2024 Romfield Residents Association AGM Minutes
Date: September 25, 2024 at 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Venue: Thornhill Community Centre, Rooms B1 & B2 (7755 Bayview Ave., Thornhill ON L3T 4P1)
Introductions:
The RRA president welcomed attendees and introduced the executive committee members, expressing gratitude to all volunteers.
Financial Report:
The association raised $560 in membership fees and $140 in donations. Expenses included room rental, domain registration, flyers, and website hosting, totaling $540. The current balance is $80. Members were encouraged to contribute.
Election of New Officials:
Omid Tayeba was re-elected as president, with William Lee as vice president, Vincent Chan as secretary, and Ali Asgari as treasurer. Jason and Sasan Mirkhani were appointed as directors.
Year in Review:
Key accomplishments included
· Formed and officially registered the association with the City of Markham.
· Built the association’s website: romfieldra.ca.
· Opened a bank account and set up an online payment option for collecting membership fees and donations.
· Launched a petition, gathering almost 900 signatures to raise concerns about the proposed Bayview Plaza redevelopment.
· Held multiple meetings with Councillor Keith Irish to share community concerns.
· Reviewed application documents to identify issues, potential adverse impacts on the community, and non-compliance with the City’s guidelines.
· Conducted a successful campaign to inform neighbors about the statutory meeting held on November 7, 2023.
· Presented findings during the statutory meeting, which resulted in the rejection of the application by the City..
Developer Proposal Update:
The developer resubmitted plans reducing the height from 15 to 12 storeys but keeping the same overall square footage. Concerns were raised about the site plan, underground parking, landscaping, and shadow impacts on neighboring properties. October 9, 2024, is the last chance for public input on the rezoning application.
AWRA Insights (Thornhill Square Project):
Louis Olivera from AWRA discussed strategies for influencing development, emphasizing the importance of focusing on quality-of-life issues like traffic and density rather than just building height. He also recommended building relationships with key city officials.
Please find the slides presented at the meeting via this link.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16vIYlgHABVfKHSB8Uyzci2LzH5Adea5w/view?usp=drive_link
