A Long Branch man has given up the legal battle to develop two units on his property.

By Tess Kalinowski | Star Reporter | July 29, 2019 |

Rob Thompson has given up the fight to sever his Long Branch property. His decision clears the way for a monster home to replace his tiny bungalow.

Instead of supplanting the rundown 1939 cottage with two family homes — Thompson had hoped to live in one house and sell the other — it will probably be redeveloped into a single, detached house at least two or three times the size.

His self-imposed city hall defeat comes on the cusp of a broader civic debate as Toronto grapples with getting more people into neighbourhoods like Thompson’s that are walkable, transit-friendly and largely reserved for expensive single-family detached houses.