We, the owners of homes on Pemberton Ave in North York, STRONGLY OPPOSE the following: 

● oppose building of the proposed multi-story building at 104-114 Finch Ave E, which backs into our backyards. 
● oppose any change or variation to the existing zoning by-laws. 
● oppose permission given by the city to build any multi-story structure adjacent to our backyards (98 Finch Ave E to 114 Finch Ave E). 

The reasons set out below, identify why the building and the proposed change in the zoning by-laws will result in a material reduction in our quality of life, the safety of our properties, and our peace of mind.

● Neighbourhood Character and Zoning:
○ This area is zoned for single-family homes.
○ Families with young children and elderly residents have lived here quietly for generations.
○ The proposed multi-storey high-density high-rise tower far exceeds the city’s residential population density guidelines and significantly increases population density in an already high-density area. 
● Lack of Community Input and Engagement:
○ The community was not engaged in the decision-making process.
○ No input was sought or taken from the residents who will be directly impacted by the proposed build.
○ Lack of community input and engagement is detrimental to any change in the community, especially one that would impact so many lives.
● Violation of Existing Zoning By-Laws
○ The properties from 98 Finch Ave E to 114 Finch Ave East fall under the Toronto Zoning by-law C4(15) Zone. This by-law clearly states under clause 26(3) and clause 26 (4) the type of build that can occur on these properties. It essentially limits homes to 2 story structures. 
○ The proposed builds are in clear violation of the existing by-law and furthermore, we oppose any change from the existing by-law. 
● Inconsistent Zoning:
○ The city proposed that properties closest to the subway would be designated for multi-family occupancy dwellings.
○ The east side of Dudley on Finch (between Doris and Dudley), which is significantly closer to the subway and bus station, doesn’t have a single multi-story, medium/high-rise building. All the buildings are Single-Family, 1 and 2-story homes, which is consistent with the existing by-laws.
○ Pemberton Ave was designated as a single-family home area, and adding a multi-story high-rise tower that backs into our homes goes against this zoning logic.
○ We strongly oppose any attempts to arbitrarily transpose zoning from one part of Finch Ave. E to another. 
● Blocked Sunlight and Loss of Privacy:
○ The proposed multi-story high-rise will severely block sunlight to our backyards and our homes.
○ The lack of sun will have a detrimental effect on children, the elderly, and our general enjoyment of our homes.
○ The city zoned our properties to get adequate sunlight but this proposed multi-story build destroys what our properties are zoned for.
○ Further, residents on the higher levels of such a high-rise will have a direct view of our backyard and potentially into our homes which will result in a significant reduction in privacy and our ability to enjoy our backyard and the rooms in the rear portion of our homes. 
● Traffic Congestion:
○ There is already severe congestion and heavy traffic throughout the day on Willowdale and Finch Ave.
○ The anticipated number of additional drivers on the road that will result from the proposed high-rise will significantly add to this already congested situation and increase the risk of traffic violations such as speeding and running red lights.
 

● Safety of our Children: 
○ Further, children who live in this neighbourhood who live on the East side of Willowdale and who attend Cummer Valley Middle School must cross the street at Willowdale to get to school. Many of these children walk to and from on their own. Increased traffic and congestion will increase the risk to these children.    
○ The number of people that will be added to the area through the high-rise building will create significant additional foot traffic on Pemberton Ave as this street is often used as a through-fare for residents to get to the Finch subway station, destroying the peaceful and safe community our properties are zoned for.
○ We are a child-friendly, safe community where our children still play on the streets, this will be completely destroyed by building a multi-story high-rise in our midst. 
● Serious Environmental Impact - Destruction of rare birds and and animals:
○ We have nests in the trees around us and several sightings of rare birds.
○ The environmental impact of constructing a multi-story high-rise tower which will displace and destroy the habitat of these rare birds and other animals must be studied before the proposed site can even be considered.
 

● Serious Environmental & Geological Impact: Destruction of ancient root systems: 
○ The trees in the proposed site are over 60 years old, and their root systems crisscross our properties. Any damage to their roots will impact our gardens, the ability of our land to drain water, and could kill or destroy our trees as well. 
○ On our properties, we also have trees over 60 years old and which have root systems that go into the proposed site.  Any construction on the site will impact these healthy trees on our properties and have a detrimental effect to the stability of the land around it. 
○ The construction will badly damage these ancient trees and impact all existing plots in the area.
○ Increased risk of flooding: Many parts of downtown and mid-town Toronto recently flooded due to the infrastructure not being able to handle almost 100mm of rain falling within a 3 hour period. Building a high-rise tower behind our properties which will increase the amount of concrete and reduce the amount of soil that can absorb rainfall will significantly increase the risk of the surrounding properties getting similarly flooded during the next major rain storm.     
● Illegal cutting of trees without a permit from Parks, Recreation and Forestry
○ We have noticed that a few weeks ago bulldozers were brought on to the proposed properties (104-114 Finch Ave) and a number of trees were felled on the properties without a permit from Parks, Recreation and Forestry
○ We are strongly opposed to it and request the Ministry of Parks, Recreation and Forestry to immediately investigate the matter. 
● Lack of Parking:
○ There is very limited street parking available in the area.
○ Residents already struggle to find parking space.
○ The addition of scores of cars will worsen the parking situation and create situations where cars are parked in a way that blocks other cars or driveways or increases risk of traffic collisions
● Overburdened School Facilities:
○ Our local elementary school is already above capacity.
○ The proposed high-rise will add to this pressure, and the quality of our children’s education will suffer.
 

● Impact on Health:
○ We have residents with significant illnesses and many elderly neighbours.
○ The construction of a high-rise tower will create pollution, dust, and noise that will exacerbate these conditions, causing life-threatening situations.
 

● Fire Hazard: 
○ We are concerned about the capacity of local fire services to handle emergencies in a high-density, high-rise tower.
○ A high-density high-rise tower puts houses behind it at an elevated fire risk as residents throw debris out of the windows and into our backyards.
○ We are concerned that when a high-rise building’s height is greater than the distance between the building and our homes and the building catches fire if it collapses, then there is a high likelihood that the building could collapse onto and destroy our homes and endanger our lives.   
○ Adding hundreds of units to the small community without adequate infrastructure upgrades puts the lives of all residents at risk and is irresponsible. 
 

● Infrastructure Strain:
○ This area already suffers from regular power losses and blackouts.
○ Adding a high-rise tower with many more residents adds tremendous pressure to an already overloaded infrastructure.
○ With so many people primarily working from home now, we do not have the electrical grid power, water systems, or sewage systems to support the proposed tower.
○ The water system in the area has extremely old pipes. These pipes simply cannot handle the additional load of a high-density high-rise tower. 
 

● Property Values:
○ We are a community of law-abiding, hardworking middle-class individuals.
○ The proposed high-rise tower will significantly reduce the value of our investments that we have worked for our whole lives.
 

● Safety and Emergency Services:
○ Our local hospital, North York General, and our police station are already at capacity.
○ We often wait 3-4 days for police to respond to current issues.
○ We do not have the bandwidth in our emergency services to handle another high-rise tower.
● Fair use of our Property Taxes:
○ We pay our property tax on single family properties; we have the right to live in a community with proper single family homes. 
○ Any high rise at this corner will strip off the basic element of our single family houses and significantly reduce our quality of life. 
○ The city has the responsibility to protect all its residents and we urge the city to not grant this building application or accept any change to the existing by-law.
We demand immediate consultation and a thorough investigation into and response to all the above points. 

We demand an immediate stop in reviewing all proposals to build a multi-story high-rise tower in our community until these concerns are addressed and resolved.

We oppose all changes to the existing by-laws governing the land between 98 Finch Ave E to 114 Finch Ave E.