Mayor Rob Ford and his councillor brother Doug have abandoned their
dream of seizing the Port Lands from Waterfront Toronto and replacing
neighbourhood-based development with glitzy attractions.
Faced with public uproar and a revolt among council allies, the Ford administration was forced to reach across political divisions and has reached what one councillor calls “a consensus, not a compromise,” for council to vote on as early as Wednesday.
Drafts of the agreement were still being worked on Tuesday evening after intense negotiations this week. It confirms Waterfront Toronto as the lead agency for development in the Port Lands, a source with knowledge of the discussions told the Star.
It also calls on the agency, started with $500 million each from the city, provincial and federal governments, to accelerate construction of condos, parks, offices and retail that were to happen over 25 years.
But Waterfront Toronto is to also consider development input from other agencies including Toronto Port Lands Co., the city agency the Fords wanted to seize control of the eastern waterfront.
The deal between Ford allies, including Councillors Peter Milczyn and Michael Thompson, and Ford foes including Paula Fletcher and Pam McConnell, includes a review of an ongoing environmental assessment of the flood protection plan that is expected to produce only “tweaks.”
Details will be in a supplementary report going to councillors Wednesday morning for the start of a two-day council meeting.
Thompson, chair of the economic development committee, confirmed the source’s details as “pretty accurate” in an interview Tuesday evening.
“The mayor and Doug Ford and I wanted to see an acceleration of development, taking up the opportunity to build out, and I think we have achieved that,” he said.
But the deal as described would represent a stunning defeat for the Fords.
Only two weeks ago, executive committee voted to start negotiations to regain control of the city land, after Doug Ford had revealed plans were afoot to trash a plan subjected to six years of public consultation and the investment of $19 million.
Mayor Ford declared then: “We have to speed up that process so we can all benefit from a beautiful Port Lands,” as councillors viewed a conceptual video featuring a monorail, giant Ferris wheel and a huge shopping centre.
But councillors were flooded with calls and emails from residents worried about a seemingly hasty move. A grassroots lobby effort sprang up and more than 140 architecture, planning and design experts sent council an open letter urging them to stick with current plans.
Then, last week, Jaye Robinson, a member of Ford’s executive, revealed to the Star she couldn’t vote to sideline Waterfront Toronto. Other Ford allies Michelle Berardinetti, Karen Stintz and John Parker followed.
Fletcher said a great solution has arisen from what only days ago seemed like disaster.
“We’ve all been working behind the scenes, me and Pam McConnell and Peter (Milczyn) and others, but this is a triumph for the public,” she said.
“This is a Toronto moment, a Jane Jacobs moment. We’ve been busy talking to people we normally don’t talk to. Maybe we should do more of that.”
Cynthia Wilkey of CodeBlueTO, a coalition of waterfront groups that formed to fight the Fords’ plan, was optimistic Tuesday night but eager to see the details.
“This is a huge change” in a couple of weeks, Wilkey said. “Executive (committee) members must never have imagined Torontonians would be so passionate about their waterfront.”
Privately, some Ford foes on council agreed Waterfront Toronto was moving too slowly, and said the uproar appears to have hastened change and got the public fully engaged in plans for the shoreline.
Origin
Source: Toronto Star
Faced with public uproar and a revolt among council allies, the Ford administration was forced to reach across political divisions and has reached what one councillor calls “a consensus, not a compromise,” for council to vote on as early as Wednesday.
Drafts of the agreement were still being worked on Tuesday evening after intense negotiations this week. It confirms Waterfront Toronto as the lead agency for development in the Port Lands, a source with knowledge of the discussions told the Star.
It also calls on the agency, started with $500 million each from the city, provincial and federal governments, to accelerate construction of condos, parks, offices and retail that were to happen over 25 years.
But Waterfront Toronto is to also consider development input from other agencies including Toronto Port Lands Co., the city agency the Fords wanted to seize control of the eastern waterfront.
The deal between Ford allies, including Councillors Peter Milczyn and Michael Thompson, and Ford foes including Paula Fletcher and Pam McConnell, includes a review of an ongoing environmental assessment of the flood protection plan that is expected to produce only “tweaks.”
Details will be in a supplementary report going to councillors Wednesday morning for the start of a two-day council meeting.
Thompson, chair of the economic development committee, confirmed the source’s details as “pretty accurate” in an interview Tuesday evening.
“The mayor and Doug Ford and I wanted to see an acceleration of development, taking up the opportunity to build out, and I think we have achieved that,” he said.
But the deal as described would represent a stunning defeat for the Fords.
Only two weeks ago, executive committee voted to start negotiations to regain control of the city land, after Doug Ford had revealed plans were afoot to trash a plan subjected to six years of public consultation and the investment of $19 million.
Mayor Ford declared then: “We have to speed up that process so we can all benefit from a beautiful Port Lands,” as councillors viewed a conceptual video featuring a monorail, giant Ferris wheel and a huge shopping centre.
But councillors were flooded with calls and emails from residents worried about a seemingly hasty move. A grassroots lobby effort sprang up and more than 140 architecture, planning and design experts sent council an open letter urging them to stick with current plans.
Then, last week, Jaye Robinson, a member of Ford’s executive, revealed to the Star she couldn’t vote to sideline Waterfront Toronto. Other Ford allies Michelle Berardinetti, Karen Stintz and John Parker followed.
Fletcher said a great solution has arisen from what only days ago seemed like disaster.
“We’ve all been working behind the scenes, me and Pam McConnell and Peter (Milczyn) and others, but this is a triumph for the public,” she said.
“This is a Toronto moment, a Jane Jacobs moment. We’ve been busy talking to people we normally don’t talk to. Maybe we should do more of that.”
Cynthia Wilkey of CodeBlueTO, a coalition of waterfront groups that formed to fight the Fords’ plan, was optimistic Tuesday night but eager to see the details.
“This is a huge change” in a couple of weeks, Wilkey said. “Executive (committee) members must never have imagined Torontonians would be so passionate about their waterfront.”
Privately, some Ford foes on council agreed Waterfront Toronto was moving too slowly, and said the uproar appears to have hastened change and got the public fully engaged in plans for the shoreline.
Origin
Source: Toronto Star
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