Minor Variance Application for 150 Eighth Street - by Councillor Mark Grimes, seconded by Councillor Ana Bailão

City Council adopted Item EY17.2 , Final Report for Zoning By-law Amendment Application, in regard to 150 Eighth Street at its meeting of September 30, October 1 and 2, 2020. The Bills were enacted for site-specific Zoning By-laws 772-2021 and 773-2021 on October 4, 2021 and came into full force and effect on October 15, 2021, implementing the owner-initiated zoning amendments to permit the construction of a 6-storey building containing 90 residential units, 94 vehicular parking spaces and a total gross floor area of 9,964 square metres. Since that time, the property has changed hands, and the new owners are the non-profit organization, the Canadian Helen Keller Centre. The new owners are proposing a 58-unit deeply affordable rental building geared to persons who are both deaf and blind. These new homes will be affordable for at least 40 years, and will have rents geared to tenant incomes meaning no household will pay more than 30 percent of their income on rent. This project is supported by government funding including through the City of Toronto's Open Door Program which waives development charges, and planning and building permit fees. Providing new deeply affordable and supportive homes to persons with physical and developmental disabilities is a priority for all levels of government, and is a key action in the City's HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan. In the early stages of planning for this affordable housing development, a few variances to the recently approved and in-force zoning would be required. These variances are largely driven by revisions required to support the change in tenure from condominium ownership to affordable rental, modular construction and the programing for tenants of the development. Once a site plan application is submitted, further variances may also be identified. Under the Planning Act, as amended, however, this owner will not be able to file for a minor variance application for zoning relief on these matters until October 16, 2023, thus delaying site redevelopment. Permitting a minor variance application for the project site will enable the Canadian Helen Keller Centre to more rapidly begin modular construction of urgently needed deeply affordable homes and City Council's authorization for submission of a minor variance application at this time is warranted. While the minor variance process may be the appropriate process, this resolution is not intended to and does not relay City Council's endorsement of the merits of the application.