Imagine you got a letter. And apparently the city wants to ‘acquire’ your house. Because the Scarborough subway is going to run right underneath it.
This was reality for about 30 residents in the McCowan and Ellesmere area of Bendale. A selected number of residents on Stanwell Drive received letters by registered mail. Here’s what one of them looks like:
(Images above from CityTV website)
Make way for the Scarborough subway
The plan isn’t official. The cost? Only about $2 billion dollars or so. The city is had a meeting last night at the Scarborough Civic Centre. It seems they need some of the homes on Stanwell Drive for construction access to the Scarborough subway project. Not to mention the fact that the subway tunnel will run right underneath these homes. Businesses on McCowan and Ellesmere will also be affected. An existing Esso gas station and a nearby plaza may be acquired to give way for construction access especially for the tunnelling process.
Apparently, the construction will require tunnelling east from Kennedy Station along Eglinton Avenue. Then north on Danforth Road up to McCowan Road. Ending just north of Ellesmere Road. The new subway station will be located in the middle of the parking lot on the southwest corner of Scarborough Town Centre, according to reports. (The Toronto Star)
Expropriation?
Imagine having a subway underneath your home. Let alone the idea of losing a place you’ve lived in for many years. It’s not an easy thing to swallow. But depending on what happens with the Scarborough subway plans, expropriation may not be the likely route the city will take according to Deputy Mayor Glenn De Baeremaeker. (Scarborough Mirror) But in the event homeowners decide not to make way, the city can expropriate the homes based on “fair market value” plus transaction costs.
The tunnelling will also cut just underneath a parking lot of condos near McCowan and Ellesmere and Centro condos near Scarborough Town Centre. As seen below, the proposed subway station location is indicated by the dotted yellow line. And a new bus terminal connection is shown in green. Check out how close it could to 61 Town Centre Court condos.
Major construction could start in summer 2019 if the plan is approved. But if you’re up-to-date with the recent condo development plan proposals in the area, this could become a major change to the Scarborough city centre skyline. More condos will go up. And prices of homes and condos in the area will continue to rise. Definitely a big development ever since I became a Scarborough real estate agent.
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