Item - 2019.TE8.87

The Toronto and East York Community Council:

1. Requested the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District, to undertake an analysis of restaurant and bar uses on Ossington Avenue, between Queen Street West and Dundas Street West, and adjacent areas as appropriate, in consultation with the Ward Councillor, and to report back on actions to protect a mix of uses and control the impacts of bar and restaurant uses in the area.

As our City continues to grow and change, it is critical that we continue to proactively plan for vibrant, mixed use neighbourhoods throughout the downtown.

On vibrant main streets such as Ossington Avenue, building a mixed-use neighbourhood means ensuring both day and night-time uses in order to build a vibrant local economy. Local fine-grain retail, service locations, restaurants, and bars – a mix of these locations means that activity on this critical spine in a neighbourhood is fluid throughout various times of day, and that mitigating any impacts becomes that much more manageable.

Recently, as with other vibrant mixed-use areas in the downtown, the growth in bars and restaurants has sparked the need to review our current planning framework to ensure we can continue to foster the mix of uses that builds a truly vibrant neighbourhood.