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Neighborhood News Harbourfront, Toronto, Ontario February, 2009 Parties on the Water FinaOur harbour is home to an amazing number of tour boats - 34 in all. Most of them operate without a problem and are a welcome addition to the Waterfront. But a handful of the large party boats have generated many complaints about booming noise, sometimes late into the night. Residents on the islands are most vulnerable, because the boats often stop in scenic spots with the city as a dramatic backdrop. However, YQNA's web site has also received complaints from condo dwellers on shore, which have been passed on to boat owners and various authorities. YQNA's Noise Committee recently called a meeting with owners of the party boats in question, representatives of Councillors Pam McConnell and Adam Vaughan and several people from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission (AGCO). Some boat owners were surprised and apologetic about disturbing residents, others said it was hard to control the Deejays and their huge sound systems. The upshot of the friendly meeting was that the boat owners now are fully aware. They have formed an association and will look for ways to control the noise. If they can't, they run the risk of losing their liquor license - not a good outcome. Other noise news: the City is taking a serious look at the mega concerts on the islands in the summer. They take a toll on the parks, keep people away from recreational areas, and rattle the Waterfront with excessive noise. It might be time to move these concerts to another location. Planning Changes Al Rezoski, our popular city planner, has been promoted to district planner for the burgeoning downtown area south of Bloor Street and east of York Street. We are waiting for the announcement of our new area planner, but will continue to benefit from Al’s inspiring leadership. When we met Al recently, he talked about a short environmental assessment on the effects of taking down the circular ramp at York St. and Queens Quay and the ramp feeding into Harbour Street. In a year or two – which lightening speed in planning – he expects the work can proceed. YQNA asked that the green area inside the circular ramp be developed at the same time into a beautiful Waterfront park. Pie in the Sky Every inch of land in our neighbourhood is attractive to developers. The latest scheme concerns a 50-storey condo tower proposed for the little pie-shaped parking lot just south of Lake Shore Boulevard on the west side of York Street. It is still undecided, but both YQNA and Waterclub residents expect to voice their opinions in Council. Just as this item appeared on the Council's agenda, an illegal multi-sided billboard on the site was taken down. What a coincidence. Name that Park! YQNA is keeping watch over the parkland inside the circular ramp at York and Queens Quay. The City is looking for cash, but we definitely want to preserve this land and turn it into a beautiful park once the ramp is removed. We wrote a formal letter about this to our councillors, planners and Waterfront Toronto, and reminded them that the charming Berzcy Park on Front Street east of Yonge Street was slated for a building in the 1970s. St. Lawrence residents demanded a park instead, and it transformed the neighbourhood. That is what YQNA wants here - along with a new name instead of the unlovely York Off Ramp Park currently on the books. Shrinking Signs Our efforts to control rampant signage on the upcoming Maple Leaf Square (MLS) are partially successful. January 15th, YQNA's Planning Committee met with City officials, including Councillor McConnell, to comment on each of the 38 signs in MLS's application. We were open to compromise, but did not want to be on record as supporting four-storey signs jutting out of the podium building, facing the Gardiner Expressway and hanging over the sidewalk on York Street. Nor did we agree to large signs on top of the condo towers. Several huge wrap-around video signs have been removed from the application after YQNA's first response, but we don't know if we'll have any further influence. Bridges all along … Waterfront Toronto has made pictures available of a beautiful wooden bridge that will be the first of a series of bridges along the Waterfront. They will connect piers and allow people to walk above and along the water's edge. The first bridge will be in front of the newly completed WaveDeck at Spadina and Queens Quay. An example of Waterfront Toronto's upcoming bridges along the Central Waterfront Ulla Colgrass Chair, YQNA News Archives: September 2006 October 2006 December 2006 January 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 November 2007 December 2007 February 2008 April 2008 June 2008 July 2008 September 2008 Octoberber 2008 November 2008