The new streets might help break up those big blocks a bit, but I wonder if it'll spur much new development.
The streets alone won't, but the new
rezoning (as of a couple of weeks ago) definitely will, although it will take decades. I guess I should have posted those details too. The City of Toronto page on this is
here.
CLAUSE VIII – ZONE PROVISIONS is amended by adding the following:
17. Commercial-Residential (CR) Zone
(a) Permitted Uses
- Day Nurseries
- Dwelling Units
- Educational and Training Facility Uses
- Financial Institutions
- Fraternal Organizations
- Hotels
- Medical Centres
- Municipally owned and operated Parking Lots
- Nursing Homes
- Offices
- Personal Service Shops
- Places of Entertainment
- Private Home Day Care
- Recreational Uses
- Restaurants
- Retail Stores
- Retirement Homes
(b) Prohibited Uses
- Automobile Sales, including Auto Sales Rooms
- Automobile Service, Repair and Maintenance Uses, including auto
body repair and/or painting
- Automobile Service Stations
- Mechanical or Automatic Car Washes
- Single-Family Dwellings
- Two-Family Dwellings
- Duplexes
- Split Level Dwelling
(c) Supplementary Regulations
(i) For the lands between Claremore Avenue and Midland Avenue on
the north side of Kingston Road and for the lands between
Cliffside Drive and Midland Avenue on the south side of Kingston
Road: Dwelling Units, Retirement Homes, Nursing Homes, and
Private Home Day Care shall only be permitted on or above the
second storey, or where no portion of the dwelling unit is located
within 20m of the Kingston Road street line. For the purposes of
this supplementary regulation, the basement shall not be
considered a storey.
(ii) Townhouses are permitted in all locations with exception to those
lands within 20m of the Kingston Road street line.
This rezoning to mixed use commercial-retail-residential with marked increase in allowable density and height is what is important. This probably should have been done 15 years ago.
Heights have been increased to 8-11 storeys, not including one additional storey for mechanical. To get the north side 8 storeys or the south side 11 storeys, the developers have to get into an agreement with the city under
section 37. (Otherwise the maximum heights are a few storeys shorter.) Densities for overall floor space can be up to 4.5:1 vs lot space. Up until last month, because of the severe zoning restrictions, the maximum heights were basically 2 storeys and much lower density, which meant absolutely nobody was interested in developing these lots. Interestingly though, in anticipation of this zoning change, numbered companies have apparently been gradually buying up parcels of land.
For those not aware: Note that the gas stations and used car dealerships that are already there are grandfathered in. That means a used car lot can be sold as a used car lot, but as soon as a piece of land is not a used car lot, it can never be a used car lot again.
That's why this sign went up months ago:
That sign no longer is there, but I don't know if it's because it's been sold or what.
Some great old memories come back seeing the picture of Andrews. Believe it or not, but back in the sixties, this was once quite the classy place to go for dinner. There was quite a rivalry between this place and the Bo-Peep a little further east. And then there was the little Stop 14 diner a little futher east still, by Midland Ave. Great Cherry cokes and toasted danish there. ..sigh.
Maybe a nice condo building will be built there, with some nice 1st floor restaurants.