Item - 2024.PB19.2

The Toronto Preservation Board recommends that:

1.  City Council include 40 Wabash Avenue (including entrance address at 50 Wabash Avenue) on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register in accordance with the Listing Statement (Reasons for Inclusion) attached as Attachment 1 to the report (May 21, 2024) from the Acting Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning.

Gary Miedema, Project Manager, Urban Design, City Planning gave a presentation on 40 Wabash Avenue - Inclusion on the Heritage Register.

This report recommends that City Council include 40 Wabash Avenue (including entrance address at 50 Wabash Avenue) on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register for its cultural heritage value and interest.

The subject property is an early-twentieth century, factory/warehouse type complex with Edwardian Classical detailing. Constructed in phases between 1910 and 1947, the brick and concrete frame complex includes a two-storey former office building on the west portion of the property, and a two and three-storey factory building with an adjoined one-storey structure at the base of a tall, brick smokestack on the east of the property.  

Acquired by the City in 2000, the property at 40 Wabash Avenue is proposed to be adaptively re-used for a community centre. Detailed design of the community centre, including the re-use of the former industrial buildings, is now underway.

The property recommended for inclusion on the City’s Heritage Register has been researched and evaluated by staff using the criteria prescribed in Ontario Regulation 9/06 and meets one or more of the provincial criteria for determining cultural heritage value or interest and is believed to be of cultural heritage value or interest.

On January 1, 2023, amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act (the Act) through the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 (Bill 23) came into effect. Under the Act, as amended, a municipal heritage register may include properties that have not been designated but Council believes to be of “cultural heritage value or interest", and that meet one or more of the provincial criteria for determining whether they are of cultural heritage value or interest. The Act now also limits listing to a period of two years.

As of January 1, 2023, should a property be subject to an Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment and/or Draft Plan of Subdivision Application, properties must be listed on the heritage register prior to Part IV designation and before the occurrence of a prescribed event. 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 listing of non-designated properties on the municipal heritage register under the Act also extends interim protection from demolition and provides an opportunity for City Council to determine whether the property warrants conservation through designation under the Act should a development or demolition application be submitted.

Properties on the Heritage Register will be conserved and maintained in accordance with the Official Plan Heritage Policies. Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) are required for development applications that affect listed properties.