The sale of the old Postal Station R has raised interest in what will now become of this property. It is on prime land at the address known as 2 Laird Drive. Steve Forrester, senior planner at the City of Toronto, has been good enough to send on the particulars of the zoning now in place, and the prospect for future use under the Official Plan. Here is what Mr. Forrester wrote:
The property is currently zoned C1 (General Commercial Zone) by the former Town of Leaside By-law 1916. The zoning permits a number of commercial uses such as retail stores, banks, restaurants, service shops, and business offices. The zoning also permits residential uses but they are limited (i.e., dwellings units could only be above a permitted commercial uses, in other words, not on their own). The site is designated Mixed Use Areas in the City of Toronto Official Plan. The Plan states Mixed Use Areas are to be made up of a broad range of commercial, residential and institutional uses, in single use or mixed use buildings. They are intended to absorb most of the anticipated increase in retail, office and service employment in Toronto in the coming decades, as well as much of the new housing. The Plan does note however that not all Mixed Use Areas will experience the same scale or intensity of development.
