Proposed Land Lease for the Somali Centre for Culture and Recreation

At the direction of City Council, CreateTO, in consultation with City staff, and the SCCR have completed a feasibility study to identify potential sites for a proposed community centre and are recommending advancing the Subject Property as the site for the proposed development, which will serve the community as a whole, while providing a focus on serving the Somali community in particular. The Somali community has been working for decades to identify a location in order to build a new community centre with the goal to address the gap in services available to the broader Somali community. The Subject Property provides a location near, and accessible to, much of Toronto's Somali population and can also be developed to service local community recreation needs. Through this opportunity, the City will require programs, services, and facilities that appeal to and be available to the broader public. This would be secured through a Community Access Agreement which will work as a companion document to the Land Lease. Equity deserving communities confront difficulties in terms of travel time to access vital services, a lack of recreational services, neighbourhood improvement projects, and affordable spaces for community and cultural events. The proposed community centre will be a valuable resource to improve vital services to all communities in the surrounding neighbourhoods.

outlined in Attachment 2 with the Somali Centre for Culture and Recreation to design, build, finance and operate a new not-for-profit community centre on a portion of 30 Mulham Place, as shown and outlined in Attachment 1, and on such other or amended terms and conditions as may be approved by the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor. 2. City Council authorize the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in consultation with the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, and the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, to enter into a Community Access Agreement with Somali Centre for Culture and Recreation to accompany the lease authorized by Recommendation 1 above. 3. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in consultation with the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, and the Executive Director, Social Development Finance and Administration, to engage with the impacted Councillor(s), to ensure that the Community Access Agreement is developed, based on community consultation, to best meet the needs of the local community. 4. City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to commence and expeditiously advance an Official Plan Amendment to prepare a portion of 30 Mulham Place, as shown and outlined in Attachment 1, for disposal for the purposes of a long-term lease for a not-for profit community recreation centre. 5. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO and the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to amend the term of the nominal ground lease authorized in Recommendation 1 of this report to 30 years, with two 10 year renewal options, following the completion of an Official Plan Amendment required to permit the disposal of a portion of 30 Mulham Place, as shown and outlined in Attachment 1. 6. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management to negotiate and enter into a nominal licence for a term of 24 months with the Somali Centre for Culture and Recreation to use up to 3 acres on a portion of the lands knowns as 30 Mulham Place for environmental, geological and other pre-construction investigations on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, or their designate, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor. City Solicitor.