Item - 2021.RA27.6

The Board of Directors of CreateTO:

1.  Recommends that City Council authorize the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, in consultation with the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, the Chief Planner, City Planning, the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the City Librarian, Toronto Public Library and the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, to lead Phase 3 of the Parkdale Hub project, which will include: 

a.  Preparation of design documents suitable to support a City-initiated rezoning process for the Parkdale Hub, including the Housing Now site(s), based on the Demonstration Plan prepared in Phase 2;

b.  The submission of a business case for the future Housing Now site(s) to the CreateTO Board; and

c.  The competitive procurement of a non-profit affordable rental housing development partner.

2.  Directed the Vice President, Land and Development Planning, to pursue the Toronto Green Standard Version 4, Tier 2 for the potential Housing Now site(s) within the Parkdale Hub project.

3.  Authorized the public release of Confidential Attachments 1, 2 and 3 to the report (November 8, 2021) from the Vice President, Land and Development Planning, CreateTO following the closing of all purchase and/or sale and/or transaction(s), 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.

4.  Recommends that City Council authorize the public release of Confidential Attachments 1, 2 and 3 to the report (November 8, 2021) from the Vice President, Land and Development Planning, CreateTO following the closing of all purchase and/or sale and/or transaction(s), 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 provide the Board with an overview of the findings and recommendations of the Feasibility Study (Phase 2) for the Parkdale Hub project. CreateTO staff have been leading this work in collaboration with City divisional partners, at the direction of City Council. This report follows an initial information report and presentation to the CreateTO Board introducing the Parkdale Hub project at its meeting on May 11, 2021.

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 non-profit affordable rental housing;

-  The revitalization and expansion of the Masaryk-Cowan 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 and the adaptive re-use of heritage buildings and improved connectivity with the adjacent properties.
 

The second phase of the Feasibility Study included advancing architectural design work, a construction phasing strategy, environmental due diligence, negotiations for a strategic property acquisition, a preliminary civil engineering assessment, high-level costing analysis, and ongoing community and stakeholder engagement. The results of these activities are presented in this report and its attachments. Based on these findings, staff recommend that the project advance into Phase 3 - which would include a City-led rezoning process, the submission of a project business case to the CreateTO Board, and a competitive call for a non-profit housing development partner (led by the Housing Secretariat).