New Thornhill ratepayers association’s main concern is noise
Thornhill Liberal
By Simone Joseph
27 September 2016

Jakov Zaidman is president of a new ratepayer association at the World on Yonge condos in Thornhill.

A major challenge for residents in the cluster of condo towers known as Thornhill’s World on Yonge is noise, says Jakov Zaidman president of the area’s new ratepayer association, which was formed about two months ago.

Staff from a car dealership across the street from his condo tower regularly use car alarms to locate cars in the parking lot, he said.

“It happens all day, every day, non-stop,” Zaidman said.

The dealership is one of several at the corner of Yonge Street and Meadowview Avenue, on the Vaughan side of Yonge Street.

“During the day, it is not a big deal. At night, it is noticeable, a loud noise,” Zaidman said.

Vaughan's bylaw only allows the use of car horns in a traffic emergency, he said.

Zaidman also said residents are bothered by noise coming from nearby trains.

It could be argued that residents knew there would be noise when they moved into World on Yonge condos not far from the busy intersection of Yonge Street and Steeles Avenue.

However, the expectation was because the train tracks are on ground level, it would help control the noise above, Zaidman said.

But the noise bounces up, he said, adding he hopes one day the installation of a fence or sound barrier along the train tracks will improve this situation.

Freight trains moving from high-density areas of Toronto through Vaughan and Markham are also a problem, Zaidman said.

“We are moving the problem from one high-density area to another. The problem is going to get worse. The problem needs to be moved somewhere else.”

The trains are moving through Thornhill on tracks within a few hundred feet of the World on Yonge condos, he said.

His association plans to work with the nearby Grandview Area Residents Association to deal with the noise problem.

“We are joining forces to influence the municipalities (Vaughan and Markham) and York Region and Toronto and the province to solve the problem properly,” he said. Zaidman is married with two grown children and runs a security consulting business called InterLAN Consulting Inc. He is on the board of the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in Toronto and lives in a World on Yonge condo.

Markham Councillor Valerie Burke said she is very aware of the issue of increased freight train traffic.

“Everbody is dealing with it across the line,” she said. This is a federally regulated area, Burke said, adding  she suggested Zaidman contact Peter Kent, since he is Thornhill’s federal MP.

Another problem Burke said she has heard about in the World on Yonge area is the low number of shoppers.

When the project  was in its infancy, she remembers planners raving about the potential for pedestrian traffic.

“It came with promises of animating Yonge Street with cafes,” she said, with the idea the neighbourhood would be filled with pedestrians.

Today, Burke has noticed a number of stores with papered windows, often  a sign of a vacant shop.

“Many of the shops are empty,” she said, but added she does not know the reason for the light pedestrian traffic.

Another local issue is the electronic sign on Yonge Street that carries ads, she said. Residents have complained to her that it is too bright and they would like to see it dimmed.

Good to know:
What:
World on Yonge Ratepayers Association includes 1,200 condo units and five towers  (four condos and one hotel). It includes a shopping mall called Shops on Yonge (an indoor shopping centre in the World on Yonge complex). Three thousand residents live in this area. It is not yet known how many residents will be members of the World on Yonge Ratepayers Association, Zaidman said.

Where:
When construction began on  the new World on Yonge project in 2010, at the corner of Yonge and Meadowview Avenue just north of Steeles Avenue, the Liberty Development project was billed the largest single-phase residential, commercial and retail development in the Greater Toronto Area.

Why:
The ratepayer association was formed as the area is high density and condo residents have different needs than low-rise residents, said Zaidman. The area’s traffic control needs and garbage needs are different, he said. He also said the area has more of a need for public transit than lower density areas.

Contact:
Reach  World on Yonge Ratepayers Association by e-mailing yrscc1271@rogers.com

Comments from CondoMadness

World on Yonge is a huge mixed use condo on Yonge Street a few blocks north of Steeles. It follows a new concept in Canada that mixes residental condos with street-access retail shopping, a shopping mall and a hotel all in one complex. This works in Asia where the population densities are very high.

This is a Google Maps photo of World on Yonge. The railroad tracks are on the north and several very large car dealers are right across the street.

Noise issues
The railroad tracks are to the north. There are a lot of condo towers that are next to railroad tracks in the GTA. Just take a look at CityPlace, the Kip and Liberty Village.

I asked a car salesman about using the panic buttons to find cars. Yes, this is common. However, the customers who are looking for their cars, may be more to blame for the car honking than the sales staff.

Transist
North York transist sucks. To get to Toronto, commuters need to pay double fares; one to North York and a second one to the TTC. Yonge Street north of Steeles relies on the automobile.

It may be 25 years before the Yonge Street subway gets extended up this far.

A ratepayers association
It appears that this group of condo owners sees its issues as political so I believe that is why they formed a ratepayers association rather than an owners' group. Good idea.

So far, their concerns are outward, towards issues they have within the community outside of their condo property.

“Many of the shops are empty”
Retail stores under condos need pedestrians. An enclosed shopping mall needs parking, lots of it. Can drivers on Yonge see a parking lot? They can't even see the shopping mall.

No all retail shopping units under condos are viable. My rule of thumb is that when there is no visible street parking and no pedestrians on the sidewalks, condo retail units may not be feasible.


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