Residents living beside a proposed community hub in Agincourt are voicing concerns about the parking lot plans for the facility and are pushing the city to consider an underground garage.
Residents say the ground-level parking lot for the proposed $29-million centre would be just 10 feet from their backyards, which they say would disrupt their lives. They also don’t want to lose the large grass-covered field that currently occupies the space.
The multi-service hub would be operated by the YMCA at the site of the former Timothy Eaton Business and Technical Institute on Bridletowne Circle south of Finch Avenue.
"Ten feet is very close to our garden and our backyard," Johny Sarker said. "The green space will be gone. This green space is so important for health."
Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly, the neighbourhood’s councillor, said the centre will be "one of the most remarkable and attractive community hubs" in the city.
"The benefits of having this community hub should not go unappreciated," he said. "This will be a significant contribution to the quality of life in northwest Scarborough."
But Sarker, who lives on Lord Sydenham Court, said the current parking plan would bring noise and air pollution to his backyard and may bring down property values.
He’s also upset that area residents weren’t adequately consulted on the plans.
Sarker and neighbour Rick Grant have spearheaded a petition calling for an underground parking lot. If that’s not possible, they’re requesting a meeting to come to an agreement on the distance between their backyards and the ground-level lot.
Grant said the buffer zone should be a minimum of 75 feet.
"We’re really hoping that at least they would be slightly reasonable with the distance from the fence because I don’t think anyone in their right mind, Norm Kelly included, would want a parking lot in his backyard," Grant said.
"I really do hope that they take our concerns into consideration and take a good look at this plan and make the appropriate changes because as it stands, it’s not acceptable to us."
Kelly said an underground garage would be prohibitively expensive. "If you could fit that within the budget that would be terrific, but realistically I think it would be a stretch."
Kelly said that the community hub proposal has been featured in his community flyers over the past four years and that a public meeting on the issue was held in the spring.
Another meeting for concerned residents will be held in the near future.
"What we’ve done so far is just the grand design, so I’m looking forward to meeting with these people," Kelly said.
"When we get closer to the details, everyone will be part of that conversation."
The 126,000-square-foot hub, which would provide everything from recreation and arts programs to outpatient medical services, is expected to be completed in 2016.
Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free).
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation