COMMUNITY ZONE

The Community Zone is located in the north-east corner of the Site at 271 Front St. E. and is approximately 3577m2. This portion of the Site is currently owned by the City of Toronto and houses a car wash and a parking lot operated by the Toronto Parking Authority. The Zone is divided into four sections: a 2-storey Library and Community Centre, a 25-storey Residential Tower, and a single level of underground parking.

DESIGN

This mixed-use complex consists of a 2 storey podium, a 25 storey tower, and a single level of underground parking. The podium is shared by the 2323 m2 St Lawrence District Library at the north end facing out onto Front St. E., and a 2000 m2 Community Centre space on the south end facing opening onto Parliament St. and the Park Zone. Between the district library and the Community Centre, there is a transition space that houses joint services. The second storey of the Community Centre is occupied largely by a community garden. Below the podium, the underground parking garage contains approximately 76 spaces and is accessible from Parliament St. and the Residential Tower. The Tower is situated towards the north of the Zone above the library, and overlooks the podium rooftop garden. The lobby of the residential tower is in the north-east corner of the Zone, opening onto Front St. E.

The podium design features brick as the main material used throughout to create cohesion with the surrounding urban realm and pay homage to the Consumer’s Gas industrial buildings previously located here.

District Library

The current Toronto Public Library - St Lawrence Branch currently sits at 171 Front St E. Though it has served the St. Lawrence community for decades, this small branch can no longer adequately cater to the needs of this neighbourhood’s diverse and growing population. As such, a replacement district library that better serves these needs has already been approved for the Site.

The library revolutionizes the Toronto Public Library’s (TPL) relationship with digital media. Better utilizing digital media is vital for the TPL after the COVID-19 pandemic disruption to its operations, and the increasing importance of connecting online. As a flexible hub space, the library is an open concept design with lounge and step form seating and reading pods that provide users with private work space. To increase digital District Library literacy and access, this library contains a Digital Hub equipped with whiteboards, computers and tablets for common use. The Hub provides all users with free access to Wi-Fi and outlets for electronic devices. The library retains typical features such as physical stacks, access to workstations, reading areas and meeting rooms.

In recognition of the Site’s history, a section of the library is devoted to heritage interpretation through a Heritage Interpretation Centre. This allows community members and visitors alike to learn about the history of the Site without physical artifacts. It features headphone story pods where users are invited to hear stories about the Site’s history.

Sitting between the Library and Community Centre is an open-air storytelling garden with a variety of local flora, encircled with glass and visible from both sides. When not in use for the TPL’s storytelling programs, this garden serves as a quiet meditative space.

Community Centre

The Zone features a Community Centre to promote the development of a strong, healthy community. This community-oriented space provides social services catered to the growing St. Lawrence population through a neighbourhood resource centre. Services include: immigrant services, employment services, medical services, and childcare. On the second floor, a flexible community space with public access to Wi-Fi and outlets are implemented. This space is meant to be a ‘not quiet’ area for community members to gather, work, or relax in the company of neighbours and friends.

The second floor Community Garden serves as an educational space where community members can learn about the ecological heritage of the Site in interactive ways, and learn about traditional and innovative urban agriculture methods such as Indigenous cultivation and harvesting techniques. The utility of the community garden is wellestablished in Toronto (Wakefield et al, 2007). Community gardens increase physical activity which is integral to the maintenance of physical health and has positive impacts for mental health outcomes. In addition, it is a space for residents of the surrounding areas to collaborate, build a sense of community, and belonging [See Appendix D]. This is an important avenue for community-building after the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the community cafe utilizes the produce grown in the community garden, producing a stream of revenue and creating job and volunteer opportunities for community members.

Parking

While public transit is accessible on this Site, there may be some residents and visitors who require space to safely park a personal vehicle. This optional parking lot bolsters the theme of Development without Displacement by facilitating the creation of community through multi-modal accessibility.

Residential Tower 2

The second of the two residential towers, this 25-storey structure has a separate ground floor lobby and entrance to Front St. E. The tower contains approximately 250 rental units, 40% of which are at 80% AMR and a further 10% of which are at 40% AMR. Ideally, this is facilitated through the Housing Now initiative. See the Housing section for further detail on housing type and amenities.

RATIONALE

The Community Zone was adapted from the earlier Community Hub design alternative, with careful consideration of the HIS and community feedback. Like the Community Hub, the Community Zone is premised on the theme of Development without Displacement. Since this Zone is ultimately for the community, its design and programming has been curated to avoid the displacement of current and future residents. This design helps to redefine the car-centred current Site by transforming it into a dynamic and interactive social space. This design prioritizes the needs of residents, and ensures that those who utilize it the most, have a safe and healthy space not only to build meaningful social ties with neighbours and friends but to build connections to the land and its history. Since there are no viable physical remains on the Site, creating strong and sustainable communities is vital to (re)defining the significance of the Site and creating new narratives.

IMPLEMENTATION

Currently, the new TPL District Library is the only use already approved for the Site. The storytelling garden within it can be co-designed with local Indigenous communities, emulating programs such as the AGO’s Night of Indigenous Storytelling Program (Art Gallery of Ontario, 2018). TPL also needs a partner to fund the initiatives of the Digital Hub to provide computers, tablets, and other learning and flexible workspace tools.

The City can use an RFP process to find developers for the remainder of the mixed-use complex. The Community Zone can leverage third party non-profit expertise to operate the Community Hub based on precedents such as Daniels Spectrum and Artscape Wychwood Barns. Potential operators may include non-profit community-based organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, or Tropicana Community Services. The underground parking lot can be operated by the Toronto Parking Authority.

All lands remain publicly owned, as development and operating partners enter into a long-term lease with the City.