Item - 2021.EX24.10

The Executive Committee:

1. Directed that Confidential Attachments 1 and 2 to the report (April 27, 2021) from the Vice President, Land and Development Planning, CreateTO remain confidential until released by the Board of Directors of CreateTO as they pertain to a proposed or pending acquisition or sale of land for municipal or local board purposes and a position, plan, or instruction to be applied to negotiations carried on or to be carried on by or on behalf of the City of Toronto.

The purpose of this report is to introduce the Parkdale Hub project to the Board of CreateTO and to advise of the ongoing work that CreateTO staff are leading, at the direction of City Council, to advance city-building opportunities through the Parkdale Hub project feasibility study.

This project was initiated through a Motion to Council in 2017 which directed the three Deputy City Managers to convene an inter-divisional agency table to determine the feasibility of a coordinated plan for the City-owned properties located at 1303, 1313 Queen Street West and 220 Cowan Avenue. The facilities at each of these properties are in need of significant capital investment over the next ten years in order to maintain their state of good repair. This provides a unique opportunity to plan and build the City's assets in a coordinated manner, leveraging existing adjacencies to create spaces that more efficiently and effectively serve the Parkdale community.

Since 2017, CreateTO staff have been collaborating with a wide range of City divisions and agencies on a feasibility study that assesses the potential redevelopment of these sites to better serve the Parkdale community, which has been designated by City Council as a Neighbourhood Improvement Area.

In December 2019, pursuant to a report on the findings of the Phase 1 feasibility study, City Council directed CreateTO to lead Phase 2 of the Parkdale Hub feasibility study. This project represents a strong opportunity for CreateTO to lead a transformational city-building initiative that will deliver wide-ranging social, cultural and economic benefits to the Parkdale community, including:

- The creation of new affordable housing;
- The revitalization and expansion of a Community Recreation Centre;
- The reconstruction and expansion of the Parkdale Library branch;
- The ongoing delivery of Artscape’s cultural hub program, which includes affordable live-work residences for artists;
- The creation of new community space and design elements that will strategically connect programs, services and people – creating an integrated “Hub”; and
- Significant enhancements to the public realm through the adaptive re-use of heritage buildings and improved connectivity with the adjacent properties.

CreateTO staff are mid-way through the completion of the Phase 2 feasibility study scope of work, which is outlined further in this report. Further to the Council direction received in the staff report dated December 2019, it is recommended that the Board forward this report to Council's Executive Committee as a Phase 2 update report. Staff will report back to CreateTO Board and Council in Q4 2021 with a final report on the Phase 2 feasibility study, including a business case.