Councillor aims to turn Islington Avenue parking spots into green space

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• Historic Fort York David Spittal courtesy murmur.com
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A city councillor's decision to take away half the parking spots in four strip plazas along Islington Avenue in an effort to clean up the area has left property owners seeing red.

Ward 7 Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti (York West) said he's taking back property rightfully owned by the city on Islington Avenue at Millwick Drive, noting business owners created parking spots along the curb about 25 years ago.

"I'm taking back the space that belongs to the city," he said. "We've talked in a very nice way as a city for the last seven years with the owners to come up with options to lease the spots or to work out an encroachment agreement, but they have refused. We've had public meeting after public meeting for seven years. The land was paved over by the landlords and turned into a concrete jungle. They know full well they paved over green space."

Mammoliti tabled a notice of motion at the Oct. 7 Etobicoke-York Community Council meeting, which read: "For over the last 25 years, a number of businesses along Islington Avenue between Steeles Avenue West and Finch Avenue West have been encroaching on the City of Toronto boulevards using them as part of their parking lots. Over the last four months numerous city and provincial departments have worked with my office in an attempt to clean up a number of problem properties along this avenue. In order to continue the beautification of Islington Avenue, the city must recapture its boulevards."

The motion, which was passed, calls for the city to recapture the boulevard parking by Dec. 31.

Mammoliti said the plan is to take back the land and then work with landlords to beautify the area at their expense.

"The plazas are plagued with crime and a lot of the parking is for illegal activity," he said. "They (landlords) don't have a lack of parking spots. There is ample space in the back to park vehicles. It's about cleaning up the entire community, it's not just about parking spots. The area looks atrocious."

Lina Matturro of Islington Travel Agencies Ltd. said she received a letter "out of the blue" from the city in June stating property owners were encroaching on city land and were given the option of leasing the space.

Matturro said she tried setting up meetings with city staff over the summer to no avail before another letter arrived in September stating the leasing option was off the table and vehicles found parked on the boulevard would be tagged and towed immediately.

Matturro acknowledged the area has its issues, but not everyone is engaging in criminal activity.

"We all have families," she said. "We've cleaned up to make things better. As the years went by the people have changed, but we're not scum low-lifes. We had no idea we were encroaching. If we were, why were we allowed years ago to pave the area?"

Some 75 parking spots in Italian Gardens Plaza, Humber Summit Plaza, Islington Plaza and Royal Plaza are affected by Mammoliti's motion.

Though the councillor noted patrons can park in the back of the plazas, Matturro said space is inadequate and is worried about the loss to businesses.

"When (Mammoliti) says Islington looks like crap I take offence," Matturro said, adding she never received notice of any of Mammoliti's meetings and only attended one in June she heard about through word of mouth. "If he feels that way, then help me fix it."

Darlene Wronzberg, property owner of Italian Gardens Plaza, defended the business owners in the area, noting many have been fixtures for decades.

"We're not scum," she said. "I don't know what Mr. Mammoliti's motives are, but it can't just be about parking."