The Eatonville Neighbourhood- Etobicoke

History

Eatonville began as a farming community in the early 1800's. One of its first residents was Peter Shaver who donated a portion of his property at Bloor Street and Highway 27 for the local school. This school was affectionately known as the "Swamp School" because of all the frogs that lived in the bushes and marshes nearby.
Peter Shaver's homestead and adjoining farms were purchased in the 1890's and early 1900's by Timothy Eaton the patriarch of Eaton's Department Store. Eaton donated a portion of his land to the local school which was renamed "Eatonville" in his honour. Eventually this entire area also became known as Eatonville.
The Eaton Farm provided meat, poultry, vegetables and dairy products for Eatons stores right up until the early 1950's when it was subdivided for residential development. In 1955, the rapid growth of this community led to the building of the present day Eatonville School on Rossburn Drive, near the site of the original "Swamp School" where it all began.
Ed Note: Peter Shaver's "Applewood House", was relocated in 1980 to 450 The West Mall where it now stands as a historic museum.

Overview

Eatonville is a family oriented neighbourhood that is home to people of a wide mix of incomes and cultural backgrounds. Residents of this neighbourhood still refer to their home as being in Etobicoke which is not surprising as the former Etobicoke City Hall and City Centre are located within Eatonville's boundaries on the West Mall, south of Burnhamthorpe Road. The only two references to the pre- subdivision Eatonville are the Eatonville Public School on Rossburn Drive and the Eatonville Public Library located at 430 Burnhamthorpe Road.

Homes

Eatonville houses east of Highway 427 were built in the late 1940's and the 1950's. These houses consist of detached bungalows, one-and-a-half-storey homes, and Cape Cod style two-storey houses. Many of the bungalows in this part of the neighbourhood are being torn down and replaced by custom designed new homes.
The houses west of Highway 427 were built in the 1960's and 1970's. This part of the neighbourhood contains a mix of brick bungalows, semi-detached houses, and large detached two-storey homes. Eatonville's main arterial streets including the West and East Malls and Burnhamthorpe Road contain a mix of rental and condominium high-rise apartments and townhouses.

Shopping

The Bloor Street shopping district west of Kipling Avenue is a small neighbourhood retail corridor that includes local shopping plazas, food markets, restaurants and independent owner operated stores. The Westmall Bloor Plaza is located further west on Bloor Street at the West Mall. This community shopping plaza features a popular discount store and a mix of owner operated shops including a flower shop, a hairstylist, convenience stores, a dry cleaner, a bank, professional offices and a fish and chips restaurant.
Dundas Street attracts a regional clientele to its many new car dealerships, restaurants and home improvement stores. Dundas Street also features two shopping malls. Cloverdale Mall is an indoor mall anchored by major department stores and includes over one-hundred retailers. This mall has special events going on throughout the year together with a craft show, a home show, antique shows, a seniors show, and sidewalk sales. The outdoor Honeydale Mall is anchored by a department store with a dozen or so smaller retailers included in this shopping mix.

Schools

(P) Bloorlea, 4050 Bloor St., (416) 394-7140

(P) Eatonville, 15 Rossburn Dr., (416) 394-7040

(P) Wedgewood, 5 Swan Ave., (416) 394-7150

(PH) Burnhamthorpe C.I., 500 The East Mall, (416) 394-7130

(CA) Our Lady of Peace, 70 Mattice Ave., (416) 393-5253

(CA) St. Elizabeth, 5 Redcar Ave., (416) 393-5278

Legend:

(P) Public School

(PH) Public High School

(CA) Catholic School

(PR) Private School

(PC) Private Catholic School

(PJ) Private Jewish School

(C) College

(U) University

Bus services on Bloor and Dundas Streets, The West Mall, The East Mall and Burnhamthorpe Road connect passengers to the Kipling station located off Auckland Road just south of Bloor Street. This station serves both TTC and Go Transit commuters.
Motorists are within minutes of Highway 427 on-ramps at Dundas and Bloor Streets and Burnhamthorpe and Rathburn Roads. Bloor Street provides motorists with an alternative route into downtown Toronto. The Pearson International Airport is within a ten minute drive of this neighbourhood.

For information about what has sold in this neighbourhood, or homes currently available for sale email igor@torontorealproperties.com or use this contact me window click here

Six Points development

New interchanges proposed for Dundas Bloor Kipling.

There is also discussion about the new court house for Etobicoke moving to the Westwood Theatre lot on the NE corner of Kipling and Dundas. This will be well served by the expanded transit hub.
Look west, oh cash-strapped Toronto politicians. One answer to your financial woes might lie just the other side of the Humber River.
The city owns a gold mine of underused and largely vacant lands in central Etobicoke worth well in excess of $100 million. And according to some developers and politicians, it's easily ripe and ready for sale.

"We've been sitting on these parcels for as long as most of us can remember," says councillor Doug Holyday (Ward 3 Etobicoke Centre), who can provide studies dating to 1979 examining the areas. "The time to make this work for our community is long overdue."

Councillor Peter Milczyn (Ward 5 Etobicoke-Lakeshore) agrees.

"Outside of the port lands, this is the biggest chunk of real estate the city owns," he says. "It is completely irresponsible to have that much ... and not have it working financially and as a dynamic chance for urban growth for our community."

The fate of the lands, now under scrutiny as part of the city's West District Study and undergoing public consultation since 2003, has been under review since the early 1980s. Redevelopment plans and proposals would create a 2.8-kilometre-long, 170-hectare "downtown west" between Montgomery Rd., east of Islington Ave., and Shorncliffe Rd. and Shaver Ave., west of Kipling Ave.
But for area residents who packed a public meeting Monday night, the views of many seem to be summed up by one man's comment: "The real question is, will any of us be alive to see this ever happen?"

Properties under review include:

The Bloor-Islington lands: The site is about 2.1 hectares and contains a subway station and bus terminal serving the TTC and Mississauga Transit. Most of the northern boundary consists of the railway tracks from just east of Islington to where they cross Bloor St., about 400 metres west. The southern boundary is Bloor.

After the city consolidated its holdings on the site by buying a Royal Canadian Legion branch, it kickstarted redevelopment of Etobicoke Centre by arranging to sell part of the site to engineering and construction giant SNC-Lavalin. The firm will build its headquarters here in a deal that gives the city a profit and will almost certainly lure more development and jobs. With money from Mississauga and Toronto, as well as the province, the Mississauga Transit bus terminal will move west to Kipling station, freeing the northwest corner of Bloor and Islington for redevelopment.

The Westwood Theatre Lands, which cover 7.7 hectares on the east and south sides of Kipling and Bloor south to the railway tracks. The site contains a 2.8-hectare snow storage facility, Toronto Police Services 22 Division and the vacant Westwood Theatre. At the northwestern edge is the Six Points traffic interchange, which under the proposals would be removed to add land, accessibility and improved developability to this key section of Etobicoke Centre.

Etobicoke Civic Centre lands: The site is approximately 6.7 hectares immediately southwest of Highway 427 and Burnhamthorpe Rd., and could be redeveloped for residential, office and institutional uses if the civic centre is moved to Etobicoke Centre (likely Bloor and Islington or the Westwood lands). Another nearby parcel of 2.4 hectares, owned by the Toronto District School Board and slated for sale, could be redeveloped as part of the same vision.

Local politicians say there is the opportunity for big bucks if the lands are sold and the lure of future property tax revenue has brought political will to recent discussions about urbanizing Etobicoke.
"We don't have the money we need," Holyday says. "(The proposals) are just good management of our assets."

Although Anne Milchberg, the city's facilities and real estate manager of development and portfolio planning, cautions that the proposals are still at the public input stage, she says many factors in recent years have brought things to a tipping point where development of these land parcels are concerned.

Amalgamation a decade ago centralized the planning authority once split between the former cities of Toronto and Etobicoke and the municipality of Metro Toronto, she says. It's now possible to co-ordinate efforts to seek development.

As well, commercial property taxes in the 416 area code are now more competitive with those in the 905 areas, a key factor with Mississauga so close by. This now makes Etobicoke more attractive to developers, Milchberg says.

And both provincial and municipal development goals have targeted the west part of the city for infill and intensification, she says.

Holyday adds that the converging growth in west Toronto and Mississauga transit services has forced a need to co-ordinate plans for transportation links and land use.

Put this together with society's "greener" philosophy – a reduced willingness to tolerate suburban sprawl – and the plans are looking pretty good to developers, planners and politicians.

"Now there is real interest," from developers in the lands, Milchberg says. "Getting someone like Lavalin was part of the strategy, now others realize it is desirable."

But some residents fear the impacts of the proposed changes.

The most controversial plans involve the Westwood site, where the many options involve taking out the Six Points traffic interchange.

Nicknamed "spaghetti junction," the network of ramps where Bloor, Dundas and Kipling converge was designed half a century ago when much of the neighbourhood was still farmers' fields.
The city's plans aim to turn the ramps and loops into a grid-based web of walkable grade-level city streets with buildings that extend to the sidewalks.

As it is now, the interchange "is a nightmare," says Jim Sturino, owner of Royal LePage West. "It is a mess – I've lived in the west end my whole life and it has never been anything but confusing," Sturino says. "People don't walk there, and from a business point of view, it makes the entire area inaccessible."

But residents and ratepayers groups have their own concerns.

Greg Rohn, president of the Markland Homes Association, says his members are concerned about plans to make Bloor St. a straight thoroughfare.

"Now people have to make a turn," he says. "Would this change Bloor into a major east-west thoroughfare west of the site? There are many homes along Bloor and several schools that could be affected by the traffic. We already have major speeding issues."

Bob Berry, spokesperson for the Islington Ratepayers' and Residents' Association, says his group is pleased with the Bloor-Islington plans that are underway. But they are not happy with the plans for the Westwood lands. Berry wonders how much the changes will cost.

He also fears the change would cause traffic gridlock and divert traffic into residential areas. He thinks the plans would cause lengthy construction disruptions in the area if implemented.

"They don't want to talk about how long the disruptions will last," he says. "I've been on this for four years and I'm not very happy with the answers they give."

However, developer Mark Bozzo, who has long created projects in Etobicoke but has no connection to the specific sites, says most of the concerns are unfounded.

Bozzo, president of Queenscorp Group, says the Westwood site is ideally situated for intensification.
"I would think it (the Westwood site) is worth the $100 million," he says. "The driving force is it is identified as a major transportation node." He says there has been enough population growth and intensification in the area over the past five to 10 years to avoid traditional early-stage development problems such as gridlock backing up into residential streets.

"If we take the Kipling-Dundas quadrant you now have enough people, but you don't have enough reasons why they should get out of their cars and shop and interact in the neighbourhood," he says. "It needs that retail and service-based environment – that great grocery store, so people will get out and walk. They can't as it is, but with merchants, stores and businesses to serve them along a grid pattern and a streetscape they will."

Though Etobicoke's Ward 5 is largely lowrise, its population grew about 4 per cent from 1996 to 2001. However, immediate surrounding areas have recently seen as many as 7,000 residential units planned, under construction or completed.

Usually when developing new projects, the problem is the units and transportation networks are completed first, but population staggers in much more slowly. That way it is hard to attract smaller commercial retailers and services and initially people have to drive to get their needs filled.
"Here (in the Westwood area) they are lucky," he says. "They have the people already."

Councillor Milczyn says changes to the road networks could be phased in to minimize disruption, a ramp or two at a time. (There are no firm dates yet as to how much time the work would take to complete, if the changes do go ahead.)

And by removing "spaghetti junction" much more land is freed up for sale, offsetting the cost of changing the streetscape. The interchange itself takes up 4.1 hectares.

Milczyn says it's essential to prepare the Westwood site, and making it more accessible adds to its value, further offsetting the city's costs and increasing future tax revenues. But more important, he says, removing Six Points will help create a true neighbourhood and a better living environment.
Until the Six Points "barrier" is gone, there will never be a solid footing for development of a real urban centre in Etobicoke, he says.

The YMCA has offered to build on the Westwood site and there is room for parks as well as commercial buildings, services (including badly needed ones such as daycare) and residential units, he says.

Regarding the Islington-Bloor lands, most residents are happy with the plans, say Islington ratepayers' group president Berry and Markland's Rohn, local councillors and realtor Sturino.

As for the civic centre site, there are enough options to preserve the historic council chambers and keep the popular farmers' market that goes on most weekends, councillor Holyday says. But the lowrise buildings and parking lots that dominate the space can easily be sold and redeveloped, again bringing in badly needed revenue for the city and improving its tax base.

"I say we don't have the money, so if we can make this land work for us to make money for the taxpayer and get the city we want, it is time we did," he says.
http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/272168


Etobicoke is overdue TheStar.com - Athome - Etobicoke is overdue
TARA WALTON/TORONTO STAR
City Councillor Doug Holyday stands at Six Points interchange, which eats up about four hectares and is slated for removal as part of plans for walkable urban streetscapes in Etobicoke.
CENTRE STAGE
The city hopes to channel growth to the centres, as the official plan calls the small-scale downtowns in the former municipalities of North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke and the Yonge-Eglinton area. Of the centres, Etobicoke is now the leader in residential growth.
170Number of hectares (420 acres) in Etobicoke Centre, which is south of Bloor and Dundas Sts., north of the CPR tracks, west of Montgomery Rd. and east of Shaver Ave. and Shorncliffe Rd.
2Subway stops in Etobicoke Centre. Kipling station also serves as a GO Transit station and Islington is a terminal for Mississauga Transit. A deal to move MT's terminal to Kipling station has been approved.
4,446Residential units in the pipeline for Etobicoke Centre (corresponding numbers for North York Centre and Scarborough Centre are 3,928 and 2,033, respectively).
7,000Estimated number of units Etobicoke Centre is expected to have absorbed in a decade once all the proposed or under-construction projects are complete.
Source: City of Toronto
Cash-strapped Toronto has vast but underused real estate holdings that could help lure jobs and amenities to complement a residential boom

November 03, 2007

For information about what has sold in this neighbourhood, or homes currently available for sale email igor416@gmail.com or use this contact me window click here

The Alderwood Neighbourhood - Etobicoke

History
Alderwood was originally known as New Toronto Park or New Toronto Heights,simply as "the place above the tracks". Alderwood was the home of the six O'Connor sisters who achieved great fame in the 1910's touring North America's vaudeville theatres. The O'Connor sisters were often featured on the same bill with stars such as Jimmie Durante, Al Jolson and Sophia Tucker.
Alderwood's farms began to be subdivided for residential development in the 1920's however most of this neighbourhood's development occurred after World War II. Many of the streets in Alderwood are named after the original farmers in this area including Brown, Evans, Lunness and Horner.
Overview
Alderwood is a well established family oriented neighbourhood situated in the south-west part of Toronto. Alderwood has a strong home and school association and a privately run day care facility called "Alderwood Action Alliance" which operates out of Sir Adam Beck School. This neighbourhood is bordered on the west by the Etobicoke Creek Valley and to the east by light industry which includes corporate giants such as Daimler Chrysler Canada Ltd. and Domtar Packaging.
Alderwood residents are proud of the Sir Adam Beck Centre. This multi-use recreational facility built on the former Sir Adam Beck School Grounds at 544 Horner Avenue, features a new primary school which will be combined with a public library, a community room, a day care centre, and a fitness room. These facilities are connected to the newly renovated Alderwood Pool. Sir Adam Beck History

Homes
Alderwood's long linear streets are lined with rows of bungalows and storey-and-a-half houses. These houses were built during the 1920's, 30's, 40's and 50's. Many of the older bungalows have been replaced with more modern semi-detached and detached homes.
The properties in Alderwood are well maintained with nicely manicured lawns. Each house has its own private driveway and most of the houses also have a garage.
Shopping
Alderwood's main shopping street is located along Browns Line. This neighbourhood oriented shopping district features fruit markets, home improvement stores, a medical centre, convenience stores and family style restaurants. Alderwood Plaza is located at the north end of this shopping corridor. This small plaza includes a large food market as well as a traditional mix of stores and restaurants.
The Sherway Gardens Shopping Centre is located at the north end of this neighbourhood off Evans Drive. This popular shopping centre is anchored by two major department stores, and includes over two hundred shops and restaurants.
Recreation
Alderwood Pool located at 520 Horner Avenue offers Aqua Tot, Aqua Quest and Aqua Fit programs as well as Bronze Cross, snorkelling, recreational swims and Junior Lifeguard programs. Across the street the Alderwood Public Library offers children's and adult programming. The Horner Avenue Senior's Centre, located at 320 Horner Avenue offers field trips, barbecues, workshops, information centres and special events.
Etobicoke Valley Park located along the north-west border of Alderwood, is the finishing point for the Etobicoke Creek Interpretive Trail, a 2.5 kilometre trail which begins at the Marie Curtis Park on the shore of Lake Ontario. This nature trail was developed by the Alderwood Environmentalists in association with the city. Alderwood Memorial Park, located in the centre of this neighbourhood, is a wide open greenspace with a children's playground. Connorvale Park, located off Valermo Drive, has a pretty baseball diamond and a children's playground.
Schools
Sir Adam Beck Junior School, a dual-track English/French immersion JK-5 school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We are located in the Alderwood Centre, a multi-purpose complex including the Alderwood Public Library, Alderwood Pool and Alderwood Action Afterschool Child Care Centre.
(P) Lanor, 450 Lanor Ave., (416) 394-7800
(P) Sir Adam Beck, 544 Horner Ave., (416) 394-7670
(PH) Lakeshore C.I., 350 Kipling Ave., (416) 394-7650
(CA) Christ the King, 432 Horner Ave., (416) 393-5257
(CA) St. Ambrose, 20 Coules Crt., (416) 393-5259
(CA) Father John Redmond, 300 Valermo Dr., (416) 393-5540
Legend:
(P) Public School(PH) Public High School (CA) Catholic School (PR) Private School (PC) Private Catholic School (PJ) Private Jewish School (C) College (U) University

Bus service on Browns Line and Evans (24 hr bus service) and Horner Avenues connects passengers to the Long Branch Go Transit and TTC station located on Lakeshore Boulevard.
Motorists can reach downtown Toronto in approximately twenty minutes via Lakeshore Boulevard and the Gardiner Expressway. Commuters heading out of the city have convenient access to the Highway 427 North on-ramps at Browns Line and Evans Avenue and the Queen Elizabeth Way on-ramp off Evans Avenue.
Lakeshore Longbranch Business Improvement


See also the Mimico Residents Association.

Franklin Horner Community Centre events


For information about what has sold in this neighbourhood, or homes currently available for sale email igor416@gmail.com or use this contact me window click here

HST- Harmonized Sales Tax Simplified

There is a lot of confusion surrounding the latest tax (The Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)) to be forced upon the residents of Ontario. Hopefully my posting here will assist you in providing some clarity to this new tax. The following is a short summation of the HST particulars:
The HST is currently not in effect
The effective date is July 1, 2010
The HST will be 13% (based on the 8% Provincial Sales Tax and the 5% – Goods & Services Tax)
The HST will not apply on the purchase of re-sale homes
The HST after July 1st, 2010 will apply to the services associated with the purchase of re-sale homes such as real estate commissions, legal fees, moving costs, etc.
The impact on new home purchases is currently undergoing some proposed changes such as:
New home purchases across all price ranges would receive a 75% rebate of the provincial portion of the single sales tax on the first $400,000.
New home purchases under $400,000 would not pay any HST.
There is a proposal before government to rebate new residential rental properties – specifics to be determined
Contracts entered into before June 18, 2009, regardless of possession date, would not be subject to HST
The HST is currently being challenged by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA). There is some speculation that the existing hot real estate market in the central Toronto core is being partially influenced by this proposed tax, similar to the market rush driven by David Miller’s Land Transfer Tax implementation witnessed last year.
Hopefully this short blog posting provides you with some relevant information on the HST, for more information, please visit: www.fin.gov.on.ca/english/budget/ontariobudgets/2009/chpt3.html