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BREAKING DOWN THE NEW DEAL Cri ti cs Con ce rne d About DVP, G a rdi n e r Uploa d I m pa cts on Publ i c Re a l m
4 F R I D AY, JANUARY 12, 2024
Vol. 28 No. 2
COMING OF AGE Ci ty Ta ki n g Ste ps to Support N ORCs
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WALKING THE TALK Matt Durnan
T
he momentum towards building the towers that will accommodate the largest co-operative housing project to be developed in Ontario in a quarter of a century increased this week after CreateTO announced its development partners for a planned mixeduse residential development on a site in Scarborough near one of the city’s busiest transit hubs. Once built, the project will add more than 600 new affordable and market rental cooperative housing units to the city’s housing inventory, creating significant supply for a longneglected category of housing on the housing continuum in Ontario: co-operative. On Tuesday, CreateTO, the agency that manages the City of Toronto’s real estate portfolio, announced that Civic Developments and Windmill Developments have been selected to develop a nearly
three-hectare site at 2444 Eglinton Avenue East in Scarborough. Currently, the site accommodates a vacant auto repair facility and a large and under-utilized TTC commuter parking lot. Preliminary development concepts for the Eglinton Avenue East Housing Now site were first released by CreateTO in 2021, proposing three residential towers standing 40, 30 and 22 storeys in height (See:
“Maximizing Opportunities”, Novae Res Urbis Toronto, April 23, 2021). Nearly three years later, the proposed project contemplates the development of three towers standing 38, 18 and between 30 to 38 storeys in height, respectively, accommodating around 918 residential units. CreateTO has chosen its development partners for the Phase 2 Housing Now site, with the developers bringing
forward a concept that meets a number of city-building goals related to sustainable, transitoriented housing, while also including a co-op housing element that will be integral to creating long-term housing affordability. The development team has also taken a step beyond the city’s asks for the site, by incorporating retail at grade within two of the towers. CONTINUED PAGE 6
Aerial rendering of a proposed mixed-use development for a CreateTO site at 2444 Eglinton Avenue East in Scarborough. The development would accommodate more than 900 new residential units including around 612 affordable and market rental co-op units, across the street from Kennedy subway station. Civic Developments and Windmill Developments were chosen by CreateTO as development partners on the project that would be the largest co-op housing project in Ontario in the last 25 years. ARCHITECT: HENRIQUEZ PARTNERS ARCHITECTS LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: CCXA SOURCE: CIVIC DEVELOPMENTS/WINDMILL DEVELOPMENTS
CR IT ICS CONCER NED A BOU T WHAT IS BEING G IVEN U P IN N E W T R A NS PORTAT ION D EA L WIT H PRO VINCE
U P C O M I N G D AT E S
BREAKING DOWN THE NEW DEAL
J A N U A RY 15 Board of Health, 9:30 a.m. 16-18 Budget Committee (2024 Budget Review), 9:30 a.m. 17 Design Review Panel, 12:45 p.m. 18 Preservation Board, 9:30 a.m. 19 Etobicoke York Community Council, 9:30 a.m. Scarborough Community Council, 9:30 a.m. 22-23 Budget Committee (public presentations on the 2024 budget), 9:30 a.m. 24 Toronto & East York Community Council, 9:30 a.m. North York Community Council, 9:30 a.m. 26 Budget Committee (2024 Budget Wrap-up), 9:30 a.m. 29 Planning & Housing Committee, 9:30 a.m. 30 Executive Committee, 9:30 a.m.
F EBRU A RY 6-8 Council, 9:30 a.m. 9
Preservation Board, 9:30 a.m.
12 Board of Health, 9:30 a.m. 13 General Government Committee, 9:30 a.m. 14 Special City Council (2024 Budget), 9:30 a.m. 16 CreateTO, 9:30 a.m. Scarborough Community Council, 9:30 a.m. 20 Economic & Community Development Committee, 9:30 a.m.
Lana Hall
I
n the wake of a new deal that will see the Province of Ontario assume responsibility for Toronto’s Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway, some questions remain about how that could impact the City’s road safety initiatives on and around those infrastructure assets, as well as around the future of public space initiatives in their proximity, such as The Bentway. In late November, City of Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow announced that the City had reached an agreement whereby the Province of Ontario would take over operations and financial responsibility of the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway, part of a “historic” deal to help address the City’s looming budget deficit. Under the Public
Transportation and Highway Improvement Act, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) could gain jurisdiction over everything within 400 metres of an on-off ramp or the centre line of the highway. This would include sidewalks, curbs, bike lanes, and safety islands. Around the Gardiner, this 400-metre radius extends as far south as the lake and as far north as Queen Street. In turn, cautions The Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) director David Simor, this could hamper the City’s authority over road safety within those zones, particularly
Lana Hall, Senior Reporter, lanah@nrupublishing.com Ext. 226
Irena Kohn, Editor irenak@nrupublishing.com Ext. 223
Peter Pantalone Planning Researcher peterp@nrupublishing.com
Matt Durnan, Senior Reporter mattd@nrupublishing.com Ext. 225
FR IDAY, J ANU A RY 1 2 , 2 0 2 4
CONTINUED PAGE 3
I t’s r e a l l y i m p o r t a n t f o r t h e C i t y t h a t t h e d u e d i l i g e n c e i s n’ t j u s t a b o u t t h e d o l l a r s a n d c e n t s , b u t i t’s a c t u a l l y a b o u t w h a t e l s e i s potentially being given up. - David Simor
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its Vision Zero initiatives. “As far as the Gardiner and DVP goes, it seems like the terms of this agreement are based on due diligence … It’s really important for the City that the due diligence isn’t just about the dollars and cents, but it’s actually about what else is potentially being given up,” Simor told NRU. “What controls are being passed onto whom? And how does that impact some of the city’s other priorities, like TransformTO, Vision Zero, the cycling master plan and official plan policies?”
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BREAKING DOWN THE NEW DEAL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2
Simor is particularly concerned about the Gardiner’s on and off ramps, some of which feed into high-density communities with a significant population of pedestrians and transit users, communities such as Parkdale, Liberty Village and Mimico. ”Knowing that many—if not all—of the on- and offramps for both highways are not up to the MTO’s standards, the MTO could decide that they want to bring them up to current code, which would involve expropriating a lot of land, making on- and offramps a lot wider and a lot more dangerous for all road users.” For its part, the City has not confirmed how this deal could impact municipal authority over road safety initiatives within the spaces that are now under the MTO’s jurisdiction. “City staff are studying the implications of the New Deal and look forward to working with the Province of Ontario in advancing our shared priorities, which includes road safety,” reads an emailed statement from City of Toronto manager of media relations and issues management Russell Baker. Some of Toronto’s public spaces that fall within 400 metres of the DVP and the FRIDAY, J AN U A RY 1 2 , 2 0 2 4
Gardiner could potentially see changes too, depending on the details of the new deal. This could affect public spaces like The Bentway, Love Park and Sherbourne Commons. Many of these spaces, says Simor, provide public health and economic development benefits. He points to the ongoing revitalization of Etobicoke’s Six Points interchange, a formerly congested intersection that is slated to accommodate new affordable and marketrate housing, a public library, and better pedestrian infrastructure. “All these initiatives provide significant public health benefits, support TransformTO’s climate goals, and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic benefits. However, these initiatives may come to an end if the MTO gains control of the urban expressways,” says Simor. “I would certainly be highly doubtful that the MTO would value the public space aspects of the Bentway or Love Park or Sherbourne Commons that are under the Gardiner.” Simor points to the Province’s press release announcing the DVP and Gardiner elements of the new deal, released on November
27, which states: “The proposal will ensure their long-term sustainability for the benefit of drivers and commerce across the Greater Toronto Area as untolled highways.” Simor is concerned that other road users like pedestrians and cyclists may be an afterthought in this new deal and hopes the City will provide some assurance that it recognizes the need to determine how much jurisdiction it will retain over those spaces. “It is … really telling that that’s the specific language the Province used in their statement, so there’s no indication from them that they are concerned about health or public space or climate change,” he says. The Bentway co-executive director Ilana Altman says her team has been developing a public realm plan in collaboration with the City for the space underneath the Gardiner. She says they are confident that the recommendations in that plan will inform the province’s assessment of the Gardiner upload and will lead to a “new wholistic future” for the Gardiner corridor. “It’s still
early days,” she told NRU. Ward 11 UniversityRosedale councillor Dianne Saxe says the Gardiner is simply too critical to Toronto’s operations for the Province to want control over space within 400 metres of its centre line. Under the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act, this figure can be negotiated, and she says she believes the City is well aware of what’s at stake. “It makes no sense for them, it makes no sense for us, there’s no legitimate public benefit…” Saxe told NRU. “I can’t imagine council saying ‘Oh sure, take a whole kilometre across downtown Toronto and make all the decisions.’” She says it’s now up to the City and the Province to negotiate the details of the new deal, which are expected to be finalized sometime this year.
I t i s … r e a l l y t e l l i n g t h a t t h a t’s t h e s p e c i f i c language the Province used in their statement, s o t h e r e’s n o i n d i c a t i o n f r o m t h e m t h a t t h e y are concerned about health or public space or climate change. - David Simor
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C I T Y TA K I N G S T E P S TO S U P P O RT ‘ N AT U R A L LY O C C U R R I N G R E T I R E M E N T C O M M U N I T I E S ’ I N TO R O N TO
COMING OF AGE Lana Hall
I
n the wake of challenges in the long-term care system made visible during the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Toronto is taking steps to strengthen and support local communities with a high density of seniors. Establishing planning guidelines for these communities, say experts, can help older adults age at home, within neighbourhoods that are familiar, safe and convenient, an option that is critical as cities experience growing seniors’ populations. At its meeting on December 13, City of Toronto council adopted a motion put forward by ward 12 Toronto—St. Paul’s councillor Josh Matlow for the City to better support a Naturally Occurring Retirement
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Communities model, which would allow more Torontonians to age in place. A Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (sometimes referred to as a NORC) is an informal term used to describe a non-institutional community that over time may naturally come to accommodate a high density of older adults. A NORC can be as large as an entire neighbourhood or as small as a single apartment building. In Toronto, there are 489 identified NORCs, which represent approximately 70,000 seniors, according to data from the University Health Network’s NORC Innovation Centre. This figure is more twice the number of spaces for seniors within retirement and
long-term care homes. Matlow’s motion asks the city manager to work with several different divisions, including seniors’ services and long-term care, Toronto Public Health and city planning to devise a strategy to support and encourage the creation of these communities. The plan should include several elements, including establishing road design guidelines that support the safety and mobility of older adults in NORCs, ensuring there are opportunities for retail and commercial use that benefit seniors—such as health services, grocery stores and social programming, and a plan for working with developers to ensure that new affordable
Map showing the number of Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (sometimes referred to as NORCs) in Toronto. A NORC is an informal term used to describe a non-institutional community that over time may naturally come to house a high density of older adults. A NORC can be as large as an entire neighbourhood or as small as a single apartment building, although on this particular map the term is used to describe buildings where at least 30 per cent of residents are 65 + and at least 50 residents are seniors. In Toronto, there are 489 identified NORCs, accommodating approximately 70,000 older adults. Toronto city council recently passed a motion that would establish planning guidelines to help support these communities, allowing more seniors to age in place rather than within an institutional care facility. SOURCE: NORC INNOVATION LAB AT UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK
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COMING OF AGE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
housing developments include a percentage of units allocated for older adults. Matlow has also been working with University Health Network’s NORC Innovation Centre on this issue and proposes the City continue this partnership to build greater system capacity for research and best practices pertaining to the NORC model for aging in place. Matlow’s motion also asks city council to request the federal government develop a national strategy to better support the NORC model across the country, and that both the federal and provincial governments establish long-term sustainable funding streams to support capital infrastructure and programming costs associated with supporting seniors within these communities. Not only has it become clear over the past few years that Toronto’s population is aging, but the COVID-19 pandemic shed light on the limitations of Ontario’s long-term care system in caring appropriately for seniors. Both of these factors, says Matlow, have led to a need to examine how cities can more effectively help their senior residents age in place, should they choose to do so. “To be able to live in one’s home in one’s last days, to be in a place that’s familiar to them, to live in the neighbourhood FRIDAY, J AN U A RY 1 2 , 2 0 2 4
that they may have lived in for many years—if not raised a family in—where they know the shopkeepers, they know their neighbours—that’s important to everyone, in particular those who suffer from dementia.” And while NORCs might be “naturally occurring” as their name suggests, there are still ways to strengthen them by incorporating certain requirements for these communities into planning policies, says Matlow “We want to make sure that all the tools are in place in a big diverse toolbox to make sure that this works,” says Matlow. “Even though the retirement communities are naturally occurring, having the tools in place to make them successful doesn’t happen naturally. You have to be deliberate to make sure that everything from … the health services to the grocery store is actually considered when you plan a neighbourhood.” A recent study from the National Institute on Ageing (NIA) and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) found that 96 per cent of respondents 65 years and older “would do everything possible” to avoid moving into an institutional setting. “The challenge is, we don’t make it easy [for seniors] to age in their communities and
in their own homes,” says National Institute on Aging co-chair and director of health policy research Dr. Samir Sinha. “Then we have this phenomenon where we have these apartment buildings or even neighbourhoods that have naturally ‘greyed’ over time, but if it doesn’t have the right mix of services or supports, that place can start becoming a notideal place for people to age and age well.” Identifying and supporting NORCs, says Sinha, can also make it easier for municipalities or private-sector organizations to deploy services, such as mobile health programs or other home services that cater to seniors. One building in downtown Toronto, Sinha says, has 13 different home care organizations servicing its senior residents. “When people start realizing, ‘Wow we’ve got a lot of home care recipients in this building,’ but we’ve been looking at them as individual clients as opposed to a collective group of individuals, we can [say] … ‘Why do we have 40 different personal support workers coming from across the city? Why don’t we have a team of five who can just be dedicated to that building and be focused on supporting those 40 individuals in a consistent and more familiar way?’” In turn, says Sinha, this also makes for less travel and more meaningful work for those care providers. There are benefits for building operators and
property management companies to having seniors age in place too, according to NORC Innovation Centre director of operations and sustainability, Melissa Chang. Not only do older adults have the advantage of developing stronger relationships with their neighbours, but when they’re able to age in place it creates less resident turnover. “They really notice a shift from being residents in the building and passing each other in the hallways to much more: ‘I feel like I truly have neighbours who I know I can call on’,” Chang told NRU. “If you think of it from a developer or a rental [provider perspective], we’ve heard having people stay as a more consistent tenant and resident is also helpful. It’s kind of like employees: you don’t really want a lot of turnover. It’s quite costly to re-onboard, so you get really consistent people living in the building, they’re living in the space for longer. [And] not only do they know each other better, but they really have a sense of ownership and pride around where they’re living.” City staff is expected to report back to Toronto city council with a plan for supporting naturally occurring retirement communities by the end of 2024.
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WALKING THE TALK CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
The Co-Operative Housing Federation of Toronto (CHFT) will be operating the rent-geared to income (RGI), affordable and market rental co-op housing portion of the development, which will account for nearly two thirds of the total units, at around 612 of the roughly 918 residential units that are proposed. The remaining 300 units in the
Map showing the location of the CreateTO site at 2444 Eglinton Avenue East in Scarborough. The site is currently occupied by a vacant auto repair shop and a TTC commuter parking lot. CreateTO announced on January 9 that is has selected Civic Developments and Windmill Developments as development partners to transform the site into a three-tower mixed-living community that will accommodate more than 900 new residential units, two thirds of which will be affordable and market rental co-op units. SOURCE: GOOGLE MAPS
development will be market condominiums. “What’s really significant about this is that a lot of these sites that come out, and the majority of the units end up being condos. But with this one, the majority is going to be non-profit housing,” CHFT executive director Tom Clement told NRU. This is CHFT’s first project
on a CreateTO site, and the first private-sector-led project to proceed under the City of Toronto’s Housing Now program, which develops transit-oriented affordable housing on city-owned land. “We have co-ops where we lease from the city and we have many different kinds of tenure. There’s times where we just buy our site outright, but it’s a lot harder now. There’s a lot more dependence on government because of the lack of investment from upper levels of government,” Clement said. This proposed development not only hits a number of the
city’s community-building goals, it ticks a lot of other boxes for housing advocates like HousingNowTO technical lead Mark Richardson, who says that this is a huge opportunity for all levels of government to come to the table and work together on seeing that this housing project is positioned for success. Richardson is more than familiar with the 2444 Eglinton site. He and the team at Smart Density prepared a report and vision for the site back in 2020, prior to the city’s reveal of the development concept in 2021. “We did an assessment of the site, and I think we came in at about 820 to 850 units and three towers. This model that is out now is pretty similar—I think it’s about 10 or 15 per cent bigger because of construction costs and because they want to do the co-op component,” Richardson told NRU. “This is checking all the boxes, our [HousingNowTO] volunteers are really happy to see the City of Toronto CONTINUED PAGE 7
Photo of the CreateTO site at 2444 Eglinton Avenue East in Scarborough. The site is currently occupied by a vacant auto repair shop and a TTC commuter parking lot. CreateTO announced on January 9 that is has selected Civic Developments and Windmill Developments as development partners to transform the site into a three-tower mixed-living community that will accommodate more than 900 new residential units, two thirds of which will be affordable and market rental co-op units that will be operated by Co-operative Housing Federation Toronto (CHFT). SOURCE: GOOGLE STREET VIEW
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WALKING THE TALK CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
proceeding with a dense, transit-oriented development, and the province and the feds are going to need to help on this site and to provide the necessary supports in order to make this largest co-operative housing project in Ontario in 25 years a reality.” Indeed, using the term “transit-oriented” to describe the site could be somewhat of an understatement given its location in close proximity to one of the busiest transit hubs in the entire city. 2444 Eglinton East sits across the street from Kennedy station, the eastern terminal for the BloorDanforth subway line, while also serving the GO Transit Stouffville line, as well as the future Eglinton Crosstown LRT. While the access to higherorder transit makes the site a very attractive candidate for creating a transit-oriented community, the site isn’t without its share of challenges, and CreateTO development director Jason Chen notes that the design and development teams for the project deserve full credit for the concept they have come up with for what is a considerably challenging site. “It’s a tough site for sure. It’s kind of hemmed in by the rail corridor, the Eglinton overpass, and pinched by the hydro corridor,” Chen told NRU. FRIDAY, J AN U A RY 1 2 , 2 0 2 4
“CreateTO and the city team are really impressed by the work that [Vancouver architecture firm] Henriquez Partners Architects and Claude Cormier and Associates (CCxA) have done in terms of having a fantastic development on this site. They’re really looking to integrate the Kennedy TTC station to the south, which is very appealing to us and was a goal we wanted to achieve with this site as well.” With respect to the housing side of the project, both developers spoke to the opportunity for this development to set a precedent for what is possible for new housing models, not only for Toronto but for all of Ontario, in terms of establishing a mixed-tenure housing development that is easily
accessible by transit and that also meets number of sustainability goals. “I believe that one of the most important aspects of this project is that of partnerships. I don’t think a project like this happens without the kind of dynamic partnerships that have evolved through the early process for this project,” Civic Developments managing partner Matthew Cohen told NRU. “CreateTO have been instrumental in aggressively pushing forward to make sure that this project is viable. The partnership with CHFT is a novel one, and I think as far as our aspirations to see more co-op communities moving forward, that obviously couldn’t happen without them, and I think it speaks to the real potential for more co-ops in the future.” The co-op housing model is significant in that it is a not-forprofit housing delivery model that allows for a larger number of units to be delivered at a controlled cost.
Add to the equation a developer like Windmill and its mandate to operate under the One Planet Living model, a development framework that seeks to create sustainable and livable developments that nurture culture and community, and you have a partnership structure that can serve as a benchmark for future developments in all parts of the city and across the province. “What we lend a lot to the partnership is our One Planet Living fund, which is a funding model that is focused on sustainable development and inclusive and regenerative communities. I think from the partnership model perspective, there have been a number of models that have worked over the years. I think this demonstrates that if you can get the right public, not-for-profit and private sectors together to CONTINUED PAGE 8
Rendering looking northwest at a proposed three-tower Housing Now development at 2444 Eglinton Avenue East in Scarborough. CreateTO announced on January 9 that Civic Developments and Windmill Developments have been chosen as development partners for the project. The development would include three towers standing 38, 18 and between 30 and 38 storeys in height, accommodating more than 900 new residential units, including more than 600 affordable and market rental co-op housing units. ARCHITECT: HENRIQUEZ PARTNERS ARCHITECTS SOURCE: CIVIC DEVELOPMENTS/WINDMILL DEVELOPMENTS
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collectively solve a problem, that’s where the model really starts to work well,” Windmill Developments partner Dan Van Leeuwen told NRU. “The city is contributing the land for the project, CreateTO the vision, and from us, the development expertise, financing and taking the risk on getting the project approved. I think that shows that you can actually get larger-scale projects done. They don’t require tremendous amounts of new tax or new cash subsidies; you can do it by leveraging each person’s asset and benefit to it.” Van Leeuwen says that this project provides much-needed missing middle housing, which has a valuable role to play in ensuring the maintenance of a healthy housing continuum with not only multiple points of entry, but the ability to move along the continuum as well. “I think this really targets that move up into a quality building, and then hopefully you’re able to move yourself into that next level of housing. That missing middle is a bit murky in terms of how you want to define it, but this is really the middle to that next level of the housing continuum, and this will free up housing stock as people move into this model and on to the next,” van Leeuwen said. FRIDAY, J AN U A RY 1 2 , 2 0 2 4
“We hope to not only get people into this missing middle housing, but also free up stock that is existing in Scarborough and other places of the city as people move into it. That’s what’s important to think of when you’re creating new housing, is: are you able to free up other stock so that it can be utilized as other people move through the housing continuum?” While the existing partnership structure of the project has been able to advance the ball this far, Richardson says that upper levels of government need to play their part as well to ensure that this project is seen through. “We need [Municipal Affairs and Housing] Minister Paul Calandra to agree to either a Minister’s Zoning Order [MZO] or Community Infrastructure Housing Accelerator [CIHA] order on this site. The province may also want to come to the table with some direct funding supports for the co-op portion of it,” Richardson said. “The federal government needs to provide capital costs … The capital costs on just the co-op portion—so 600 units—is probably $300 million and that needs to get covered with a long-term
low-interest construction loan under two per cent for the next 25 years. That’s how coops used to get built. This is a perfect case study where the CMHC [Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation] and the [Canada] Infrastructure Bank should be coming to the table and treating affordable housing and co-op housing like infrastructure. This is an excellent opportunity for all three levels of government to walk the talk on transitoriented development, affordable housing, and housing infrastructure.” The proposed development will be discussed at Toronto design review panel on January 17 (see agenda, page 9, this
issue), and CreateTO expects that following that meeting, the development team will be submitting a formal development application some time in February.
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STANDING COMMITTEE AGENDAS TORONTO PRESERVATION BOARD Toronto Preservation Board will consider the following at its meeting Thursday, January 18 at 9:30 a.m. via video conference. 78, 80 & 86 Mimico Avenue— Report recommends that council state its intention to designate the properties under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The Mimico Avenue properties contain three twostorey main street commercial structures constructed between 1920 and 1929. 505 University Avenue—Report recommends that council state its intention to designate the University Avenue property under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The property contains the Shell Oil Building, originally constructed as a 13-storey
office building in 1958 to the design of Marani & Morris. A seven-storey addition was added in 1966 using a novel mobile crane modification. A development application has been submitted for the site that would demolish the Shell Oil Canada building to permit the development of a new 64-storey mixed-use building. 1111 Danforth Avenue—Report recommends that council state its intention to designate the property under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The Danforth Avenue property contains a two-storey building constructed in 1931 in the Neo-Gothic architectural style. A development application has been submitted for the site that would partially retain and integrate the existing building as a base element for a proposed nine-storey mid-rise development.
119, 121-123 & 127 Church Street 127 and 89 Queen Street East—Report recommends that council approve alterations to the heritage properties and that it enter into a Heritage Easement Agreement with the owner. A development application has been submitted for the site proposing to develop a 59-storey mixed-use building that would retain and integrate the front facades of 89 Queen and 121-123 Church in situ, and would also retain and integrate the panelized and reconstructed façade of 119 Church into the proposed development. 938, 944 & 950 King Street West and 95, 97 & 99 Strachan Avenue—Report recommends that council approve the demolition of the designated heritage property, known for many years as the Palace Arms, on the condition that the replacement structure on the site would be designed
and constructed in accordance with the approved plans and drawings referenced in the report. In 2021, council granted the property owner approval for alterations to the heritage properties in connection with a proposal for a 14-storey development. Subsequent investigation has determined that the masonry of the existing building is in very poor condition that notwithstanding the previously-approved conservation strategy would not allow for the meaningful retention of the heritage structures. As an alternative to conserving the existing heritage structure, the applicant would dismantle it, replicating the original facades in the replacement structure using salvaged materials where possible, resulting in the commemoration, not conservation, of the historic building on the site.
DESIGN REVIEW PANEL AGENDA The Toronto Design Review Panel will consider the following matters at its meeting Wednesday, January 17 at 1:05 p.m. in a virtual session hosted on Webex.
1:05 p.m. 2444 Eglinton Avenue East— FRIDAY, J AN U A RY 1 2 , 2 0 2 4
Housing Now—Panel will undertake its second review of CGWIN LP’s Housing Now proposal for 2444 Eglinton Avenue East. CGWIN LP is seeking a zoning by-law amendment to develop three residential towers on the site, containing a total of 918
residential units including a mix of cooperative, affordable, accessible and market rate dwelling units. Presentations will be made by City of Toronto community planner Kwasi Kankam and Scarborough District senior urban designer
Marina Haufschild, as well as project team members from Henriquez Partners Architects.
2:30 p.m. Adjournment
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OLT NEWS SETTLEMENT APPROVED FOR SHEPPARD-LESLIE DEVELOPMENT In a December 21 decision, OLT member Bita Rajaee allowed appeals, in part, by Concord Adex Investments Limited against the City of Toronto’s failure to make a decision on its official plan and zoning by-law amendment applications for 1181 Sheppard Avenue East. In 2008, previous property owner Canadian Tire filed applications to permit the development of a new 25-storey head office building including ancillary retail uses, a daycare facility, and a direct pedestrian connection to Leslie subway station. The applications were approved by city council but Canadian Tire subsequently sold the property to Concord Adex. In 2019, Concord Adex submitted new applications proposing to develop a 22-storey tower accommodating 36,085 square metres of office space conjoined with a 25-storey residential tower containing 513 dwelling units. The towers would share a five-storey podium containing 4,996 square metres of retail space and a 740-square-metre day nursery. In November 2021, Concord Adex appealed its applications to the Tribunal, citing the City’s failure to FRIDAY, J AN U A RY 1 2 , 2 0 2 4
make a decision within the timeframes prescribed under the Planning Act. After further discussions with city staff, Concord Adex made an offer to city council to settle its appeals on the basis of revisions to the proposal. The settlement offer was accepted by council at its meetings on July 19-20, 2023 and November 8, 2023. The settlement offer proposes the development of two residential towers of 32 and 38 storeys linked by a shared five-storey podium containing approximately 7,100 square metres of retail
and office space. By contrast to the original proposal, the settlement offer proposes the two towers to be developed as two discrete buildings with a 30-metre tower separation, rather than being conjoined. The towers above the podium would contain a total of 799 residential units. In addition, Concord Adex has agreed to incorporate a Revised proposal by Concord Adex Investments Limited for two towers of 32 and 38 storeys on a shared five-storey podium at 1181 Sheppard Ave. E.; approved by the OLT in a December 21 decision. ARCHITECT/SOURCE: DIALOG
direct pedestrian connection to Leslie subway station, as well as at-grade pedestrian enhancements. At a settlement hearing, the Tribunal considered evidence from planner Ivy Qi (Bousfields) in support of the revised proposal. Ms. Qi testified that the proposed development has appropriate regard for the applicable planning policy framework and represents transitsupportive intensification along the Sheppard East Subway Corridor. The Tribunal accepted Qi’s uncontested evidence and allowed the appeals, in part, approving the amendments in principle, subject to various conditions. Solicitors involved in this decision were Mark Flowers and Grace O’Brien (Davies Howe) representing Concord Adex Investments Limited and Sarah O’Connor representing the City of Toronto. [See OLT Case No. OLT-21-001718.]
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COMMUNITY COUNCIL AGENDAS while maintaining an existing church on the site in situ.
ETOBICOKE YORK COMMUNIT Y COUNCIL Etobicoke York Community Council will consider the following at its meeting Friday, January 19 at 9:30 a.m. in Council Chamber, Etobicoke Civic Centre. 2 & 10 East Mall Crescent —Final
report recommends approval of a rezoning application by QuadReal Property Group to permit a mixed-use development comprising two building elements of 33 and nine storeys, connected by a four-storey base building. A total of 350 square metres of retail space and 606 residential units are proposed. 3350 Weston Road —Final
report recommends approval of a rezoning application by Congregazione Pentecostale to permit the development of a 15-storey residential building containing 190 dwelling units,
251-285 The West Mall —Appeal report seeks council direction for staff to attend an OLT hearing in opposition to a rezoning application by Bloor Gold Residences Inc. seeking to permit the development of three 13-storey apartment buildings containing a total of 610 dwelling units, including 66 rental replacement units.
4884-4896 Dundas Street West —
Appeal report seeks council direction for staff to attend an OLT hearing in opposition to official plan and zoning bylaw amendment applications by Islington Village Developments Inc. Islington Village is seeking to develop a 29-storey mixed-use building containing 1,322 square metres of retail space and 395 residential units.
2, 7 & 10 Queen Elizabeth Boulevard, 506, 514, 516, 520 & 522 Royal York Road and 3, 5 & 15 Sinclair Street —
Appeal report seeks council direction for staff to attend an OLT hearing in opposition to a rezoning application by 1672489 Ontario Ltd. (Queenscorp Group). The appellant is seeking to develop a 10-storey mid-rise building, as well as three towers of 17, 20 and 35 storeys on the site. A total of 6,000 square metres of employment gross floor area would be included, in addition to 967 residential units.
SCARBOROUGH COMMUNIT Y COUNCIL Scarborough Community Council will consider the following at its meeting Friday, January 19 at 9:30 a.m. in Council Chamber, Scarborough Civic Centre. 2683 Lawrence Avenue East —Final
report recommends approval of a rezoning application by 2683 Holdings Ltd. to permit the development of an 11-storey mixed-use building containing
589 square metres of retail space and 206 residential units. 2031 Kennedy Road —Final
report recommends approval of a rezoning application by Kennedy Commons Inc. to expand the range of permitted commercial uses within an already-approved mixed-use development that is currently under construction. The expansion would include restaurant, take-out restaurant, personal service shop, convenience store, medical/ dental office and office uses. 5855, 5865, 5875, 5945, 5951 & 5955 Steeles Avenue East —Final report recommends approval of a rezoning application by Jim Pattison Developments Ltd. to permit the development of a one-storey 37,138-squaremetre storage and distribution facility on a Steeles Avenue East site. Two designated heritage properties located on the northeastern portion of the site would be renovated to accommodate commercial/ office uses.
PEOPLE The Metcalf Foundation has appointed Jamison Steeve as its new president and chief executive officer (CEO), effective February 5, 2024. Steeve comes to Metcalf Foundation from his current role as YMCA of Greater Toronto strategy officer. Previously, he has served as executive director of the Martin Prosperity Institute, and has held significant roles with the Government of Ontario. Steeve succeeds previous Metcalf Foundation president and CEO Sandy Houston, who has served the foundation in the role for 23 years.
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