A proposed and widely contested 28-acre residential development around a Thornhill Woods mosque will be the subject of an Ontario Municipal Board hearing next week, over four years after it was initially proposed to the community. The Islamic Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat (ISIJ) wants permission to rezone and develop the property around the Jaffari Community Centre mosque at 9000 Bathurst St.—land they have owned for 20 years.Dubbed the “Jaffari Village,” the initial 2014 plan proposed two 17-storey residential towers, a retail space and 61 townhouses in the low-density neighbourhood. Then, both religious tensions and concerns about density surfaced in community discussions, with more than 3,250 people signing a petition against it at the time. Today, after 28 meetings with city staff and the Preserve Thornhill Woods Association, the final proposal now sees 60 three-storey townhouses, a six-storey seniors’ residence, an eight-storey residential building, a new secondary school, and a new park and nature trail along the East Don River. “We just don’t want density in the neighbourhood,” said Rom Koubi, chairman of the Association.“We have addressed each and every concern that has been on this application,” said Shafiq Ebrahim, ISIJ vice-president, who read out 14-pages of contentious items the ISIJ had received from the community and city staff. These included everything from traffic to the shape and heights of the buildings, to accessible education facilities.“It’s gotten to a point where we think we are not making any headway with the residents’ association or local citizens,” he said.With OMB rules set to change next month, ISIJ appealed in mid-November to ensure their proposal was considered under the same rules they initially applied within. Ebrahim said they had no other choice but to appeal to see their property become the mixed-use, inclusive development they’ve dreamed of for t ...
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