Proposed luxury home in Toronto drawing controversy
A proposed home in Toronto that originally would exist mostly underground, and received pushback from the area’s city councillor, has had its plans revised.
The owner of the property, located at 7 Knightswood Road in the Don Valley’s Hogg’s Hollow neighbourhood, applied in 2020 for permission to build a new home with a two-storey basement.
Toronto real estate agent Marco Momeni told CTV News Toronto the decision to build extensively underground, is “a luxury trend that is often used to bypass height limits on construction.”
“In cities such as Toronto, there are so many restrictions when it comes to constructing … homes — one of them is the height,” Momeni said. “So sometimes, they build a multi-level basement.”
The original application for 7 Knightswood proposed that the home be permitted to extend almost 8 metres deeper than City of Toronto bylaws usually allow.
Currently, homes are permitted to be 19 metres deep and the original proposal for 7 Knightswood had a depth of just over 27 metres.
The original application also requested permission to extend the length of the home by 10m more than city bylaws usually allow.
That application was approved in November 2020— the city deemed the variances to be minor.
However, after the application to extend 7 Knightwoods 8 metres deeper was approved, the developers changed their plans, resubmitting the design and proposing the basement be only one storey with a 10 ft ceiling.
City Councillor for Don Valley West, Jaye Robinson, says that homes that are built too deep have “serious environmental impacts.”
“The serious environmental impacts are well-documented,” Robinson told CTV News Toronto on Friday, adding that they could result in “reduced soil permeability, increased runoff, compromised foundations in neighbouring homes, and added stress on stormwater infrastructure.”
Robinson says the original plans at 7 Knightswood were approved “despite objections from Urban Forestry and the community” and that she will be bringing the issue in front of city Council at the next opportunity.
However, Momeni says that, because such homes are a thing of luxury, you shouldn’t expect to see a surplus of them in your neighbourhood anytime soon.
“It's not for everybody … I don't believe it could be built everywhere.”
Correction
UPDATE: This article was updated in February 2022 to reflect the revised development plans for 7 Knightswood.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.