TORONTO

In what could be characterized as a “David vs. Goliath” fight, a group of concerned Riverside residents will take on an ambitious development — which could bring up to 4,000 extra cars daily into an already congested neighbourhood — at the OMB this week.

The Queen St. E. development is called Riverside Square and is being sold by the developer behind the project — Streetcar — as a “master-planned community that offers everything” one wants “close at hand” in a “unique neighbourhood that marches to its own beat.”

The sales pitch for the five largely two-bedroom condo and rental buildings in Riverside Square includes people strolling along a freshly “Manhattanized” Queen St. E. (20 metres east of the Don Valley Parkway) with lattes in hand and new chic bistros nearby.

There’s just one thing missing: The giant autoplex to be interconnected to two of the five condos.

Billed as a “unique concept in automotive retail,” and possibly the largest such auto emporium in North America, it will contain five retail outlets with seven different dealerships and 80 service bays. The service bays and parking will be below grade and the car retailers at grade.

According to the Riverside Ratepayers Association (RRA), which formed earlier this year to fight the project’s density at the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), traffic planning research has shown that the project will result in up to 631 extra cars in the neighbourhood during peak hours. That takes into account the new residents with cars, the number of cars that will use the 80 service bays each day, and all the test drives that will occur out of the autoplex.

“The real estate agents are pumping all this glamour,” says Karen Hogg, co-founder of the RRA. “The Manhattanization of (this area) is very untrue if one is living above 80 service bays.

“The autoplex will be like a big box retailer ... What’s the difference between that and Walmart,” she adds.

As the Sun revealed in March, the development was rammed through Toronto East York community council last November with the blessing of Ward 30 Councillor Paula Fletcher.

It was quickly endorsed at the Dec. 10 Toronto council meeting by 36 councillors and Mayor John Tory.

Irony of all ironies, Fletcher, who has refused to chat with the Sun about the project, bragged in 2008 about the “epic battle” she waged to keep big-box retail — that is Walmart — out of her ward.

She has made no secret, either, of her love of bike lanes and her disdain for cars.

Hogg said residents are also very upset that the foundation of the Queen St. E./East Don Roadway site has already been dug and prepared before their group even gets to the OMB.

She says they’ve repeatedly asked the city’s building department whether a permit has been issued for such work and received no response.

Efforts to reach Streetcar president Les Mallins were unsuccessful. However, in March, he denied that there was any attempt to hide the plan to build the autoplex as part of Riverside Square.

He insisted then that the plans for auto dealerships were included in the disclosure package for those who bought condos from the blueprints and that the neighbourhood knew exactly what was in store for them — that the autoplex was brought up at “every community meeting” during an 18-month period.

Hogg said opposing residents are fine with the idea of beautifying the neighbourhood — they just want the developer to build within the current zoning limits.

She also insists residences should not be built on top of an automotive facility that has service bays.

“We think our chances are really good,” she said of their OMB hearing this week. “We have a strong case.”

SLevy@postmedia.com