Upcoming Development Permit System meetings and links

[Jessica Wilson]

Hi all,

PLANNING PROCESS HEADS-UP: City Planning will be holding a series of open houses/public feedback meetings this month on the 'Development Permit System' (DPS), a fasttrack (45-day) development approval process that Chief Planner Jennifer Keesmaat said would be a "fundamental shift" in how planning is done in Toronto. For City info and meeting dates, see the RHS column here:

http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=3b2cd9e27ac93410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextfmt=default

Please try to attend at least one of the meetings, and *please encourage the members of your communities* to attend or otherwise weigh in on this significant initiative.

Details for the downtown meeting one week from today are as follows:
Saturday, March 22
Toronto Reference Library
789 Yonge St, Toronto
Open House: 10:30am to 12:30pm
Public Meeting: 12:30 - 2:30pm

The Development Permit System (DPS) is a pro-growth fast-track (45-days approval timeline) tool being pushed as a pro-active, area-based alternative to site-by-site planning. There are concerns about the (largely untested) DPS process, including that after a DPS by-law is passed for an area, then for 5 years there is no requirement for public notice or consultation for any development application (even though the DPS by-laws typically leave open exactly what is allowed on a given site, and even in cases where there might be Section 37-style "tradeoffs" for increased height or density), and residents and other third parties lose (while developers retain) their right to appeal application decisions to the OMB. Moreover, there are existing pro-active area-based planning processes (e.g., Area Studies and associated Official Plan Amendments, as we just got for Ossington) that do not involve removal of public rights of consultation and appeal. For further details see the CORRA (Confederation of Ratepayer and Residents Associations) links below.

Further information can be gotten via the following links:

City "Primer" on the DPS:
http://www1.toronto.ca/City%20Of%20Toronto/City%20Planning/Zoning%20&%20Environment/Files/pdf/R/Reset_TO_Toolkit_2014.pdf

City Presentation on the DPS:
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/pg/bgrd/backgroundfile-64558.pdf

City Staff Report on the DPS, including Draft Official Plan Policies
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/pg/bgrd/backgroundfile-64067.pdf

Planner Bob Lehman's succinct and accurate presentation of pros and cons of DPS:
twitdoc.com/2RE9

CORRA discussion paper on the DPS (written by yours truly---I'm a Vice-Chair of CORRA):
bit.ly/corra-dps

The Ontario regulation (O. Reg 608/06) on Development Permit Systems:
http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_060608_e.htm

Please feel free to get in touch with any questions.

Best wishes,
Jessica

[Dovercourt Park Community Association]

I'm going to be at the reference library meeting! Hope to see some of you there!

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