Parkland sold and slated for townhouses

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2:01 pm

Residents of a North York neighbourhood are worried about a rare piece of parkland that has been sold and will be paved over to hold 200 new townhouses.

The land in question is a six-acre green space adjacent to the community of Westminster’s Antibes Park, formerly owned by the Toronto District School Board and recently sold to Menkes Antibes Holding Inc.

Menkes has proposed a 200-unit townhouse development for the site.

“This is a horrific development,” said resident Harold Raven, who has lived in the community for 20 years.

“We just don’t see why you would take a parkland in an already high-density area and put up 200 new homes.”

He said the main concerns are increased traffic, infrastructure and community resources.

Traffic on Antibes Drive will be “deadly,” he said, and added that the neighbourhood has only one main entrance and exit.

Raven said the area also struggles with flooding.

“Some apartment complexes have gone without water for up to a day at least twice this year, while their pipes were being repaired,” he said. “Imagine what will happen if that fertile soil that absorbs water gets turned into concrete.”

Local councillor James Pasternak said the Antibes Community Centre is “under enormous pressure” as it is, and added that Ward 10 ranks low on the list for community services in general.

Mark Karam, vice-president of Menkes, said they are in the process of submitting traffic study and infrastructure reports to the city planning department, and they will meet with the community in the next couple months to discuss the development.

“We’re happy to respond to these concerns,” he said. “We’re responsive.”

Local moms take a fresh approach to baking

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2:00 pm

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One thing about Caroline Davis: she’s not nuts. The mom and baker co-owns new nut-free bakery Two Moms Baked Goods. “So many kids have nut allergies these days,” she says. “There’s a difference in knowing what you’re eating is safe.” In addition to cupcakes and tarts, Two Moms also offers baking classes for kids and is kosher (970 Eglinton Ave. W., 416-783-7200).

Jeff Pinsky remembers when he first walked into Browser’s Den of Magic as a kid in the ’70s. “My friend’s mother took me down.… I got magic-itis,” says Pinsky. In 1995, he bought the magic shop from Len Cooper, who, he says, was a Groucho Marx look-alike. Today, at 35 years, Browser’s is the oldest magic shop in Toronto (875 Eglinton Ave. W., 416-783-7022).

The new holistic centre for moms and dads Zen Beginnings started as one mother’s pledge to help other parents. “There are so many different parenting styles, it’s easy to feel frustrated and overwhelmed,” says owner Marina Zelenovic. Zelenovic’s centre offers several classes, such as a nutrition course and yoga sessions (697 Mount Pleasant Rd., 416-480-9366).

At Team Canada Martial Arts, founder sensei Martin Doherty schools his kids. The new company combines after-school tutoring with martial arts, taking a holistic approach to personal development. “They get tutoring, help with homework, physical activity with a martial artist and then they’re ready for pickup at 6:30,” he says (1517 Bayview Ave., 416-481-KICK).

Paintballing has just made its mark on Yonge Street. A new supply store, Next Paintball, has opened in the Lawrence Park area, offering markers, masks and anything else an aspiring paintballer needs (2741 Yonge St., 416-485-2255).

Iconic North York furniture shop to close its doors

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1:58 pm

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He’s keeping his beard, but Garrit De Boer, owner of North York’s Idomo Furniture, is closing his store after 40 years.

The 64-year-old is renowned for his Sheppard Avenue showroom, his eclectic commercials, which he has shot all over the world, and his iconic, flowing beard.

De Boer first set up shop in 1971 on Supertest Road at a time when Toronto was crazy for teak stores. In 1992, he upgraded to the current North York location on the corner of Sheppard Avenue and W. R. Allen Road.

De Boer has criss-crossed the globe, both to meet with his 35 international dealers and to shoot his furniture commercials.

“I’ve stood in snake-infested waters in Indonesia and ridden elephants in Thailand,” he says.

He also has posed in Bangkok with a 10-foot python around his neck. But the work — including travelling — is hard on the body, he said, and after four decades, he is ready to take it easy.

But De Boer isn’t ready to relax completely.

In his spare time he plans to work on antique clocks, his greenhouse and build a pipe organ.

“It’s hard for me to slow down,” he said. “My strength is that I’m multi-dimensional, and my weakness is that I’m multi-dimensional.”

Local councillor Anthony Perruzza, said De Boer’s retirement is bittersweet news.

“In a way, I’m saddened that the Idomo Furniture symbol will cease to exist,” he said.

“He’s been a mainstay of the community for years and years and years.”

Once De Boer clears out, the showroom will be converted into office space, and he hopes to help install a green roof. The building also has a geothermal system for heating and cooling, which De Boer installed years ago.

In the meantime, he is busy in the showroom, clearing out remaining stock. He says loyal customers have been flooding in to say their goodbyes, culminating in a two-hour lineup to process orders on the first day of his clearance sale.

“I stood up on a box and apologized to everyone for the wait and everyone applauded,” he said.

Hogg’s Hollow parking lot subject of traffic study

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1:46 pm

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The plan to turn the current TTC commuter parking lot on the northwest corner of Yonge Street and Wilson Avenue into an office complex is on hold pending a comprehensive traffic report, commissioned by the city.

In July 2010, Build Toronto announced plans to transform the surface-level parking lot into an eight-storey, mixed-use office building, one that might end up housing the TTC headquarters. But after a recent community consultation meeting, the proposal is hanging in limbo.

Paul Baker, president of the South Armour Heights Residents Association, said one of the main issues with the development is traffic. He fears the area might become gridlocked with extra traffic created by the office complex.

“We don’t want it to become like Yonge and Sheppard,” he said. “It’s a nightmare up there.” He said the lot is currently an easy place for commuters to come off the 401.

John Andreevski, senior planner for the city of Toronto, echoes the concerns about parking availability and said Build Toronto needs to include a revised traffic report before the proposal goes any further.

The report needs to explore whether the remaining parking supply is sufficient for an office complex of that size — and for a location so close to the subway — and whether there is enough entrance and exit space.

Bruce Logan, director of communications and public affairs for Build Toronto, said part of their revised site plan includes an extra level of parking in the complex and they continue to work closely with the city on the issue.

“The only thing I can say for sure,” said Andreevski, “is that it’s a bit of a waiting game right now.”

North York tennis champ honoured

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1:45 pm

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He has won a gold medal, and he is one of only a few tennis players in history to have won all four Grand Slams. And now Daniel Nestor, local tennis pro, has been named to the Order of Canada.

Nestor, who grew up in North York and got his start at the Bayview Village Tennis Club, has won 71 men’s double titles, including six Grand Slam titles and a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Nestor and his doubles partner, Nenad Zimonjic, wrapped up the year as the number two doubles team in the world.

Hatem McDadi, Tennis Canada’s vice-president of tennis development, has known Nestor for 25 years, as a fellow competitor, coach and friend. “He really is a great role model,” said McDadi.

“In addition to his tennis accomplishments, any fundraiser we’ve asked him to do, he’s been there.”

McDadi said, despite Nestor’s numerous medals, his personality hasn’t changed. “He remains very loyal, generous, very kind to his friends, and he has strong family values.”

Nestor lives in the Bahamas with his wife and three children.

Yonge Street blaze has ties to 905

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1:43 pm

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Controversy surrounding the building at 335 Yonge St. has abounded since one of its walls collapsed last spring. Following a recent fire that gutted the former Empress Hotel, the area owners are so far quiet on the future of the site.

The provincial government has addresses in Thornhill and Richmond Hill on record for the directors of the numbered corporation that currently owns the property. All of them share the last name Lalani.

When the wall collapsed, the city ordered the owners to bring in an engineer to resolve safety issues and assess the structural soundness of the building. After partial demolition, the city received a final report from the owners’ engineer. The city issued a further unsafe condition order and the owners’ engineer then advised that repair was not an option and instead proposed demolition.

On July 2, 2010, the owners applied for a permit to do so. Then, on July 7, 2010, city council announced its plans to designate the property as a cultural heritage site. As a result, city council’s consent would be required to tear down the building. The property at 335 Yonge St. was officially designated as having cultural heritage significance in late August.

After this change, the owners did not apply for a heritage demolition permit. Last month, the owners were scheduled to meet with the City of Toronto’s building division following a further unsafe condition order that called on the owners to shore up the building.

But then the fire occurred.

The blaze broke out in the wee hours of the morning. Police have since released a video still of a person of interest seen fleeing from Gould Street.

Det. Debbie Harris, from 51 Division of Toronto Police Service, said investigation into the fire is ongoing.

“I can confirm it’s an arson,” she said.

But the precise cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

The Lalani Group Inc., the numbered corporation that currently owns 335 Yonge St. (2160943 Ontario Ltd.), and Noori Lalani are also facing a civil suit.

The statement of claim alleges that a company named Quantum Murray LP is owed nearly $70,000 for the emergency support and cleanup it provided at 335 Yonge St. when the wall fell last spring.

The plaintiff claims that Noori Lalani signed the contract as a representative of the Lalani Group. But, the claim continues, the company was not registered with the government any more.

Quantum Murray LP continues to assert that, as such, Noori Lalani is personally liable. As well, it names the numbered corporation that currently owns the property and, therefore, the claim suggests, benefitted from the services. Provincial government records identify Noori Lalani as the president of 2160943 Ontario Ltd.

A lawyer representing the defendants has filed papers indicating their intention to defend themselves in court.

Kristyn Wong-Tam, the local Toronto councillor, called a meeting late last month to discuss the future of the site.

“That’s a significant parcel of land that now needs a permanent use and a future design,” she said.

Wong-Tam invited city staff, local business owners, including the building’s owners, and neighbours, among others.

“I want us to re-envision what that portion of Yonge Street would look like, especially as the pressure to develop now intensifies,” she said.

In advance of the meeting, Wong-Tam said that the building’s owners indicated to her that they would be attending.

Calls to the company’s directors, at their homes and offices, went unreturned at press time, as did calls to their lawyers.

Raonic makes a racket at Australian Open

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1:43 pm

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All eyes are on Thornhill’s Milos Raonic after the 20-year-old tennis star secured a spot in the world’s top 100 in men’s singles with early victories at the Australian Open. He caused surprise upsets in the second and third rounds, handily defeating the 22nd and 10th seeded players. Going into the competition Down Under, Canada’s top player was ranked 152.

Standing at six feet five inches, Raonic has a fast and powerful serve. He notched 31 aces in his third-round match against Mikhail Youzhny.

Casey Curtis, who coached Raonic from the age of nine up until 17, said everyone at Blackmore Tennis Club in Richmond Hill is excitedly following the young tennis player’s career.

“His ascension up through the ranks has just been spectacular, really,” said Curtis. “I would think it’s one of the fastest in history.”

From Australia, Raonic thanked everyone back home for their support.

“My game is coming together, and I feel like I’m on my way to reaching my goals and playing the level I want to play,” he said.

Raonic is the first Canadian to make it this far in a Grand Slam event in more than a decade. He lost to the seventh seeded David Ferrer in the fourth round.

Dunlap conservation plan goes to council

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1:42 pm

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Town of Richmond Hill staff recently issued a final draft of the David Dunlap Conservation Management Plan. The document is meant to proactively address how the site’s designated cultural heritage landscape will be protected by the Town.

When it was received by the Committee of the Whole last month, local councillor Godwin Chan advocated for giving all parties more time to consider the complex document. He put forth, but later withdrew, a motion for deferral. Other concerns raised by councillors included the enforceability of the document given that the land is privately owned.

Karen Cilevitz, of the David Dunlap Observatory Defenders, said that the biggest problem she has with the plan is that she feels it’s predicated on planning principles.

The document was scheduled to go before council late last month, in advance of the Feb. 9 public meeting on the landowner’s development application.

Following reports of plowing in the fields at the Dunlap site, the Town of Richmond Hill has launched an investigation into whether or not a bylaw was broken. The site is restricted to institutional uses, which means any agricultural activities would be a zoning violation.

Cilevitz described the situation as frustrating.

“They continuously disturb the land, run their heavy machinery over it,” she said. “This act in itself is so egregious because there has not been a full and complete archaeological assessment on this land.”

Right before press time, John DeVries, director of regulatory services at the Town of Richmond Hill, indicated that the Town would be taking further action, as it believes agricultural activities did, in fact, take place.

“We feel that the current owners are in violation of the zoning bylaw,” he said.

Michael Pozzebon, the project manager for landowner Metrus Development, could not be reached for comment.

UPDATE

Richmond Hill council adopted the David Dunlap Observatory Conservation Management Plan with the understanding that it’s simply a guide for future decision-making, and can be altered and enhanced as necessary.

Karen Cilevitz said that after meeting with town staff to discuss the plan, she is impressed with their commitment to protecting the cultural heritage landscape. Going forward, the David Dunlap Observatory Defenders intend to work with the town.

With regards to the plowing activities, the town sent the landowner a cease and desist order.

Deerhurst Resort sold to Bayview developer

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1:42 pm

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Muskoka’s premier resort is changing hands and its new owner is a developer who calls Bayview home.

Gil Blutrich, president and CEO of Skyline International Development, is buying the resort from its U.S.-based owners for a reported $26 million.The property includes 425 rooms, 95 serviced lots and additional land that could be developed in the future.

Skyline, a real estate and development company founded in Toronto in 1998, also owns a number of local properties, including the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Residences as well as Horseshoe Valley Resort in Barrie and Port McNicoll in Georgian Bay.

Deerhurst has been on and off the market for a couple years, but garnered significant media attention while hosting the G8 in June, 2010.

Anne White, director of communications for Deerhurst, said Blutrich will not comment on his plans for the resort until after the transaction closes at the end of February.

She did say the management and employment structure of the 800-acre resort remain unchanged at this point.

Kelly Haywood, executive director of the Huntsville Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber has a “dynamic relationship” with the resort.

“From a community perspective, Deerhurst is a jewel in our community.”

She said the Chamber has worked closely with the Deerhurst management team in the past and expects to do so in the future.

“I look forward to an exciting relationship with them,” she said.

Contentious luxury complex to finally start construction

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1:41 pm

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After a heated Ontario Municipal Board hearing and a change in developers, 20 controversial, luxury townhouses at Bayview Avenue and the Bridle Path are scheduled to start being built this month.

The lots — 2425 and 2427 Bayview Ave. — were bought by Stone Manor Developments in 2006, who proposed 20 three-storey, townhouses for the site.

It was a decision that caused uproar among residents at the time, with representatives citing loss of privacy, decreased greenspace and considerable change to the character of the area as their main concerns.

The case went to the Ontario Municpal Board.

Both the York Mills Ratepayers Association and the newly-formed Edwards Gardens Ratepayers Association hired a lawyer to represent them, but the OMB ruled in favour of Stone Manor. Stone Manor later made an internal decision to reduce the number of townhouses to 16 units. In October 2010, the site was sold to Hush Homes.

Hush president, Naheel Suleman, said they plan to increase the number of units to the original 20, but the decision needs to be re-approved by the OMB. He said he’s expecting the approval to come through soon and the company plans to start building this month.

David Bawden, president of the York Mills Ratepayers Association isn’t happy with the development, but says there is not much the residents can do.

“We’ve come to the point where, if the OMB said it, we’re saddled with it,” he said.

“We’re not going to take it through the process again because it would just be a waste of money.” Bawden said he was not aware the building would start this month and there has not been any communication between Hush and the community to his knowledge.

Suleman said he thinks the issue was “resolved long ago,” and he is not aware of any recent complaints from residents in the area.

Bawden says the residents have no plans to actively oppose the issue.

“I’m discouraged this is going to happen at all,” he said. “We’re in for it now.”

Half a victory for Bayview’s Conrad Black

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1:39 pm

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In January, prosecutors told a Chicago federal judge they will not be retrying Conrad Black on two convictions. The convictions — one for fraud and one for obstruction of justice -— had been reversed in an appeal court in October 2010.

This leaves Lord Black convicted of one count of fraud and one count of obstruction of justice, both of which he plans to appeal.

But some legal experts aren’t convinced the Supreme Court will hear it.

“I think the appeal is really a Hail Mary pass,” said Steven Skurka, Toronto trial lawyer and author of Tilted: the trial of Conrad Black.

“I think the general consensus is that Conrad Black will go back to jail.”

Lord Black, who has long considered the Bridle Path area his home base, has been released on bail pending the appeal, but was ordered to stay in the United States.

He is scheduled to be rensentenced on his remaining convictions on June 24.

Mirvish bets the bank on Billy Elliot

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8:59 am

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The big production this February has to be the arrival of Billy Elliot, an Elton John musical based on the joyous movie, in which an adolescent in a coal-mining village in England discovers his talent and passion for ballet.

I have not seen it, nor heard its music, but the musical drove both the critics and public in London, England, into ecstasy when it premiered in 2005.

And, it won 10 Tonys in 2009 when the production opened on Broadway. And it’s been sold out ever since.

Mirvish is bringing it to the Canon Theatre, and it sounds irresistible.

As the very tough New York Times critic Ben Brantley wrote in November 2008, “Your inner dancer is calling. Its voice, sweet but tough and persistent, pulses in every molecule of the new Broadway musical, demanding that you wake up sleeping fantasies of slipping on tap or ballet shoes and soaring across a stage.”

Billy Elliot opens Feb. 1 at the Canon Theatre.