planned development in tony Yorkville has residents of nearby neighbourhoods up in arms. The Four Seasons in Yorkville will be moving to a new location in the heart of historic Yorkville, at the corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue. The new development will see the famed chain of luxury hotels migrate eastward from its current incarnation at Bloor and Avenue Road. The existing Four Seasons will be demolished and plans to erect two, uber-tall condo skyscrapers in its place are being put forward. This is music to the ears of wealthy, midtown-loving condo dwellers. But not everyone is happy to hear about the four new towers that will stretch sky-high and steal the sunshine.

Residents of the Annex, a neighbourhood which begins on the west side of Avenue Road, fear the new towers will cast long shadows over much of their upper-crust residential nabe. Known for its eclectic mix of inhabitants, the Annex sees intellectual types housed in Edwardian mansions happily coexisting alongside frat and sorority houses full of University of Toronto students.

Menkes Development Ltd. intends to build two towers at the Bloor and Avenue Road site, with heights of 48 and 58-storeys. This means that the towers will be 17 and 27 stories taller than the current Four Seasons, respectively. The condos will range in size from 1,500 to 5,000 square-feet. Given that it's Yorkville, expect these lodgings to go for high six-figures to low-sevens.

The Annex Residents’ Association is staunchly against this development, marking a widening divide between it and the adjacent Yorkville area. In a city that is famous for having diverse neighbourhoods exist peacefully despite their differences (think Rosedale in contrast to nearby Cabbagetown), this battle is one fueled by very strong opinions and deeply-rooted perspectives.