Absolutely wild, broken system.

”There are no heritage buildings on the site, but there are several heritage buildings adjacent to the site.”

This is an overreach that wrecks trust of the preservation process, like when Matlow designated all those properties that had no business being designated.
Did you bother to read the Staff Report before getting your knickers in a twist? 405 Sherbourne is a Listed property so there needs to be an agreement from the City to change it. Staff Report says:

"This report recommends that City Council approve the alterations proposed for the Part V designated heritage property at 405 Sherbourne Street in connection with a proposed development of the subject property.

The proposal is for a 26-storey mixed-use building that is part of the Housing Now Initiative. The new building will replace an existing surface parking lot. There are no heritage buildings on the site, but there are several heritage buildings adjacent to the site.

The impacts of the proposed development on the Cabbagetown Northwest Heritage Conservation District are appropriately mitigated through the compatible design of the new construction. In addition, the proposal will serve the public interest by providing 267 new rental housing units, of which between 33 - 50 percent will be new affordable rental housing units in accordance with the Housing Now Initiative."
 
It's isn't likely the case of "preserving" a parking lot or the surrounding areas...it seems more about preventing what is planned to be built there by every legal means possible. /sigh
Read the Report! It proposes APPROVAL of the development/.

"This report recommends that City Council approve the alterations proposed for the Part V designated heritage property at 405 Sherbourne Street in connection with a proposed development of the subject property.

The proposal is for a 26-storey mixed-use building that is part of the Housing Now Initiative. The new building will replace an existing surface parking lot. There are no heritage buildings on the site, but there are several heritage buildings adjacent to the site.

The impacts of the proposed development on the Cabbagetown Northwest Heritage Conservation District are appropriately mitigated through the compatible design of the new construction. In addition, the proposal will serve the public interest by providing 267 new rental housing units, of which between 33 - 50 percent will be new affordable rental housing units in accordance with the Housing Now Initiative."
 
Yes. I read it. The point is, this address is a parking lot.

It is absurd this must pass through bureaucratic procedure of HPS because a parking is considered a heritage property because it manages to fall into a gerrymandered Cabbagetown Northwest Heritage Conservation District from 15 years ago.
 
Read the Report! It proposes APPROVAL of the development/.

"This report recommends that City Council approve the alterations proposed for the Part V designated heritage property at 405 Sherbourne Street in connection with a proposed development of the subject property.

The proposal is for a 26-storey mixed-use building that is part of the Housing Now Initiative. The new building will replace an existing surface parking lot. There are no heritage buildings on the site, but there are several heritage buildings adjacent to the site.

The impacts of the proposed development on the Cabbagetown Northwest Heritage Conservation District are appropriately mitigated through the compatible design of the new construction. In addition, the proposal will serve the public interest by providing 267 new rental housing units, of which between 33 - 50 percent will be new affordable rental housing units in accordance with the Housing Now Initiative."
As mentioned, the POINT is that broadly-drawn "Heritage Conservation Districts" and handing out "Heritage" listings like Halloween Candy is a broken and flawed system that is a huge part of the problem within the City of Toronto, as the GLOBE discussed this week...

 
Read the Report! It proposes APPROVAL of the development/.

"This report recommends that City Council approve the alterations proposed for the Part V designated heritage property at 405 Sherbourne Street in connection with a proposed development of the subject property.

The proposal is for a 26-storey mixed-use building that is part of the Housing Now Initiative. The new building will replace an existing surface parking lot. There are no heritage buildings on the site, but there are several heritage buildings adjacent to the site.

The impacts of the proposed development on the Cabbagetown Northwest Heritage Conservation District are appropriately mitigated through the compatible design of the new construction. In addition, the proposal will serve the public interest by providing 267 new rental housing units, of which between 33 - 50 percent will be new affordable rental housing units in accordance with the Housing Now Initiative."
Well that was my initial reaction. As I suspected that the local nimby interests were using that as an extension of a legal definition to shut down a potential public "crack house" in their small minds. Since this doesn't look like the case at all, then I'll retract that. And amend it to, "That's a weird thing to include into a heritage protection, WTF!?" and move on from there. >.<
 
  • Like
Reactions: DSC
405 SHERBOURNE rezoning was Approved at full-council yesterday, with some minor "housekeeping" amendments by Councillor KWT & Deputy-Mayor Bailao.

PH25.3 - Housing Now - 405 Sherbourne Street - Zoning Amendment - Final Report
http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2021.PH25.3

Now, we just need to wait 30-ish days to ensure that nobody files a TLAB appeal of the rezoning... which we don't expect on this site.

City should issue an RFP to "not-for-profit" rental housing developers about this site in August or September for bids to take this site on for 99-years.

1626428171770.png
 
So when should I plan to move?...I live on the parking lot side of 391 Sherbourne and I am a health worker . If I need to give 60 days notice I need to know when construction noise will begin.
 
So when should I plan to move?...I live on the parking lot side of 391 Sherbourne and I am a health worker . If I need to give 60 days notice I need to know when construction noise will begin.

It's a larger project so it won't be immediately. You might even have a couple years despite the accelerated timelines.

That said, you may find it financially advantageous to look for a new place now as rent rates are down 25% from 2019.
 
Last edited:
So when should I plan to move?...I live on the parking lot side of 391 Sherbourne and I am a health worker . If I need to give 60 days notice I need to know when construction noise will begin.
The 405 SHERBOURNE project has only just been Approved by City Council (July 2021) - and still has to go out to Request-for-Proposal (RFP) for not-for-profit and co-op operators who will then have to go through the specific Site Plan Approvals (SPA) & Building-Permit with the City, and Federal CMHC Construction-Loan process.

MILESTONE REPORT (JUNE 2021) - http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2021.RA23.3

Based on the schedules of the first three "Fast-Track" sites under the HOUSING NOW program, they are taking 2+ years to get through that process. None of those sites have started construction yet.

VICTORIA PARK rezoning was Approved by City Council (November 2019) - and will start construction sometime this Fall (*approx. ~24 months later).

These construction-dates may slide-out (or speed-up) depending on the outcomes of the expected Federal Elections this Fall (*all HOUSING NOW sites require NATIONAL HOUSING STRATEGY dollars from Ottawa), and the continuing impact of COVID on the construction-trades.

Milestone_Report_Housing_Now_CreateTO_202107_SHERBOURNE.png
 
The 49-Storeys proposed at 383 Sherbourne - and the 39-Storeys proposed at 410 Sherbourne really show that the City could have "been bolder" on this site... talked about it as an example last-week on a ULI Panel -
46697-139167.jpg
 

Back
Top