Issue in Depth: Toronto's Planning Process

By Bill Freeman

Toronto is in the process of recreating itself. Massive redevelopment schemes are underway in the downtown. Condo development in the area east of Yonge Street south of Queen has destroyed most of the old neighbourhoods. The Waterfront is being transformed from industrial to residential uses. The Railway Lands, the Etobicoke Waterfront, Eglinton and Yonge, Fort York: the schemes are colossal in size and enormous in their impact on the city and its future.

The City of Toronto has adopted an official plan and neighbourhood plans that are fine documents enunciating stellar principles about architecture and planning, and yet the process of planning in the City of Toronto is completely politically driven. The results are poorly planned neighbourhoods with little coherency and buildings that have very little aesthetic merit.

Politics is the most serious problem with the Toronto planning process. The development industry is wealthy and understands that they have to spend money to get their projects approved. It is no accident that Vote Toronto found that developers and development lawyers contributed more money to political campaigns than any other industry.

The politicians meddle in the planning process to the detriment of almost everyone except the developers. Some councillors in downtown wards actually negotiate directly with developers, trading density for community amenities. Not only does this lead to poor planning that often violates the official plan, but this practice defies the long held principle that the role of politicians is to set policies while the role of civil servants is to implement them.

The provincial government has helped in the politicizing of the planning process. In the Mike Harris years the province removed any reference to aesthetic considerations in the evaluation of projects. All we are left with is formulas on density and coverage. They also made new appointments to the Ontario Municipal Board which strengthens the ability of developers to appeal the decisions of municipalities that they did not like.

How Bayview and Sheppard got a Mega Development

Unless the application was opposed at the OMB, it would be approved automatically. Councillor David Shiner, a strong supporter of the project and Verdiroc, opposed the city making representation against the project and won the vote at council. Because there was no opposition, the OMB approved the 481 units.

This has led to a political system of approvals driven by profits. Make no mistake. There are huge, enormous profits in the development industry. One decision of council to change the number of floors of a building or a zoning by-law can mean millions of dollars in profits for the developers.

We have paid a major price for this type of planning system. Our city lacks a sense of coherency. The height of buildings varies from one area to another. There are dense, high rise neighbourhoods, like Jane and Finch that are remote from the rest of the city. We have allowed gems of our architectural heritage, like the Inn on the Park and the Bata Shoe Headquarters, to be ripped down while buildings with no architectural merit, like the Sheraton Centre across from City Hall and the Huang & Danczkay buildings on the Waterfront have been built.

Buildings provide the public realm of our city. It is essential that they be functional and make a positive contribution to the way we live and work, but they should also be aesthetically pleasing, using interesting materials and art objects. They must make a contribution to neighbourhoods by encouraging shops, restaurants and coffee houses and inviting the public to participate in the life that has been created in the space. But how can we make all of that happen?

There has been a lot of discussion about reforming the planning process. Planners and architects advocate the Vancouver system. In that city politicians have been removed completely from the planning process. Developers must present their projects to a 12 member design review committee made up of professionals like architects and planners. They judge projects from many different viewpoints. Once they approve, the project goes forward to a three member approval board composed of city bureaucrats. At no point are the politicians involved.

It is obvious why the architects and planners like this system; they dominate the planning process. Vancouver has built a number of spectacular buildings and projects that are widely admired but this process cuts the politicians out of the decision making process completely and by cutting out the politicians the public essentially is removed from the process. In our view this is not acceptable. The public must be involved in the planning process. It is far too important to leave all of the decisions up to professionals.

What if, and we are very much in the realm of speculation here, what if we developed a hybrid planning system? What if Toronto established a design review committee made up entirely of professional architects and planners to look at all projects? The committee would judge the projects on key issues like functionality, aesthetics, and the project’s contribution to the community. Once a project was approved by the committee it then would pass on to the local city councillor and city council for approval, but if the politicians make any changes the project must automatically return for approval to the design review committee. Once the revised plan is approved by the committee it goes back to the politicians for final approval.

This process might appear clumsy and overly bureaucratic, but under this type of system the real power has shifted to the design review committee. The politician who wants to challenge their decision will have to marshal strong arguments to convince them that they were wrong.

If this process is to work the OMB must be eliminated. Originally the OMB was set up to ensure that municipalities were responsible, but in recent years they have been used by developers as a way to avoid municipal planning restrictions. Large and sophisticated municipalities like Toronto do not need the OMB meddling in their affairs, and if a design review committee system is implemented then they would be a negative nuisance.

Reforming the planning process is urgently needed. Whoever occupies the mayor’s chair after the next election must make it a top priority.