Proposal details
This page will continue to be updated with info from the proposal and supporting studies.
Jump to: Parking // Heritage Impact
The proposed mixed-use building will consist of four levels of structured parking (one partially underground), with commercial space along the street and 205 dwelling units from floors 3 through 17. As currently proposed, the dwelling units will consist of 66 one-bedroom units, 110 two-bedroom units and 29 three-bedroom units. These will be market-rate rental apartments (not condos, not affordable housing).
The proposal is seeking rezoning for a modified C.6 zone or a new Special Zone District. Below is a table showing the C.6 zone requirements and the proposed lot regulations – non-complying regulations are in bold.
Parking
In short: there is enough parking.
The residential and commercial parking requirements total 135 spaces. The proposal includes 160 spaces, with pick up/drop off spaces and accessible spaces. Excess parking is proposed to be made available as paid public parking.
There are 176 bicycle parking spaces proposed.
This comprises 4 storeys of parking, one partially underground, with open air parking on the roof at the back of the building (behind the tower). This is in the northwestern portion of the lot with residential zoning on three sides.
The church lot will be losing spaces, being reduced to 15. This meets zoning requirements but doesn’t meet the max parking usage identified in the proposal’s parking study. Public parking in the garage will be free on Sundays in attempts to alleviate the impact of churchgoers parking on surrounding streets.
Parking is part of the reason the proposal jumped from 10 to 17 storeys – the developer cites that they were responding to public concern around the perceived lack of sufficient parking, and the impact that would have on surrounding streets. This change added additional storeys of parking.
Heritage Impact
Summary of the proposal’s Heritage Impact Assessment.
Potential negative impacts:
- Visual overwhelming due to significant height difference (17 storeys vs. low-rise church)
- Afternoon shadowing of church building (3:00-6:00 PM)
- Change to broader streetscape character in longer views
Positive aspects:
- Lower podium height in the new proposal (4 vs. 6 storeys) improves immediate relationship to the church and streetscape
- Compatible design elements (brick cladding, vertical emphasis in window/door openings)
- No direct physical impact to heritage attributes of the original church
Professional opinion
The heritage consultant rates the potential adverse impact as “moderate”, defined as “changes to the setting of an historic building, such that it is significantly modified.” The revised design with 4-storey streetwall is considered an improvement over the original proposal (which had a 6-storey streetwall), but the writer expresses concern about the impact of the tower portion within the broader streetscape context:
Even in older neighbourhoods of Toronto, the densification policy along the Avenues considers the juxtaposition of new multi-residential buildings beside low-rise neighbourhoods, similar in scale to Hunter Street East, by setting a height limit of generally no greater than the the width of the right-of-way that the building fronts onto or about 5 to 11 storeys. In longer views, particularly looking west along Hunter Street East towards the church, the new 17-storey building will profoundly change the setting of the former 19th century commercial core by introducing a contrasting built form.
Recommended mitigation strategies
- Increase building setback to enhance church prominence
- Careful brick color selection to maintain church’s distinctiveness
- Consider reducing tower height (for example, reducing parking)
- Lighter tower materials/colors
- Construction vibration monitoring and protection
Conclusion
While the development will significantly change the area’s character, the consultant concludes it broadly complies with provincial heritage policies (Section 4.6.1 of the 2024 Provincial Policy Statement).