Item - 2025.PB38.2

The Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning recommends that:

1. The Toronto Preservation Board endorse the recommendations of the Bloor West Village Heritage Conservation District Study - Final Report dated April 21, 2021 (Attachment 3).

2. The Toronto Preservation Board endorse the list of properties identified as having cultural heritage potential (Attachment 4 - Properties of Potential Cultural Heritage Value).

This report summarizes the findings of the Bloor West Village Heritage Conservation District (HCD) Study (the "HCD Study" or "Study") and recommends that the Toronto Preservation Board endorse staff's recommendations that the HCD Study not proceed to the Plan phase and affirm the list of individual properties with cultural heritage or interest within the Study area.

In March 2015, City Council authorized and prioritized the Bloor West Village HCD Study. In November 2017, City staff, with a consultant team (Stantec Consulting Ltd.), initiated a study of this area to determine whether it merited designation under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act (the "OHA"). The HCD Study included the survey, analysis, and evaluation of the Bloor West Village area and solicited feedback from a Community Advisory Group and the community. The HCD Study was initially undertaken concurrently with the Bloor West Village Avenue Study (the "Avenue Study"), which was conducted by a consultant team between 2016 and 2018. Implementation of new planning policy did not move forward at that time.

The HCD Study was delayed by the COVID-19 global pandemic but was completed in 2021.The consultant team did not recommend that a HCD Plan be prepared for the Study Area, but a list of properties was recommended for inclusion on the City's Heritage Register as outlined in Attachment 4. The Study also recommended the preparation of comprehensive, area-specific Urban Design Guidelines to guide context-sensitive growth and change in a way that supports and maintains the historic main street character of Bloor West Village, including its low-rise, fine-grain built form and other character-defining elements, particularly within the Village Main Street character area.

The final report for the Avenue Study, including its recommendations regarding the Urban Design Guidelines, will be considered by Toronto and East York Community Council at its meeting on November 27, 2025. The findings and recommendations from the HCD Study have informed and guided the development of the Urban Design Guidelines (the "Guidelines"), ensuring that heritage considerations are meaningfully integrated into the planning framework.

City Planning confirms there are no financial implications resulting from the recommendations included in this report in the current budget year or in future years.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the information as presented in the Financial Impact Section.