Item - 2022.PB39.2

The Toronto Preservation Board recommends that:

1. City Council refuse the issuance of a demolition permit for the heritage properties at 1196-1204 Yonge Street, in accordance with Section 34 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

2. If the owner appeals City Council’s decision to refuse the issuance of a demolition permit under Section 34 of the Ontario Heritage Act for the heritage property at 1196-1204 Yonge Street, City Council authorize the City Solicitor and the necessary City staff to attend the Ontario Land Tribunal hearing in opposition to the appeal.

3. City Council refuse the issuance of a demolition permit for the heritage properties at 1206-1210 Yonge Street, in accordance with Section 34 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

4. If the owner appeals City Council’s decision to refuse the issuance of a demolition permit under Section 34 of the Ontario Heritage Act for the heritage property at 1206-1210 Yonge Street, City Council authorize the City Solicitor and the necessary City staff to attend the Ontario Land Tribunal hearing in opposition to the appeal.

Dan Di Bartolo, Planner, Heritage Preservation, Urban Design, City Planning gave a presentation on Demolition of Designated Properties at 1196-1204 and 1206-1210 Yonge Street.

This report recommends that City Council refuse applications under Section 34 of the Ontario Heritage Act to demolish heritage structure(s) on the properties at 1196-1204 and 1206-1210 Yonge Street.

City Council has stated its intention to designate the subject properties under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. A Notice of Intention to Designate was served on the property owners and the Ontario Heritage Trust, and was published in accordance with the Act.

The properties at 1196-1204 Yonge Street comprise a main street commercial block building constructed in 1889. The adjacent three properties at 1206-1210 Yonge Street contain 2-storey main street commercial row buildings constructed together in 1907-1908. They represent a unique architectural adaptation of existing late-19th century commercial block buildings by repositioning (lowering) the storefront level to align with the 1914-1916 regrading of this portion of Yonge Street to accommodate a new vehicular underpass/railway overpass across Yonge for the intersecting CPR rail line. These buildings are also considered to anchor the northwest quadrant of this historically significant intersection of Yonge Street and the railway crossing. Together they stand as surviving examples of the area's historic main street streetscape prior to the early-20th century introduction of transportation infrastructure and yields an understanding of the evolution of Yonge Street in Summerhill.

Applications under S.34 of the Act have been submitted to demolish these buildings in order to allow for the construction of a 15 storey mixed-use building with commercial units at grade and residential units above. Under the Act, if City Council fails to make a decision on the demolition applications within 90 days of issuing a Notice of Receipt of the application, the application is deemed to be permitted under Section 34 of the Ontario Heritage Act. In this case the applicant must be notified of Council's decision by December 23, 2022.