Item - 2023.PB11.7

The Toronto Preservation Board recommends that:

1.  City Council approve the alterations to the heritage property at 350 Bloor Street East, in accordance with Section 33 of the Ontario Heritage Act, to allow for temporary removal of two precast concrete panels along the north facade of the existing building, with such testing in accordance with a Heritage Memorandum by ERA Architects Inc., dated October 13, 2023 and a Letter from the Facet Group Inc., dated September 25, 2023 prepared by ERA Architects Inc., and on file with the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning, subject to the following conditions:

a. That the owners shall reinstate concrete panels with either the existing panels or new concrete panels that match the colour, texture, size and finished appearance of the existing original panels to the satisfaction of the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning by August 31, 2024 or by such time as agreed in writing by the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning.

b. That the heritage permit for the panel removal is withheld until owner has:

1. Provided a Letter of Credit, including provision for upwards indexing, in a form and amount and from a bank satisfactory to the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning, to secure all work included related to the reinstallation of the precast concrete panels.

c. That prior to the release of the Letter of Credit required in Recommendation 1.b.1, the owner shall:

1. Provide a letter of substantial completion prepared and signed by a qualified heritage consultant confirming that the removal and reinstatement of the precast concrete panels have been completed in accordance with the Heritage Memorandum by ERA Architects Inc. dated October 13, 2023 and a Letter from the Facet Group Inc. dated September 25, 2023 prepared by ERA Architects Inc., to the satisfaction of the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning.

Ragini Dayal, Planner, Urban Design, Heritage Planning, City Planning gave a presentation on 350 Bloor Street East - Alterations to a Designated Heritage Property.

This report recommends that City Council approve the alterations proposed for the designated heritage property at 350 Bloor Street East under Section 33 of the Ontario Heritage Act in connection with the development of the subject property.

The building at 350 Bloor Street East was built into the upper portion of the Rosedale Valley Ravine's south embankment in 1968-1970 to the designs of renowned Modernist architect, John C. Parkin. It features an identical expression on its principal (south), west and north elevations with a flat roof and precast concrete cladding that creates wedge-shaped columns and deep inset window openings above a recessed, transparent base. The property is designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act and the precast concrete cladding panels are identified as heritage attributes of the building in the designation by-law 799-2023.

City Planning staff are currently reviewing development applications to permit a 63-storey mixed-use building, containing 806 dwelling units and 600 square metres of non-residential gross floor area at this property. This proposal includes reinstating the existing pre-cast concrete cladding as part of a six-storey podium for the new building. To determine the feasibility of this proposal, the developer proposes to temporarily remove three panels from the north façade, which faces the Rosedale Valley.

The application that is the subject of this report is for approval under the Ontario Heritage Act for the temporary removal of these panels to allow for testing the feasibility of re-using the cladding within the base design of the current development applications. The areas where the panels are removed would be temporarily infilled with timber framing and plywood, and the original panels would be reinstalled by the end of August 2024.

Heritage Planning staff support the proposal but are asking that conditions be attached to the approval under the Ontario Heritage Act that will allow City Council to require the reinstatement of the panels within a reasonable time frame and to an appropriate conservation standard.  

Approvals for the related development application will be reported to the Toronto Preservation Board and Council on at a future date.