Affordability concerns raised at community meeting on proposal for multi-storey rental buildings at Woodbine and Danforth

The City of Toronto held its second community consultation for a development proposal at 985 Woodbine Ave.on the evening of Monday, May 6.

The meeting was attended by 115 participants including Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford, Bousefield’s Inc Planning’s Mike Bissett, as well as representatives from Choice Properties REIT and the City of Toronto planning department.

“This is a really important application for all of us here in the community,” said Bradford. “This is a resubmission of an existing application but it is quite a bit different than where we started.”

In 2019, Choice Properties REIT submitted an application for construction of a 15-storey residential mixed-use building and a nine-storey residential building totaling a GFA of approximately 33,156 square metres at the site.

However, the revised application now seeks a 35-storey residential building on the northeast corner of Woodbine and Danforth avenues that shares an underground parking with a 10-storey residential building on the southwest corner of Cedarvale Avenue and Strathmore Boulevard.

With the Woodbine Subway Station located just north of Danforth Avenue, Bradford applauded the applicants for “the widened public realm” on the Woodbine frontage of the proposal that will now prevent commuters from “spilling onto the street”.

However, Bradford stressed his and the public’s sentiments regarding the importance of building homes that people can afford.

“Site permeability, high quality public realm, and housing that people can afford. All these things are important for me and I know that that’s been the topic of discussion,” said Bradford.

Mark Richardson, a volunteer with advocacy group HousingNowTO and a strong supporter of the revised plan at 985 Woodbine Ave., shared Bradford’s views on the need for housing affordability in the area.

With much of the developments around Toronto comprising condos that are for sale, Richardson said that he was “very happy to see that (this development) is rental housing”.

However, he questioned whether Choice Properties REIT (which is controlled by the Weston family who are the owners of Loblaws Companies which include Shoppers Drug Mart) is keeping the community in mind when considering affordability.

“Between your own grocery store and the four Shoppers Drug Mart within a kilometre of this site, you have hundreds of Choice employees or employees of Choice franchises,” he said.

“How many of those people earning what they earn in Loblaws or Shoppers Drug Mart would be able to afford the rent that you’re proposing in these buildings?”

Mike Bissett, a partner at Bousfields Inc Planning, highlighted that there would be 14 rental replacement units in the proposal that remain “at an affordable rent”, although he expects the remainder will be market rate.

This didn’t satisfy residents in attendance with one describing market rates for rentals as “unhinged from reality”.

“If we’re talking about making this building market rates, we’re talking about more and more average people that are not actually going to be able to afford these units because market rates currently are unaffordable to average incomes,” said the concerned Beaches-East York resident.

Although there was no concrete guarantee provided for the affordability of the remaining 632 proposed rental units, Choice Properties REIT said they are open to discussions with residents to hear “if that is one of the elements that is important to the community”.

“We are contemplating assessing the opportunity to bring affordable housing through different ways,” said a Choice Properties REIT representative. “But for now it’s too soon for us to confirm what the level of affordability would be and whether the percentage would be more than what is existing on those replaced units.”

In the spirit of ensuring equity in the neighbourhood, Kaila Hunte, a former resident of Strathmore Boulevard, suggested the inclusion of accessible units for people with disabilities.

“If you haven’t been thinking about that yet, maybe I can just put this bug in your ear to consider it,” said Hunte.

Considering the increasing demand for accessible units in Toronto, Hunte pleaded with Choice Properties REIT to think about the community’s most vulnerable residents.

“People with disabilities often have some of the most difficult times finding housing that meets their needs,” she said. “In a city like Toronto, it’s shocking the lack of accessible housing that is available to them. So, since this is a rental, I think it’s something that you should definitely consider because people will take those units.”

Other concerns included traffic impact with the increased density in the area. City officials confirmed that the area has sufficient road capacity for the new development.

However, car owners can expect some inconvenience as the proposal has “relatively low rates of parking” with only 152 parking spaces provided for the 646 units.

“Through the zoning report, we will also exclude this development from on-street permit parking,” said a city official. “People who live in these buildings will have to find parking in the garage or make other choices for their mobility which, in this location, there are many other options.”

There are currently 14 residential units on site, nine of which are rented with the remaining five being vacant. With these units expected to be demolished, the developer is providing the mandated rental relocation assistance package to residents.

This will include four months notice of eviction as well as three months rent compensation. There will also be additional compensation such as a moving allowance.

Tenants who choose to return to the new building when it is completed will be able to do so at a similar rent to what they are now paying for their units, according to a city bylaw.

— Amarachi Amadike is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for Beach Metro Community News. His reporting is funded by the Government of Canada through its Local Journalism Initiative.

Amarachi Amadike, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Beach Metro Community News