302 King Street East designation recommended despite owner's late notice and request to defer

development

302 King Street East designation recommended despite owner's late notice and request to defer

The Preservation Board recommends that the City state its intention to designate the Garibaldi House at 302 King Street East, a heritage property built circa 1858 in Corktown. The owner's counsel, appearing only days after receiving notice, requested deferral to the September meeting, citing insufficient time to assess the designation's impact on future uses; staff confirmed the heritage attributes are not locked in and can be refined before the item reaches Planning and Housing Committee in November. The board voted unanimously to recommend designation.

adoptedToronto Preservation Board · Thu, Jul 23You can weigh inProvince decides

From the floor

“My client was only in receipt of this notice 2 days ago. In that vein, my client had written to the city to request deferral of this board's consideration, and we are here today to reiterate that request. The owner recognizes the potential heritage attributes of the property, but simply put, given the limited time in which they received the notice of intent to designate, they require more time to understand the specific attributes the city has identified for designation, whether it agrees with those attributes and how the designation contemplated may affect any future uses on the property.”Counsel to Nellia Design Inc., the registered owner of 302 King Street East

“This report was is scheduled to track to the next regular planning and housing committee meeting which is tenatively scheduled for after the municipal election. So it's scheduled for November 26th. So we have a considerable amount of time to work through any issues that the property owner may have with the designation and we're more than happy to to meet with the the property owner's solicitor and the property owner to to to have those conversations.”Heritage Planning, City of Toronto

“No, it does not lock in the heritage attributes. This board will provide its advice to council on the recommendations that are before you today. And if we have conversations with the property owner and having those conversations decide to make changes to the statement of significance, we certainly have the opportunity to do that and to bring that before the planning and housing committee and to council.”Heritage Planning, City of Toronto

“I'm very comfortable that there's a long period of time where discussion can continue on and that our mandate as a board is whether in the report before us we feel like it satisfies the test for designation. We ourselves don't have the power to designate but we can recommend that we think that there is merit to the planning report and I hope that there is continued conversation and dialogue in the months ahead with the owner so that everybody's comfortable.”A councillor

Also in this item

• The property owner received the notice of intention to designate only 2 days before the board meeting, despite the notice being dated June 30. Staff acknowledged this is a timing issue under Bill 23 designations but said the city sends three notices and has time to work with the owner.

• This is one of 18 pre-1870 Heritage Register properties the city must designate or remove by January 1, 2027 (a provincial Bill 23 deadline). The city hired heritage consultants to evaluate them citywide.

• The board confirmed that recommending designation does not lock in the heritage attributes; they can be refined in discussions with the owner before the formal Planning and Housing Committee and Council votes.

The journey

Thu, Jul 23 · Toronto Preservation Board · adopted

Time to act

You can weigh in

The property owner may appeal the designation to the Ontario Land Tribunal if Council ultimately designates the property. Residents who support or oppose the designation can depute at the Planning and Housing Committee meeting in November before the formal designation vote.

Decision

Motion carried unanimously (9-0) to recommend that City Council state its intention to designate 302 King Street East under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. The statement of significance and heritage attributes are subject to refinement during discussions with the property owner before the matter reaches Planning and Housing Committee.

On video

Jump to this item in the meeting video

Why is this story here?

ContainedA heritage designation is a genuine decision but affects one property. It constrains future alterations and demolitions on that single site and is not easily reversed, meeting the test for Stakes 1. The city's mandate to comply with a provincial Bill 23 deadline by January 1, 2027 adds institutional weight but does not elevate this to Stakes 2, as the substance is a single-site heritage protection.Touches a narrow groupThe designation affects the property owner directly and anyone considering alteration or development of the building, but does not change a resident's daily experience this week. The Garibaldi House is a landmark in Corktown, but the salience for the general public is at one remove: historical protection, not present effect. The owner's concerns about redevelopment potential are real but do not land on residents' ordinary weeks now.

Stories are ordered by how much weight a decision carries and how directly it reaches daily life. They rise as a decision date approaches and fall as they age.

Official title: 302 King Street East - Notice of Intention to Designate a Property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act · meeting video