Falconer Hall heritage designation

Chair Councillor Gordon Perks and Members,
Toronto and East York Community Council
2nd floor, West Tower, City Hall
100 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON M5H 2N2

Attention: Ellen Devlin

RE: TE 19.2 78-80 Queens Parks Zoning Bylaw Amendment Application – Final Report, and TE19.11 Intention to designate under Part 1V Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, 80-84 Queen’s Park

Dear Chair Councillor Perks and Members, Toronto and East York Community Council,

FoNTRA represents over 30 residents associations generally within the area bounded by Bloor, Bathurst, Sheppard and the DVP. Members of FoNTRA, like others across the City, have an interest in this special section of Queens Park and proposed changes to its properties.

At the September 29 meeting of the Toronto Preservation Board (Board), FoNTRA as well as many other organizations and individuals, objected to how Falconer Hall was proposed to be included in a proposed development, the subject of TE19.2. Our objections primarily related to the large scale of the proposal for the location on Queens Park The development as proposed has a significantly larger scale than other institutional buildings on Queen’s Park. In addition, it displays a profound lack of sensitivity to the significance of the site as a cultural heritage landscape.

The Board in its decision recommended that City Council state its intention to designate Falconer Hall and in addition recommended that: “City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to defer action on the alterations proposed in the report until a comprehensive study of the Queen’s Park cultural heritage landscape is complete.” FoNTRA agrees with the Board that the proposed development should not be approved unless and until it is shown to be acceptable following the study.

We therefore recommend that Toronto and East York Community Council:

1. Support the motion of the Toronto Preservation Board regarding the designation of Falconer Hall and its motion that “City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to defer action on the alterations proposed in the report until a comprehensive study of the Queen’s Park cultural heritage landscape is complete.” And
2. Defer consideration of TE 19.2 78-80 Queens Parks Zoning Bylaw Amendment Application – Final Report until the report on a comprehensive study of the Queens’s Park cultural heritage landscape has been considered by City Council.

Yours truly,

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cc: Gregg Lintern, Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning Division
Mary MacDonald, Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, City Planning Division
Lynda Macdonald, Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District