Old Mill (Blog 2)

2^nd Blog

At its meeting tomorrow, Toronto's green council is poised to approve a ritzy 10-storey condo development across from the stately Old Mill Inn which will involve the removal of 322 trees.

The city report, which refers to the location where the condo is to be built as bounded by the Humber River Valley and part of the "green space system"

There it says the 322 trees -- all "predominantly non-native" will be removed with "only a slight impact to the environmental features of the study property" and then refers to a potential restoration plan.

Planner Pedro Lopes said because the development will be built on what is being used as a parking lot for the Old Mill Inn, the city wasn't interested in buying the property in order to preserve it or the trees, he said.

Milczyn added that the condo development was initiated to "help pay" for a larger parking garage the developers really wanted to build, noting the developers will end up with 50 more parking spots than they have now. "That will alleviate illegal parking on the neighbouring street," he said.

Milczyn also confirmed the developers contributed $750 to his 2006 campaign and he held his victory party at the Old Mill at a cost of $5,098.

The rationale aside (as tenuous as it may seem), it is worthwhile noting there was no input provided in the aforementioned report by the city's tree police chief, Richard Ubbens. Reached late last week, Ubbens was all over the map as far as his involvement, or lack thereof. "It is a parking lot, which there's a bunch of invasive trees on that property," he said, noting its private property and they can't prevent the condo from being built unless they go to the OMB.

Yet in a three-page December 2007 report to the very same community council, Ubbens adamantly denied a request by Grandville Ave. couple Perry Thompson and Norma Graham to remove ONE non-native, invasive Norway Maple tree, whose roots have infiltrated their house's foundation, its pipes, the basement walls and flooring -- and which has cost the couple $17,500 in repairs and lost property.

Led by Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone, council's tree emperor, the request by the couple was also turned down flat at January's council meeting. Two councillors who voted against them -- Suzan Hall and Gloria Lindsay Luby -- approved the Old Mill condo development application at the Feb. 12 community council meeting without a word of protest.

Holyday said what really disturbs him is his community council colleagues voted for the condo development without "uttering a word" about the trees. "It was the hypocrisy of the trees which really stunned me," he said.

Graham was furious about the city's plan for their tree. "This is a game they're playing with us," she said. "What they're proposing is absolutely ridiculous."

Geographies

Space, ritzy 10-storey condo development across from the stately Old Mill Inn. Place, The Old Mill, Humber River Valley and part of the "green space system". Scale, cutting down 322 trees

National Post

Linda Leoni