Item - 2023.PB7.3

The Toronto Preservation Board recommends to the Planning and Housing Committee that:

1. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 639 Yonge Street (entrance addresses at 2, 4, Isabella Street) under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance; 639 Yonge Street (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 3, to the report (May 23, 2023), from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning.

2. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 641 Yonge Street (entrance address at 641-643 Yonge Street) under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance; 641 Yonge Street (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 4, to the report (May 23, 2023), from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning.

3. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 645 Yonge Street under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance; 645 Yonge Street (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 5, to the report, May 23, 2023, from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning.

4. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 649 Yonge Street (entrance addresses at 647 Yonge Street and 12A Isabella Street) under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance; 649 Yonge Street (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 6, to the report (May 23, 2023), from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning.

5. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 651 Yonge Street (entrance address at 653 Yonge Street) under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance; 651 Yonge Street (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 7, to the report (May 23, 2023), from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning.

6. If there are no objections to the designation, City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the Bills in Council designating the properties under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

Megan Albinger, Planner, Heritage Preservation, Urban Design, City Planning gave a presentation on 639 - 651 Yonge Street - Notice of Intention to Designate a Property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

This report recommends that City Council state its intention to designate the five contiguous properties at 639 Yonge Street (including entrance addresses at 2, 4 Isabella Street), 641 Yonge Street (including entrance address 641-643 Yonge Street), 645 Yonge Street, 649 Yonge Street (including entrance addresses 647 Yonge Street and 12A Isabella Street) and 651 Yonge Street (including entrance address 653 Yonge Street) under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for their cultural heritage value.

Anchoring the northeast corner of Yonge Street and Isabella Street, the properties at 639-651 Yonge Street were completed between c.1878 and 1951, and collectively support the historic main street character of this part of Yonge Street through their consistent low-rise scale, form and massing, and their range of architectural styles.

The subject properties at 639 and 649 Yonge Street included on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties (now known as the Heritage Register) in 1974, and the other three properties at 641, 645, and 651 Yonge Street were listed on the Heritage Register in 2016.

Staff have completed the Research and Evaluation Report for the properties at 639, 641, 645, 649 and 651 Yonge Street and determined that all five properties meet Ontario Regulation 9/06, the criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act under design/physical and contextual values. In addition, the properties at 639, 641, 649, and 651 Yonge Street have historical and associative value. As such, the properties are significant built heritage resources.

On September 15, 2022, the City received Site Plan Control, Official Plan Amendment, and Zoning By-law Amendment applications related to the proposed redevelopment of the subject properties with a 76-storey mixed-use tower, which would retain the existing building facades along Yonge Street and a portion of Isabella Street in situ as part of the podium of the new building. The proposed interior space behind the facades of 639-649 Yonge Street is designed as an open atrium with ground floor retail toward the interior. A residential lobby is proposed to be located behind the retained façade of 651 Yonge Street. The proposal also indicates that the historic mansard roofs at 639 and 651 Yonge Street would be reconstructed with a non-combustible structure.

A Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) is required for all development applications that affect listed and designated properties and will be considered when determining how a heritage property is to be conserved. An Heritage Impact Assessment completed by ERA Architects Inc. and dated September 9, 2022, was submitted to support the application.

In June 2019, the More Homes, More Choice Act, 2019 (Bill 108) received Royal Assent. Schedule 11 of this Act included amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act. The Bill 108 Amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act came into force on July 1, 2021, which included a shift in Part IV designations related to Planning Act applications that would trigger a Prescribed Event. Section 29(1.2) of the Ontario Heritage Act now restricts City Council's ability to give notice of its intention to designate a property under the Act to within 90 days after the City Clerk gives notice of a complete application.

A "Prescribed Event" is a point of time when the application for an Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment and/or Draft Plan of Subdivision Application has been deemed complete and the City Clerk provides notice of that complete application to the public in accordance with the Planning Act.

The City Clerk issued a complete application notice for the Official Plan and Zoning

By-law Amendment on November 25, 2022. The applicant provided a waiver to

extend the 90-day timeline after the City Clerk's notice. Council must make a decision

to issue a notice of intention to designate the subject properties at its July 19-21, 2023 meeting before the waiver expires on July 31, 2023.

On November 28, 2022, the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 (Bill 23) received Royal Assent. Schedule 6 of the More Homes Built Faster Act which amended the Ontario Heritage Act and came into effect on January 1, 2023.

The application currently under review was deemed complete prior to Bill 23 changes to the Ontario Heritage Act coming into force, however, the Part IV designation must comply with the province's amended O. Reg. 9/06 under the Ontario Heritage Act, which came into effect on January 1, 2023. The revised regulation establishes nine provincial criteria for determining whether a property is of cultural heritage value or interest. A property may be designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, if it meets two or more of the nine criteria

Designation enables City Council to review proposed alterations or demolitions to the property and enforce heritage property standards and maintenance.