Most major developments enter into “Section 37 Agreements “with the City as part of settling their planning issues and is meant as a way of giving something back to the community for the extra burden of over-development. These may cover many things but the most famous is the payment of cash to City in exchange for the zoning density they want. In the various developments south of Queen, Active18 has pushed maximum Section 37 cash and the use of that cash to ameliorate the planning mess, particularly as funding for a quality park to serve as a focus for the neighbourhood. The rehabilitation of the Carnegie Library and conversion to a theatre is also part of the Section 37 programme.
More details are available at http://www.chascamp.com/blog/ See the sections on Rants – Section 37 and 2011 – S37