778 King Street West - Notice of Intention to Designate a Property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act

Designed by Leo Hunt Stanford, the building was constructed in 1947 for the York Mending Wool Company. It was subsequently the location of Uniforms Registered, the notable Ydessa Hendeles Art Foundation gallery (1988-2012), and is currently a real estate office. The property reflects the redevelopment of King Street West for textile-related manufacturing during the first half of the twentieth century, as well as the area's later period of adaptive reuse and cultural regeneration. Heritage Planning staff have determined that the property at 778 King Street West meets Ontario Regulation 9/06 - the criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act - for its design/physical, historical/associative, and contextual values. In June 2019, the More Homes, More Choice Act, 2019 (Bill 108) received Royal Assent. Schedule 11 of this Act included amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act. The Bill 108 Amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act came into force on July 1, 2021, which included a shift in Part IV designations related to certain Planning Act applications. Section 29(1.2) of the Ontario Heritage Act now restricts City Council's ability to give notice of its intention to designate a property under the Act to within 90 days after the City Clerk gives notice of a complete application. In November 2021, the City received an application for a Zoning By-law Amendment to facilitate the redevelopment of the site for an 18-storey mixed-use building with a non-residential gross floor area of 714 square metres, and a residential gross floor area of 24,126 square metres. The building at 778 King Street West is proposed to be demolished as well as the adjacent existing buildings located at 780, 782, 786, and 788 King Street West. The development application currently under review was deemed complete on January 14, 2022, following the new legislation coming into force. This Notice of Intention to Designate report must be considered by City Council before April 14, 2022. A Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) is required for all development applications that affect listed and designated properties and will be considered when determining how a heritage property is to be conserved. An HIA was not submitted for this application. Designation also enables City Council to review proposed alterations or demolitions to the property and enforce heritage property standards and maintenance.

2. If there are no objections to the designation, City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the Bill in Council designating the property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.