Visual Impact of proposed 66 Baby Point Rd.

The top image is a rendering of the visual impact that the new home at 66 Baby Point Rd. will have on the streetscape if the Minor Variance of moving the house forward 8-3/4 ft. is granted.

The middle image is a rendering of the visual impact on the streetscape with the home situated on the required setback line.

The bottom image is the streetscape prior to demolition of the original house at 66 Baby Point Rd.

Register your concern about approval of this Minor Variance with your Councillor:

Katherine

Assistant to Sarah Doucette

Toronto City Councillor, Ward 13

councillor_doucette@toronto.ca

66 Baby Point Road - Setback Variance

Facts:

The proposed new home to be constructed on the empty lot at 66 Baby Point Rd. is 6,000 sq. ft.

It is 2.2 times larger than the immediately adjacent 12 homes
It occupies 90% of the allowable lot space
It uses 99% of its allowable width at 66 feet
It is twice as large as 68 Baby Point Rd. despite claims that they are comparable in size(5941 vs 3033 sq.ft.)
It will be closer to the street by 1/3 of the depth or dimension of the east wall of the old home

66 Baby Point Rd - Minor Variance Application

The Bozinoff's have applied for a Minor Variance for the planned new dwelling at 66 Baby Point Road.

They want to move it forward 8.75 ft towards the sidewalk, on the basis that this will restore the street scape.

Recall that the original request for a Variance in 2009 was to increase landscaping space. (note EW orientation of original pool design). The latest plan (bottom) now has it aligned North/South.

Is this the real reason ?

Community Meeting 66 Baby Pt Rd. June 21, 2011

Councillor Doucette arranged a Community Meeting with Mr. Lorne Bozinoff this past Tuesday evening at the Baby Point Clubhouse. At that time Mr. Bozinoff undertook the task of presenting updated drawings of the home to be constructed at 66 Baby Point Road. He described several changes that have been made to the plans. He then presented his justification for a minor variance for this development.

He indicated that the new dwelling will now be in the style of an Arts and Crafts home with square footage of 5,941 sq.ft. He also noted that the garage had been moved back and the dormer window design had changed. In addition, he stated that the roof line had been altered and was now two feet lower than previous.

He indicated that despite these changes he still required a Minor Variance to move the home forward of the normal front setback line. In addition to a permit from the TRC to transgress the Humber Ravine Protection Zone, the owner has applied to the Etobicoke/York Committee of Adjustment to move the south east corner and the rest of the proposed house 2.67 meters (8.75 feet) beyond the prevailing setback line. ( In red above is the footprint of the previous home)

Mr. Bozinoff claims that this will re-establish the appropriate "en echelon" placement of the homes along the curve of of the north perimeter of Baby Point Circle and restore the authenticity of the historic sight lines of this specific section of Baby Point Road. His submission was echoed by a local resident of Baby Point Crescent who disagrees with the general consensus in the community that the appropriate placement for the new home is on the established setback line that runs corner to corner between the adjacent properties.

Although he acknowledged the fact that the new home is very large, he argued that the bylaw requirement that the new house be placed on the established set back line would taint the aesthetics of the street scape.

It is perhaps appropriate to recall that the dimensions of the new dwelling will be 2.3 times larger than the previous demolished property and twice as large as adjacent properties. It will occupy 90% of its allowable coverage and will have a frontage of 66 ft., which is 99% of the allowable dimension of the front elevation.

The requested minor variance of of 2.7meters (or approx. 9 feet), is 1/3 of the dimension of the entire east wall and footing of the old dwelling. This is hardly a minor variance.

In rebuttal, Mr. Bozinoff made a comparison of the proposed new dwelling to the adjacent neighbour immediately to his west at 68 Baby Point Road, in which he described the two homes as being essentially the same. This is a misstatement that cannot go unchallenged.

The metrics of the proposes property is 5,941 sq, ft excluding the attached garage (+500 sq.ft.) The Bozinoff property will average 6,500 sq.ft including the attached garage floor space. MPAC data reveal that the area coverage of 68 Baby Point Road is as follows: built 1925, sq.ft. 3033.

In fact, the difference between these two compared properties is ~100% (double). That puts the lie to the statement that they are comparable in size. Additionally, it puts in question the validity of other statements of a similar kind.

The essential issue that remains outstanding is the merits of the Application for a Minor Variance and this will be presented in the subsequent Blog Posting

C of A Hearing of June 9, 2011 was Deferred

The Scheduled hearing of June 9th, 2011, before the Etobicoke York Panel of the Committee of Adjustment to decide on an Application for a Minor Variance was deferred on the basis of improper procedure and due process.

In addition, Councillor Doucette submitted a letter calling for deferral as a consequence of lack of engagement with the community by the Applicant, Mrs. Cynthia Anne Bozinoff and Agents.

The Deferral is for four(4) weeks to provide the Applicant time to deliver copies of relevant plans and drawings to the members of the Baby Point Community present at the hearing.

The hearing is rescheduled for Thursday July 7, 2011 at 2:00 pm in the York Community Council Chambers , 2700 Eglinton Ave.

The Applicant has applied for a variance to the front setback line in order to move the planned 5,940 sq.ft dwelling forward 2.67 m (~10 ft). This is illustrated in the above diagram that shows the footprint of the demolished previous home in red, and the present front setback line in blue

The new dwelling (blue outline) is 2.3 times larger than the previous home and will occupy 96% of the allowable building lot space.

Baby Point on Structures - Rogers TV

Subject: Baby Point on Structures
Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2011 15:32:28 -0400
From: Carolyn.Sochaniwsky@rci.rogers.com
CC: vermillion13@aol.com

Dear Friends of Structures,
Host, Heather Seaman explores Baby Point, an upscale neighbourhood, located on an ancient native trade route. This architecturally elegant suburb was designed to preserve its Aboriginal, French and British history.
Each episode is an adventure through Toronto’s neighbourhoods, streets, landmarks and personalities that have shaped our city’s history and architecture. Structures airs Sundays at 9pm on Rogers TV (cable 10 in Toronto/cable 63 in Scarborough & cable 510 in HD).
Baby Point will be featured on Rogers TV's Structures at the following times.

• Mon. June 13 - 4:30pm
• Thu. June 16 - 8:30am
• Fri. June 17 - 2:30pm

Baby Point will repeat during the weeks of July 10th and August 14th. Please see the schedule on the Rogers TV website up to 2 weeks before for exact dates/times.
http://www.rogerstv.com/page.aspx?lid=12&rid=16&sid=129
http://www.rogerstv.com/page.aspx?lid=1&rid=16
Carolyn Sochaniwsky
Producer
Structures
Rogers TV - Toronto