Item - 2025.PH18.17

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 29 Sussex Avenue under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance for 29 Sussex Avenue (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 1 to the report (January 7, 2025) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

2. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 31 Sussex Avenue under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance for 31 Sussex Avenue (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 2 to the report (January 7, 2025) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

3. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 33 Sussex Avenue under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance for 33 Sussex Avenue (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 3 to the report (January 7, 2025) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

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

This report recommends that City Council state its intention to designate the properties at 29, 31 and 33 Sussex Avenue under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for their cultural heritage value according to the Statements of Significance and description of Heritage Attributes in Attachment 1, Attachment 2, and Attachment 3.

The subject properties at 29, 31, and 33 Sussex Avenue are between Huron Street and Spadina Avenue, in the Huron-Sussex neighbourhood. A location map and current photograph of the heritage properties is found in Attachment 4.

The subject properties are part of a trio of originally identical Second Empire style house-form buildings that were constructed in 1879. These properties comprise the earliest surviving houses on Sussex Avenue and survive today as a remnant of a larger Victorian residential neighbourhood that spanned to the south and which was redeveloped as part of the West Campus expansion of the University of Toronto.

The property at 29 Sussex Avenue along with the property at 33 Sussex Avenue were listed on the Heritage Register in November 2016. The middle property located at 31 Sussex Avenue was included on the City of Toronto's inaugural Inventory of Heritage Properties over fifty years ago in 1973 and is listed on the Heritage Register.

The subject properties are currently owned by the University of Toronto. City staff consulted with University of Toronto Assistant Vice-President, University Planning in preparing this report.  

Staff have determined that the properties at 29, 31, and 33 Sussex Avenue have cultural heritage value and meet 5 of the Ontario Regulation 9/06 criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. 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.

The Ontario Heritage Act states that structures or buildings on properties listed on the City’s Heritage Register cannot be removed or demolished without at least 60 days’ notice to Council. The legislation allows time for Council to review the property’s cultural heritage value to determine if the property merits designation before the property may be demolished if a building permit is requested.

At its meeting on January 8, 2025 the Toronto Preservation Board considered Item PB26.2 and made recommendations to City Council.

Summary from the report (December 13, 2025) from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning:

This report recommends that City Council state its intention to designate the properties at 29, 31 and 33 Sussex Avenue under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for their cultural heritage value according to the Statements of Significance and description of Heritage Attributes in Attachment 1, Attachment 2, and Attachment 3.

The subject properties at 29, 31, and 33 Sussex Avenue are between Huron Street and Spadina Avenue, in the Huron-Sussex neighbourhood. A location map and current photograph of the heritage properties is found in Attachment 4.

The subject properties are part of a trio of originally identical Second Empire style house-form buildings that were constructed in 1879. These properties comprise the earliest surviving houses on Sussex Avenue and survive today as a remnant of a larger Victorian residential neighbourhood that spanned to the south and which was redeveloped as part of the West Campus expansion of the University of Toronto.

The property at 29 Sussex Avenue along with the property at 33 Sussex Avenue were listed on the Heritage Register in November 2016. The middle property located at 31 Sussex Avenue was included on the City of Toronto's inaugural Inventory of Heritage Properties over fifty years ago in 1973 and is listed on the Heritage Register.

The subject properties are currently owned by the University of Toronto. City staff consulted with University of Toronto Assistant Vice-President, University Planning in preparing this report.  

Staff have determined that the properties at 29, 31, and 33 Sussex Avenue have cultural heritage value and meet 5 of the Ontario Regulation 9/06 criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. 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.

The Ontario Heritage Act states that structures or buildings on properties listed on the City’s Heritage Register cannot be removed or demolished without at least 60 days’ notice to Council. The legislation allows time for Council to review the property’s cultural heritage value to determine if the property merits designation before the property may be demolished if a building permit is requested.