Huntley and Isabella Street rental demolition and replacement; 1,419 new units with 32 rent-controlled replacements approved

housing

Huntley and Isabella Street rental demolition and replacement; 1,419 new units with 32 rent-controlled replacements approved

Toronto and East York Community Council voted to approve demolition of 32 rental units and their replacement within a 1,419-unit mixed residential development (two towers, 56 and 60 storeys) on three sites in the Church-Wellesley area. The decision includes a Tenant Assistance Plan requiring rent protection for returning tenants and financial hardship compensation. An Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment was advanced concurrently.

not yet heardToronto City Council · Wed, Jul 29

From the floor

“What will they see there instead? Another construction site, another demolishment, and another condo that has no bearing to the culture of Church Wellesley whatsoever. It's not necessary. Please reject it.”A resident

“My issue is not essentially with the history of this application. I brought it up with the Toronto Preservation Board to ask if specifically at the World Pride Murals, if you want to build your condo, build your condo. But my question is mainly about the World Pride Murals and how it seems that there has been no plan. If this has been a 4-year development, that is actually more concerning because in none of these four years has there been any plan to even discuss the World Pride murals other than we will take a picture of said murals and save it on a TIFF image. That is the extent of the attempts to preserve the world pride murals for this report.”A resident

“Are you aware that for the last 3 to four years we've had many public consultations on this particular application among others? Are you aware that we have been working with the neighborhood association been very much involved in this application? Do you know the history of any of these applications that you're speaking to but this one in particular?”A councillor

Also in this item

• World Pride Murals on the Huntley Street site face only photographic documentation as preservation; no substantive re-location, recreation, or integration plan documented in the 4-year development process despite being a culturally significant public art asset in the Church-Wellesley area.

• Tenant Assistance Plan mandates right of return for existing 32 tenants at similar rents and financial hardship compensation; rent-protected units embedded in a market-rate 1,419-unit development in a high-demand central neighbourhood.

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 32 rental dwelling units at 30-32 and 38-40 Huntley Street and 120-124 Isabella Street; replacement of 32 rental units within a new development containing 1,419 total dwelling units across two towers (56 and 60 storeys); Tenant Assistance Plan mandating existing tenants' right to return at similar rents with financial compensation; Residential Demolition Permit under Chapter 363 approved subject to conditions. Related zoning and Official Plan amendments approved concurrently.

On video

Jump to this item in the meeting video

Why is this story here?

Big deal at city hallThe decision permanently removes 32 rental units from the existing stock (demolition is irreversible), replaces them within a much larger development (1,419 units total), and commits the city to a long-term built form change in a central location. The Tenant Assistance Plan is a policy commitment affecting a class of residents (existing tenants with right of return). Hard to reverse without significant cost or conflict; affects multiple parties over years.Felt nowExisting tenants at these three addresses are directly affected NOW by the demolition notice and Tenant Assistance Plan. Residents in the Church-Wellesley area feel the construction, disruption, and built-form change during the multi-year project. The neighbourhood experiences loss of existing rental supply in a market where it is scarce. However, the effect is geographically narrow (three specific addresses and immediate vicinity) and affects a small number of people directly, so not broad-and-immediate. This is direct impact on a recognizable group (the 32 tenants, the neighbourhood) happening 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: 30-34 and 38-40 Huntley Street and 112-124 Isabella Street - Rental Housing Demolition Application - Decision Report - Approval · meeting video