space); how the development can provide amenities (e.g. more retail, youth or seniors’ facilities, dog park); how the development can support improvements to infrastructure necessitated by the increased population they generate (e.g. additions/renovations to local schools, improved access to Yonge/Eglinton subway) WHAT IS STANLEY KNOWLES Stanley Knowles Housing Co-operative was built in 1983 as a federally chartered non-profit housing co-operative built with funding from Canada Mortgage and Housing (CMHC). Our mandate is to provide affordable housing to people of modest or limited means senior citizens (over 60) who must and do comprise 2/3 of our population people with mobility handicaps Residents do not own their units but are not tenants. They are members, who as part of a general membership which takes responsibility for all decisions related to the operation of the Co-op. Members are governed by by-laws and a Board of Directors and act as a collective. Membership requirements include adherence to by-laws and policies of the Co-op, attendance at General Members Meetings and volunteer work in the Co-op. WHO WE ARE SKC is a vertical community. There are 102 units for our 128 members. Of the 102 units, 10 units, all on the northwest side of the building, are specifically designed for wheelchair access. There are 2 such units per floor from the 5th through 9th floors. There are currently 8 other units in which members need to use mobility assists such as canes and walkers. Of the 102 units, 18 receive housing subsidy. Our charter requires that we offer at least 15 units with subsidy. Despite the fact that the subsidy funding received from CMHC was cut back and does not come close to providing adequate funds to cover our subsidy requirements, Stanley Knowles members have taken the initiative into their own hands to create the needed funds. We continue to subsidize those who require the assistance with their monthly housing charges. WHERE WE ARE SKC is situated on top of the Northern District Library on the north side of Orchard View, one block north of Eglinton in the middle of the block between Yonge St and Duplex Avenue extending through to Helendale. The Yonge Eglinton crossroads and surrounding area is undergoing substantial redevelopment that includes high density apartment towers, mixed use complexes along the Avenues and, in the near future, the Eglinton LRT. The Library property has a pedestrian pathway on each side. The Library-SKC entrances are on OVB. The roadway serves as the backstreet for the Yonge-Eglinton (RioCan) Centre – with its multilevel retail mall, theatre complex and apartment blocks. Dominating both sides of OVB are truck loading facilities and car park ramps. The library and SKC entrances are the only building entrances on the north side of Orchard View. The Library's loading area is situated along Helendale, bracketed by two houses to the west and one to the east. There are three recently vacated walk-up apartments on Helendale, just west of Yonge, next to the rear of the retail buildings fronting on Yonge. The north side is comprised of semi-detached houses and the Post Office at Yonge and Montgomery Duplex Ave at the west end of the block divides the residential neighbourhood (W) and the apartment neighbourhood (E), accommodates commuter traffic and acts as ‘backdoor’ access to the retail on Yonge. Immediately adjacent to the west of SKC, a recently approved 20-storey condo of some 250 units, situated immediately adjacent is planned. There is a small group of 3 houses that remain, just north of the planned condo, surrounding the Duplex-Helendale corner. The east side of SKC consists of the existing backs of the retail establishments that front on Yonge, adjoined to the vacant walk-up apartments fronting along Helendale. Recent property activities suggest that development initiatives are pending for development of this area as part of the plans for intensification of the Yonge-Eglinton area.