The following letters are designed for a Committee of Adjustment hearing in the Toronto and East York (TEY) planning district. The addresses should me modified to reflect the appropriate planning district.
1. Sample Letter of Objection
[Sender’s name & address] [Date]
Manager & Deputy Secretary Treasurer Toronto & East York Panel
Committee of Adjustment Toronto City Hall,
1st Floor 100 Queen St. W. Toronto, Ont.
M5H 2N2
Dear Sir/Madam,
I live at [address] and have received the Public Hearing Notice regarding the minor variances sought for the property at [Applicant’s address].
I have reviewed the information attached to the notice regarding the minor variances. I have also discussed the application with the owner of the property.
In my opinion, the proposed variances would not negatively impact on our property or the surrounding neighbourhood, in fact, I think that it will make the house more in keeping with the esthetic of the neighbourhood. I am in support of the application.
Yours Truly,
[Name and signature]
2. Sample Letter of Objection
[Month, day, year
Sender’s name, address, phone number & email address]
Paul MacLean Chair, Palmerston Area Residents’ Association
Re: [File number and address of property]
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to object to the Application for the Committee of Adjustment for Minor Variance Permission being requested on the above property at [address].
Firstly, I would like to say that my household did not receive notice from the City regarding this development proposal and hearing, even though this property is almost directly across the street from my house. I only learned about this issue a couple of days ago by chance from my neighbours. The hearing sign posted on the front door is small and unreadable from the street.
The description of the proposal by the Applicants: “Addition on 2nd floor and new 3rd floor (proposed height = 9.59 M Proposed area = 301.02 SQM), – new exterior stairs at rear – new front porch roof” significantly minimized the changes shown on the plans.
This application is seeking to more than double the existing square footage, completely alter the facade and street elevation, add a multi-unit fire escape-type three storey staircase to the existing dwelling, and significantly reduce the property’s green space.
The existing house is in the middle of a row of five gracious 19th century red brick Victorian cottages. The proposed development would completely eliminate the existing historical facade, alter the roofline, and destroy the existing streetscape. The proposal shows a three storey stone-veneered facade with contemporary casement windows sticking more than 7 feet above the surrounding cottages. The ‘new front porch roof’ is a complete fabrication as there is currently no existing porch and no existing porch roof; there is only a concrete pad with one step up to the front door.
The proposed floor plans show interior layouts consistent with student housing and/or rooming houses: maximum bedrooms with minimum ‘living space’. In fact, the proposed plans ‘officially’ show 5 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, but the plans also show a ‘study/183 sq ft’ and two ‘storage
areas/206.2 sq ft and 141.5 sq ft’ in the basement as well as a ‘family room/198 sq ft’ on the main floor which is labelled ‘bedroom’ on the existing plans, and another proposed ‘study/76 sq ft’ on the second floor, a ‘den/124 sq ft’ and a ‘storage room/81 sq ft’ on the third floor, as well as two additional bathrooms. These ‘storage areas’ are bigger than some of the designated bedrooms.
This would explain the huge fire escape-style staircase at the rear as consistent with a multi-unit dwelling. However, there are no safety measures or design features consistent with a multi-unit dwelling such as fire doors and fire separations that I can see, and the application presents the dwelling as a single family home.
It is clear to me that the intent of this Application for Minor Variance is NOT to enhance and upgrade a single-family dwelling, but rather to obfuscate the Applicant’s real intention to turn the dwelling into an illegal multi-unit building. It already seems like a rooming house or student accommodation as there are a large number of (unrelated) people living in this house.
Green space and parking spaces are in short supply on this section of [Street]; current residents with parking permits have issues finding a place to park. Approving this application would only aggravate the current situation as well as permanently ruin the streetscape and further erode existing green space. I have serious concerns about allowing an illegal multi-unit dwelling on our street with little to no fire safety measures, not to mention the noise, etc. that comes with a high occupancy rate.
My opinion is that development permission and zoning exemptions should be denied on this application. I believe that this row of cottages should be considered for Heritage Toronto status and that the end use of the dwelling under the current proposal should be thoroughly investigated prior to issuing any type of permits or permissions.
I have lived on [Street] for over 22 years, since 1996. I believe that the existing and long term needs of our neighbourhood and community need to be thoroughly considered before approving development plans such as this one.
Kind regards, [Name & signature]
3. Sample letter of objection
Sent by email
From: [Name of sender]
To: [Name of Application Technician]
Subject: [File number and street address]
Date: [Date and time sent]
To Whom It May Concern:
As the owners and occupants of [address], we are writing to state our objection to the proposed renovations being done on [Applicant’s address] (the neighbouring house to our North).
Based on the plans that we have viewed, we have a number of concerns regarding the impact that this significant two storey renovation will have on our property, including the following:
- A severe reduction in the sunlight that currently reaches the rooms on the north and west facing side of our house (these include the master bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and dressing room).
- A significant impediment in the view to the north from our backyard (i.e. where once we saw sky, we will now see a wall).
- A substantial increase into the ‘overhang’ (i.e. neighbour’s view) of what will now loom over our backyard.
- The reduction of the width of our already narrow shared drive that the new proposed footprint will leave in its wake.
- The impeding of our ability to use the above-mentioned shared drive during the renovation period due to the significant amount of manpower and equipment required to facilitate an extension of this size (this is our access point to our backyard and rear entrance as well as our garage where we store bicycles, gardening tools, lawnmower, snowblower, etc…).
In addition to the above, we are also concerned that allowing an extension the size of the proposed one will set a dangerous precedent, whereby the other surrounding houses (which currently have a footprint that is more of less uniform) could also file for similar-sized variances/extensions. If this were to happen, our house/property would in effect be boxed in with our view greatly reduced, and our once sunny rear and side exposures now in shadow.
We appreciate your time and attention to this matter. Best,
[Names, addresses and phone numbers of senders]
4. Sample petition letter
[Date]
Dear neighbour,
Nearly two years ago, my husband and I purchased the house at [address]. We have been renting it since then, but are planning to live there in a few years’ time. We are very much looking forward to returning to the Harbord Street/Little Italy community, as we previously lived on [street], where our children were born and raised.
We recently received notice from the Committee of Adjustment that the owners of [adjacent Applicant’s address] have proposed very significant changes to their property. You may be aware of their proposed changes, but in case you have not yet seen the plans, they can be viewed online at www.toronto,ca/aic (enter the file number XXXXX).
It is clear from the online documentation that the owners of [Applicant’s address] are proposing major modifications to the property that would completely change the character of the house and, indeed, the entire block. The property would be transformed from a modest 1½ storey building to an imposing 3storey structure with a prominent fire-escape/stairwell at the rear. Furthermore, the character of the proposed new structure would completely erase any remaining evidence of the charming Victorian cottage that occupies the site now. We are concerned that these changes will seriously alter the nature and intensity of use, and undermine the current look and feel of the row of 5 cottages on that block.
Given this, and noting the lack of consultation by the owners, we are hoping to obtain a deferral from the Committee of Adjustment, to permit proper conversation with the owners to discuss the changes they wish to make to their property.
I have been in contact with Mike Layton’s constituency staff member, Angela Surdi, and have alsoreached out to Paul MacLean, chair of the Palmerston Area Residents’ Association, to ask for PARA’s support in obtaining a deferral.
I plan to attend the Committee of Adjustment hearing on [date] and would be happy to provide the Committee with any additional letters or notes from you, should you also be interested in obtaining a deferral.
If you’d like to get in touch with me, I can be reached on my mobile at [number], or via email at [email address].
If you’re unable to attend the meeting on [date] but would like to add your name to below, signifying your request for a deferral, we’d be most grateful.
With thanks, [Name]
[Photo and petition attached]
