ROM angers neighbours with plan for condo tower
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 1, 2005 | 1:48 PM ET
CBC Arts
The ROM is undergoing a huge renovation, with the addition of the Michael Lee Chin Crystal building, a striking glass-walled space that will jut out onto Bloor Street.
But its plans for the opposite, south end of the building have run into resistance from the neighbours.
A public meeting is to be held Tuesday to talk about plans for a 180-metre, 46-storey tower. To build the tower, the public-private initiative behind the proposal has to get city approval to rezone the site.
East Elevation of the proposed condominium tower. (courtesy of Brisbin, Brook, Beynon Architects)
The Annex Residents' Association, a local citizens group, plans to oppose the development, saying the tower is too high and out of keeping with the neighbourhood.
The ROM sits next to the Royal Conservatory of Music and is ringed on three sides by the University of Toronto campus, with its historic buildings. Some campus officials have also spoken out against the redevelopment proposal.
An exclusive condo tower, soaring high above every other building in the district, is inappropriate for a culturally distinct area, says Mimi Fullerton of the Annex Residents Association.
She is accusing the ROM of trying to make up for a funding shortfall for its Renaissance ROM renovation project, by building the exclusive condos.
"I did not know the price tag was going to be a massive skyscraper," said Fullerton, who adds that she is reconsidering her support for the first phase of the project.
It will cost at least $211 million for the first phase of the Renaissance ROM project and the museum has raised about $175 million so far.
"I think it's totally a funding issue for the ROM. There's absolutely no other reason for the ROM to proceed," Fullerton says.
ROM director William Thorsell says funding for the Crystal building is not related to building the condo project. He defended the condo tower as appropriate and attractive.
"Don't just think that height equals bad. Sometimes height equals good," he said.
The developer, Graywood Developments Ltd., will present plans for the building on Tuesday evening at a meeting organized by the city's planning department. Graywood is part of the public-private partnership supporting the project.
The ROM has already entered an application for rezoning from institutional to residential for the property where the planetarium now stands. The planetarium has been closed since 1996 because the ROM said it was no longer sustainable.
Designed by Brisbin, Brook, Beynon Architects, the condo tower also includes 35,000 square feet for museum needs, including offices and storage space.
A ROM press release says the development will improve street-level public areas around the tower and provide direct access to the Museum subway station.
The ROM is one of Canada's most esteemed museums, with a collection ranging from dinosaur bones to Chinese antiquities.
