164-166 and 168 Isabella Street Heritage Alterations; 70-storey tower proposed

housing

164-166 and 168 Isabella Street Heritage Alterations; 70-storey tower proposed

City Council is asked to approve alterations to two designated heritage properties on Isabella Street under the Ontario Heritage Act and to authorize a Heritage Easement Agreement, as part of a proposed 70-storey residential tower development. The report finds the heritage conservation strategy adequate, but the transcript shows resident opposition focused on infrastructure capacity and housing mix, not on the heritage items themselves.

not yet heardToronto City Council · Wed, Jul 29You can weigh inProvince decides

From the floor

“Why should council approve a significant increase in density before confirming the infrastructure needed to support it?”A resident

“Removing town homes that are suited to families and replacing it is not necessarily familyfriendly”A resident

“There's no affordable housing considering the high market price pricing and cost per square footage for this build”A resident

“I'm asking you, this is not about growth. It's about the balanced community that was approved and we would like you to have a better planning outcome.”A resident

“I live at 20 Southport Street, next door to the proposed 32story building C. Building C must not be built. You have already approved two towers, building A and building B, 26 stories and 29 stories, 16 town houses, and 10,000 square ft of retail space. This is quite enough development for Little Southport Street.”A resident

Also in this item

• The Isabella Street heritage properties are being relocated as part of the development, a material alteration that requires council approval under the Ontario Heritage Act.

• Residents dispute the planning outcome on grounds of infrastructure capacity (sanitary sewer) and housing mix, not heritage conservation, suggesting the heritage approval may advance while planning concerns remain unresolved.

The journey

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

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

Time to act

You can weigh in

Residents may depute at future committee or council votes if the item is referred; the transcript shows active opposition suggesting further opportunities may arise.

On video

Jump to this item in the meeting video

Why is this story here?

ContainedA heritage alteration approval is a genuine decision affecting two specific designated properties and their conservation. It is bounded to this site and reversible through a future council decision on the heritage easement. Not structural.Touches a narrow groupThe decision affects the owners and immediate neighbours of Isabella Street, and anyone with heritage interest in the neighbourhood. No daily-life effect reaches most residents; the impact is site-specific and institutional rather than broad.

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: 164-166 Isabella Street and 168 Isabella Street - Alterations to Designated Heritage Properties Under Section 33 of the Ontario Heritage Act and Authority to Enter into a Heritage Easement Agreement · meeting video