More Neighbours Toronto member, Hana Suckstorff, pens a thoughtful piece on 501 Palmerston, a property that came up before the Committee of Adjustment mid-November when the developer proposed a small low-rise apartment. That project was turned down but is now being appealed at the Toronto Local Board of Appeal (TLAB).
We've excerpted a few select lines but go read Hana's entire piece and consider subscribing to her new substack, Infill.
Architecturally, Palmerston Boulevard has “neighbourhood character” in spades. But character is about more than buildings and trees. It’s also about the people that inhabit and make up the life of the community. And on that front, the character of the neighbourhood is aging and shrinking. Between 1961 and 2021, the population of the surrounding areas declined by 60%.
Now, “neighbourhood character”-based arguments are ostensibly about architecture but are often really about a fear of change, even a minor one. In this case, though, Palmerston Boulevard has a look and feel that is widely regarded as, quite simply, lovely.
But thinking of the past as we look to the present and future brings certain important questions to mind. The priorities of the 1904 by-law are quite clear, namely fire safety and public health. What are our priorities today?
By refusing the application, the Committee chose to prioritize those concerns and problems over any sort of felt need or urgency around addressing the City’s housing shortage.