2290 Lawn Ave. – Ontario Municipal Board Legal Challenge

The property developer has appealed the Committee of Adjustment's decision to the Ontario Municipal Board. This will not be based on information given at the Committee of Adjustment hearing and will essentially be a "redo".

The Ontario Municipal Board hearing will take place on September 30th and is expected to take two days. The details can be found by entering the case number (PL100613) at the bottom of the E-Status page on the Ontario Municipal Board web site.

While the Committee of Adjustment took expert testimony as well as input from immediate and surrounding neighbours into account when making its decision, the Ontario Municipal Board will base its decision solely on expert testimony.

The process for challenging the property developer's appeal to the Ontario Municipal board requires the services of a lawyer, a land use expert and an expert witness. The estimated cost for this expertise is $10,000, which will be the burden of the immediate neighbours to pay.

The immediate neighbours and the Woodpark Community Association have indicated that they would be prepared to accept two units on the site, but not four. If the four-unit development is allowed to proceed as planned, it will have larger implications for the neighbourhood as a whole. Property developers are able to point to precedents in the neighbourhood when submitting development applications. The development on Lawn Ave. will almost certainly pave the way for larger scale developments in the interior of the neighbourhood.

Donations Needed

It is in the best interests of the neighbourhood as a whole for this development not to go ahead as planned. If you wish to help out with this legal challenge, please consider donating towards the cost of the expertise needed at the Ontario Municipal Board hearing. Donations can be given to Bob MacKenzie, one of the immediate neighbours and the resident coordinating the legal challenge. He will provide a receipt and is making all invoices available to the Woodpark Community Association and interested residents.

Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated. If you wish to make a contribution, or if you have any questions, please contact Bob MacKenzie at robert.mackenzie@rogers.com or 613-726-3310.