Soudan Avenue rental demolition and rezoning; approval of 53-storey tower with tenant protection plan

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Soudan Avenue rental demolition and rezoning; approval of 53-storey tower with tenant protection plan

Toronto and East York Community Council approved demolition of 17 rental units on Soudan Avenue and rezoning for a 53-storey residential tower with 639 units, including 17 replacement rental units at similar rents. The decision includes a Tenant Assistance Plan and residential demolition permit. Neighbouring residents opposed density and traffic impacts.

not yet heardToronto City Council · Wed, Jul 29

From the floor

“My family owns and resides in a condo on Lillian Street which is next door to the proposed building. We vehemently oppose this massive development on several issues.”A resident

“Our neighborhood is already extremely busy and densely populated. We have traffic flow issues, high level of traffic congestions of vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. We already do not have enough street parking for visitors, deliveries and services.”A resident

“To approve such a huge massive development of 53 stories with 640 dwelling units, it is our opinion that is absolutely ridiculous. Let alone with only a handful of parking spaces.”A resident

“We will see thousands of deliveries. I believe that was mentioned, and I'm thinking about postal food deliveries, Amazon, Ubers, waste management, etc. And so per week we're talking about thousands. This will further our neighborhood and community.”A resident

“Our schools are critically overcrowded and facing severe enrollment pressures. And because the schools in the Young and Eglinton area are operating well beyond their planned capacities, students are being redirected away from their neighborhood schools.”A resident

Also in this item

• Tenant Assistance Plan includes right of existing tenants to return to replacement rental units at similar rents plus financial compensation, a protective measure for the 17 displaced units.

• 39-storey tower height represents a significant density increase on a site in an already densely populated neighbourhood near Yonge and Eglinton.

The journey

Wed, Jul 8 · Toronto and East York Community Council · adopted

Wed, Jul 29 · Toronto City Council · not yet heard

Decision

Approved: demolition of 17 rental units at 148-158 and 162 Soudan Avenue; rezoning to permit 53-storey residential building with 639 units (17 replacement rental units); Residential Demolition Permit under Chapter 363, subject to conditions; Tenant Assistance Plan as tabled.

On video

Jump to this item in the meeting video

Why is this story here?

ContainedDemolition of 17 rental units and rezoning for a single large building is a substantial site-level decision but is bounded to one location and one development. The Tenant Assistance Plan with right of return and financial compensation is a protective measure. Hard to reverse once built, but a future council could potentially rezone if the tower underperforms or policies change. Passes the single-site bounded test, not the multi-site or policy-class test. Stakes 1.Felt nowThe 17 displaced rental tenants face immediate housing insecurity and relocation disruption, a direct effect this week (demolition pending). Neighbouring residents (within ~100m) experience traffic, congestion and parking impacts once the tower opens. This is not speculative future salience; displacement and traffic are now. A recognizable group (the tenants, the neighbours) feels this directly. The broader neighbourhood school impact is stated but secondary to the immediate demolition effect. Salience 2: direct-and-real.

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: 148-158 and 162 Soudan Avenue - Rental Housing Demolition Application - Decision Report - Approval · meeting video