The Core Question

The complexity of addressing student housing issues hitting home with council

By Greg MacDonald, Chronicle Staff

News
Oct 28, 2009

The city is set to re-examine its vision for Northdale and other core neighbourhoods after a workshop session Monday brought up serious concerns from several councillors.
The workshop began with staff listing off the successes and various policies the city uses to regulate the student-dominated neighbourhoods surrounding the city’s two universities.

Council’s official policy is to attract families back into the neighbourhoods — some of which have 95 per cent of homes being rented out.

But Coun. Diane Freeman sees a disconnect between the city’s plan and reality.

“If the idea is to reintegrate families into existing single family dwellings there is no support system for families, I don’t see how that can happen,” Freeman said.

With no elementary school in the vicinity of Northdale, which is bounded by University Avenue, Columbia Street, Albert Street and King Street, families have no incentives to move into the neighbourhood, she said.

“The only amenities available north of the university are for students,” Freeman said. “I don’t think what we have in place there is going to work because there is nothing for families.”

The afternoon workshop, held before Monday night’s council meeting, was an education session for councillors in response to a neighbourhood meeting held during the summer.

During that meeting, Coun. Jan d’Ailly and Mayor Brenda Halloran heard a multitude of concerns from the Northdale community association.

Those complaints included the usual — noisy parties, garbage-strewn properties and other behavioural issues.

But there were also calls for a special policy area to help the remaining permanent residents get the same price for their homes as licensed lodging houses demand.

The situation for seniors in the neighbourhood was especially disconcerting, Halloran said.

“What really struck me is what to do with seniors who feel stuck in these homes — they can’t sell them,” Halloran said. “It’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to say it’s a zoning issue and that’s it.

“Our role as a council is to listen to the residents and find a strategy to help.”

It’s not just the seniors councillors should worry about, added Coun. Mark Whaley, who lived in one of the post-war homes that make up Northdale.

“Those houses were temporary and prefabricated,” Whaley said. “Sixty years later, they’re filled with students and sometimes unsafe.

“At the same time, developers who want to build something better in the neighbourhood have to go to the OMB (Ontario Municipal Board) to get anything done.”

He believes the city needs to rezone the area to make it more student friendly and forget attracting families to the traditional homes.

“We’ve seen all the tools and successes that we’ve had over the years, but I think that we have a little way to go,” Whaley said.

Council didn’t commit to any rezoning or change in philosophy, but Jan d’Ailly, the ward councillor for the area, will hold a town hall meeting on Nov. 26 to gain feedback on the community about what they want to see in the area.

Following that meeting, council will hold another session to discuss the area. D’Ailly wants that to include a review of council’s vision for the university neighbourhoods.

And while he wants a review, d’Ailly was quick to tout the successes the city has had.

“Four years ago, there was garbage on the streets and it was a lot worse,” he said. “There are no more keg parties and street parties usually. We’ve done a good job but we have to keep going.

“We should making this a model neighbourhood, where students and residents can walk down the street on garbage day and at 3 a. m. on Saturday night and say they’re proud to live there.”