The Committee of Adjustment process in Toronto is only as good as its members, and in Scarborough, it's a disgrace. Every once in a while, a friend will text me to check out a recent hearing on YouTube. Today, it was for a six-storey apartment building proposed at 978 Pharmacy Ave., which is designated as a Major Street. As longtime followers will know, the City recently upzoned Major Streets to allow apartment buildings up to six storeys. This proposal is on a constrained lot and required seven minor variances, which is typical. The variances were as follows: 1. Reduction in minimum front yard setback from 7.5m to 5.6m 2. Two dwelling units below established grade (though not actually below grade, due to the sloping lot) 3. Front-facing balconies encroaching into the front yard setback by 3.4m (1.5m is permitted) 4. Reduction in the required side yard soft landscaping strip from 1.5m to 0.4m (to accommodate a 1.1m walkway) 5. A visitor parking space in the front yard 6. A visitor parking space 0.0m from the main wall (3.0m is required) 7. Reduction in aisle width for bicycle parking from 2.5m to 1.8m Let's set aside, for now, how insanely and unreasonably prescriptive our zoning bylaw is. The Committee is mandated to review these variances against the four tests. Its mandate is not to question City policy allowing midrise buildings on Major Streets. If you want to see how it went, you can watch here from 1:10:30 to 2:50:27: youtube.com/live/dtWPoxZzpkM… Total shit show. I want to highlight seven short clips.