Notice to alert Long Branch residents of proposed five condo towers planned for the area. Photo by Susanna Basheir.
A mega plan to build five condo towers ranging from 12 to 30 storeys in Long Branch is inching ahead.
A working group has been formed to study a proposal to demolish existing apartment buildings and construct towers at 220, 230 and 240 Lake Promenade and 21 and 31 Park Boulevard.
The proposal will bring 2,021 housing units, of which 548 will be rental units and 1,444 market condo units.
The buildings now on quiet residential streets are slated to be demolished to construct the new complex, which will have a new public road and parkland.
Several apartment buildings as this one stands to be demolished for the new complex planned. Photo by Susanna Basheir.
Ward 3 Councillor Amber Morley said the development application is complex due to its location and scale with the surrounding community.
She said there will be a large demolition and conversion component.
Morley plans ‘to ensure that tenants of the buildings are aware of their rights and the tenant protections the City has in place in Rental Housing Demolition and Conversion applications.’
“I would like to see the applicant do more to address these concerns raised by the community,” Morley said in her newsletter. “The impact of this development on the lives of nearby residents and existing tenants would be significant.”
Residents are concerned about their quiet community and the massive condos and demolition of existing buildings.
She said the working group, which has met three times, includes herself, 12 members of the community, City staff and a representative of the developer.
Morley said residents at the meetings said they are concerned about the impact and displacement of existing tenants and a lack of new affordable housing in the plan.
They are also worried about the height and density of the proposal, impacts of vehicle traffic on the residential roads to access the site and on pedestrian and cyclist safety.
Community members are also impacted by the lengthy construction time on nearby residents, loss of mature trees, bird migration patterns and being exposed to asbestos during demolition.
The upcoming plans include towers ranging from 12 to 30 storeys, a new road and park.
She said the developer failed to appropriately address the highest priority concerns related to the impacts of the size and number of housing units proposed.
“We have heard problems related to too many vehicles in the space,” according to the newsletter. “The community has been vocal about a shortage in community spaces and services available for existing residents.”
She said there are some gaps and the impact to people’s lives is significant.
“I believe that this application, with its size and location, should be looking for what additional benefit can be provided for the surrounding community beyond the provision of additional market housing units,” Morley said.
The City’s Community Planning Staff are working with the developer on an updated proposal and once complete and the revisions have been resubmitted there will be a fourth working group meeting to review the proposal.