Dear Councillor Matlow, 

We are writing to you regarding the proposal that has been put forth to build 2 skyscraper condominiums on Lawton Blvd. in Deer Park.

We understand that when evaluating development proposals, one of the main considerations for you is the impact of such proposals on key stakeholders. It goes without saying that existing residents/property owners (e.g. current property taxpayers) in the community should be considered key stakeholders. 

We attended the video conference call on May 15, 2025, and it was clear that existing residents/property owners in the community have a number of justified concerns regarding the proposal including:

• Increased traffic congestion: Deer Park is already very congested during morning/evening rush hour. Deer Park is situated between two major roads (Yonge and Avenue) with limited access points. These are further reduced due to turning restrictions (from Yonge) and during rush hour (from Avenue).
• Safety considerations during construction: Deer Park is a highly pedestrian neighborhood with many families walking to/from schools, daycares, groceries and the subway. We will have to walk directly past the construction site on a daily basis while work is ongoing/as construction trucks enter/exit the site.
• Fundamentally changing the nature/look/feel of the community leading to declining property values: Deer Park has a small, family friendly, pedestrian community feel that is very distinct from other locations such as Yonge and Eglinton, Yonge and St. Clair, and Yonge and Davisville, that were referenced on the call.
• Lack of infrastructure to support the increased density: The population of Deer Park would increase by a significant factor based on the proposed development. However: a) Local public schools and daycares are already at/near capacity; b) Medical practitioners have recently had to move out of the area with other condos going up in the Yonge/St.Clair-to-Eglington corridor, creating ‘new patient’ waitlists for doctors, and making it difficult to access local healthcare services (e.g. outside of hospitals; and c) We’re already experiencing significant delays in getting on the subway at Yonge and St. Clair during rush hour because of increased congestion on the platform (and Southbound trains already at capacity given densification at Yonge and Eglinton, Yonge and Davisville, etc.).
• Exacerbating already-challenging snow removal in the area: Snow removal already creates a material challenge to navigability for both automobiles and pedestrians as Deer Park becomes a series of tight one-way roads after a snowfall. This dangerous situation, which can last for 2-4 weeks after a snowfall, would be further exacerbated by the movement of construction vehicles during the build, and once complete, the addition of incremental commuter, pedestrian, delivery and service volume to the roadways/sidewalks.
• Loss of light/shadows from the proposed skyscraper towers: Even if for a short period of time each day, it is still a net loss with no offsetting benefit.

In contrast, no meaningful benefits to the existing residents in the community were articulated on the call, and from our own assessment of the plans, we do not perceive there to be any.  This leads us to conclude that the net impact on the existing community will be negative (e.g. a material reduction in the quality of life and a permanent impairment of property values).

Given that, we are strongly opposed to the proposal.  Instead, we believe that any plans for the proposed site should only be approved once compelling evidence has been provided to demonstrate that the development is reasonable and is expected to enhance the quality of life for all those impacted by the potential build – including the existing residents of Deer Park. As the current plans stand, the existing residents and Deer Park community stand only to lose.  

Our hope is that City Council is genuinely committed to protecting/enhancing the quality of life of its existing residents and thus will move to vote against the skyscraper proposal on Lawton. Further, we hope that City Council will take some time to better assess the ultimate impact of the multitude of developments (and existing approved/in process development applications) on the Deer Park neighbourhood before rushing to approve yet another proposal in the area. Once these skyscrapers are built, it will be too late to course correct.

Thank you,

Concerned residents of Deer Park