University of Toronto Area Liaison Committee
Living next to the University of Toronto is like being in bed with….
Remember Varsity Stadium? 25,000 seats, rock concerts? Stopped.
Remember ROM South condo tower? Stopped.
Remember the historic house at the Bahen centre on St. George? Preserved.
Want the green spaces preserved and enhanced at the university? We’re doing our level best.
Representing the community is the mandate of the city’s University of Toronto Area Liaison Committee.
The communities surrounding the University of Toronto St. George campus are deeply affected by the actions of the university and its sister institutions, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Royal Conservatory of Music.
Some background
In the 1990s, then-councillor the late Dan Leckie created a formal City committee, the University of Toronto Area Liaison Committee. It brought the three parties to the table: the university, representatives of the community, and the City, represented by City Planning and the sitting councillor. The mandate: to discuss any matters of common interest. The catchment area is Queen’s Park to Spadina, College to Bloor St.
Trees, landscape and construction conditions, buildings in general, planning, architecture, enrolment, student activities, parking, quality of life issues are all part of the liaison committee mandate. When our greater community interest is involved, HVRA, along with Huron-Sussex Residents’ Organization and the Annex Residents Association, bring those issues to the liaison committee.
Successes:
Upcoming:
U of T Development Sites: University of Toronto Area Development Sites approved in the City of Toronto’s 1997 Part II Plan
Remember Varsity Stadium? 25,000 seats, rock concerts? Stopped.
Remember ROM South condo tower? Stopped.
Remember the historic house at the Bahen centre on St. George? Preserved.
Want the green spaces preserved and enhanced at the university? We’re doing our level best.
Representing the community is the mandate of the city’s University of Toronto Area Liaison Committee.
The communities surrounding the University of Toronto St. George campus are deeply affected by the actions of the university and its sister institutions, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Royal Conservatory of Music.
Some background
In the 1990s, then-councillor the late Dan Leckie created a formal City committee, the University of Toronto Area Liaison Committee. It brought the three parties to the table: the university, representatives of the community, and the City, represented by City Planning and the sitting councillor. The mandate: to discuss any matters of common interest. The catchment area is Queen’s Park to Spadina, College to Bloor St.
Trees, landscape and construction conditions, buildings in general, planning, architecture, enrolment, student activities, parking, quality of life issues are all part of the liaison committee mandate. When our greater community interest is involved, HVRA, along with Huron-Sussex Residents’ Organization and the Annex Residents Association, bring those issues to the liaison committee.
Successes:
- Through $1 billion in construction, we have saved trees from damage and increased green space in university-proposed buildings.
- We negotiated $50,000 for planting large trees in Philosopher’s Walk from the ROM’s Crystal Project to compensate for lost trees.
- We got the Conservatory to reduce the footprint of its new concert hall by switching the direction of the hall to east-west, saving precious green space in Philosopher’s Walk.
- Negotiated protection for heritage buildings as a result of construction damage.
Upcoming:
- The liaison committee will represent community interests in all activities arising from the university’s intention to renegotiate the zoning rules on the St. George campus.
- Committee members will continue to press for the protection and enhancement of the historic Huron-Sussex neighbourhood (west of Robarts Library).
- HVRA representatives for these past several years have been the Chair, ex officio or his/her designate, and Sue Dexter, who has been elected to the board as a special representative with responsibility for U of T. They are charged with trying to preserve and enhance campus green space, since the St. George campus is our local park and neighbour.
U of T Development Sites: University of Toronto Area Development Sites approved in the City of Toronto’s 1997 Part II Plan