Item - 2025.PB28.2

The Toronto Preservation Board recommends that:

1. City Council include 481 and 483 Church Street (including entrance address 483A Church Street) on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register in accordance with the Listing Statement (Reasons for Inclusion) attached as Attachment 1 to the report (January 29, 2025) from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning.

This report recommends that City Council include 481 and 483 Church Street (including entrance address 483A Church Street) on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register for their cultural heritage value and interest according to the Listing Statement (Reasons for Inclusion) found in Attachment 1.

The subject properties at 481 and 483 Church Street are located on the east side of Church Street between Maitland Street and Wellesley Street East in the Church-Wellesley neighbourhood. The property at 481 Church Street contains a 3-storey house-form building and the property at 483 Church Street contains a two-and-a-half storey house-form building, both constructed circa 1870. A 2-storey storefront addition was added across the front façades of both properties in the early 20th century. A location map and current photograph of the property are found in Attachment 1.

The properties recommended for inclusion on the City’s Heritage Register have been researched and evaluated by staff using the criteria prescribed in Ontario Regulation 9/06 and meet one or more of the provincial criteria for determining cultural heritage value or interest and are 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.