A mediated settlement has been reached regarding the future of 316 Bloor St. W. Representatives from the City of Toronto, the Annex and Harbord Village residents’ associations, and State Building Group (which owns the building) met for two days to address concerns about the developer’s original proposal to raise a 42-storey building on the site.

It was to have consisted of 535 single bedroom or bachelor condominium units. The proposal — derided by some as a “vertical rooming house” — was loudly opposed at a community meeting in April 2015, and since then has been subject to several appeals at the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). In opposing the development, the city argued that it did not meet the criteria set out by the Bloor Block Plan, passed by Toronto City Council in January.

The settlement includes lowering the number of storeys from 42 to 29, adding community space, and changing the unit mix so at least 30 per cent of the units are two- or three-bedroom condominiums.

In other OMB news, the University of Toronto has taken its application to build a student residence at the corner of Spadina and Sussex avenues to the provincial body. The application includes an appeal of the city’s decision to list the building that houses the Ten Editions bookstore. Meanwhile, community consultations continue on the university’s proposed application to revise and update its secondary plan. Essentially an exemption to the Planning Act, the application would allow the university to build any structure in a 108-hectare area so long as it is consistent with what the school calls character areas.

—Geremy Bordonaro/Gleaner News

READ MORE:

NEWS: Tall tower before OMB, as city battles back with block study (August 2016)

NEWS: “Vertical rooming house” rejected (May 2015)

Catching up with history (May 2014)