Item - 2025.TE19.8

The Toronto and East York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council approve the Rental Housing Demolition Application 20 192647 STE 12 RH in accordance with Chapter 667 of the Toronto Municipal Code and pursuant to Section 111 of the City of Toronto Act, 2006 to permit the demolition of 11 rental dwelling units located at 1-19 Thelma Avenue, subject to the following conditions:

a. the owner shall provide and maintain 11 replacement rental dwelling units on the lands at 2470 Bayview Avenue for a period of at least 20 years beginning from the date that each replacement rental dwelling unit is first occupied and, during which time, no application may be submitted to the City for condominium registration, or for any other conversion to a non-rental housing purpose, or for demolition without providing for replacement; the replacement rental dwelling units shall collectively have a total gross floor area of at least 976 square metres and be comprised of 1 one-bedroom unit, 8 two-bedroom units, and 2 three-bedroom units and shall be illustrated in replacement floor plans to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning;

b. the owner shall, as part of the 11 replacement rental dwelling units required in Recommendation 1.a. above, provide at least 1 two-bedroom unit at affordable rents, defined as gross monthly rent no greater than one times the average City of Toronto rent by unit type, as reported annually by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and 1 one-bedroom, 7 two-bedroom, and 2 three-bedroom units at mid-range rents, defined as gross monthly rent that exceeds affordable rent but is no greater than 1.5 times the average City of Toronto rent by unit type, all for a period of at least 10 years beginning from the date of first occupancy of each unit;

c. the owner shall provide tenants of all 11 replacement rental dwelling units with access to, and use of, all indoor and outdoor amenities in the replacement building at no extra charge; access to, and use of, these amenities shall be on the same terms and conditions as any other resident of the building without the need to pre-book or pay a fee, unless specifically required as a customary practice for private bookings;

d. the owner shall provide ensuite laundry and central air conditioning in each replacement rental dwelling unit at no extra charge;

e. the owner shall provide and make available vehicle parking spaces to tenants of the replacement rental dwelling units at the same residential unit-to-vehicle parking ratio as provided for the remainder of the building; the terms and conditions for renting vehicle parking spaces to tenants of the replacement rental dwelling units shall be to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning;

f. the owner shall provide tenants of all replacement rental dwelling units with access to bicycle and visitor parking on the same terms and conditions as any other resident of the proposed development;

g. the owner shall provide and make available storage lockers to tenants of the replacement rental dwelling units at the same residential unit-to-storage locker ratio as provided for in the remainder of the replacement building; the terms and conditions for renting storage lockers to tenants of the replacement rental dwelling units shall be to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning;

h. no above-grade building permit shall be obtained for the proposed developed at 1-19 Thelma Avenue prior to the issuance of an above-grade building permit for the proposed development at 2470 Bayview Avenue which shall contain the 11 replacement rental dwelling units required in Recommendation 1.a. above, or as otherwise agreed to by the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning;

i. the owner shall enter into, and register on title to the lands at 1-19 Thelma Avenue and 2470 Bayview Avenue, Agreements pursuant to Section 111 of the City of Toronto Act, 2006, to secure the conditions outlined in Recommendations 1.a. to 1.h. above, to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning; and

j. the owner has registered, to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor, a Section 118 restriction under the Land Titles Act agreeing not to transfer or charge any part of the lands at 1-19 Thelma Avenue and 2470 Bayview Avenue, without prior written consent of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, or their designate.

2. City Council authorize the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, or their designate, to issue Preliminary Approval of the Rental Housing Demolition Permit under Chapter 667 of the Toronto Municipal Code for the demolition of the 11 rental dwelling units located at 1-19 Thelma Avenue after all the following have occurred:

a. all conditions in Recommendation 1 above have been fully satisfied and secured;

b. the Zoning By-law Amendment(s) has come into full force and effect; and

c. the owner has provided a Letter of Credit for a portion of the value of the cost of the replacement housing required in Recommendation 1 (“Financial Security”) above, in a form and in an amount satisfactory to the City, and such security shall not be released until the replacement housing is ready and available for occupancy, to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning; the Financial Security may be drawn upon and used towards the provision of affordable and/or mid-range rental housing in the City if the replacement housing is not ready and available for occupancy prior to the earlier of:

i. a new dwelling unit erected in the new residential building 1-19 Thelma Avenue is ready and available for occupancy; or

ii. four (4) years from the date of issuance of the first demolition permit for all or any portion of the existing rental units at 1-19 Thelma Avenue, subject to such extensions as may be reasonably requested by the Owner and agreed to at the sole discretion of the City.

From the date the Financial Security is first paid to the City until such time as the replacement housing is ready and available for occupancy, the Financial Security shall be indexed upwardly in accordance with the Statistics Canada Residential Construction Price Index for the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area, reported quarterly by Statistics Canada in Building Construction Price Indexes Publication 18-10-0135-01, or its successor, to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

3. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to take the necessary steps to release the Section 118 Restriction from all or any portion of the lands in the City Solicitor's sole discretion after consulting with the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning once the 11 replacement rental dwelling units are ready and available for occupancy to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

4. City Council authorize the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building to issue a Rental Housing Demolition Permit under Chapter 667 of the Toronto Municipal Code after the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, or their designate, has given Preliminary Approval referred to in Recommendation 2 above.

5. City Council authorize the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building to issue a Residential Demolition Permit under Section 33 of the Planning Act and Chapter 363 of the Toronto Municipal Code for 1-15 Thelma Avenue after the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, or their designate, has given Preliminary Approval referred to in Recommendation 2 above, which may be included in the Rental Housing Demolition Permit under Chapter 667 pursuant to section 6.2 of Chapter 363, on condition that:

a. the owner removes all debris and rubble from the site immediately after demolition; and

b. the owner erects solid construction hoarding to the satisfaction of the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building.

6. City Council authorize the appropriate City officials to take such actions as are necessary to implement City Council's decision, including execution of the Section 111 Agreement and any other related agreements.

7. City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to continue to work with the applicant to identify options to secure the rental replacement in closer proximity to the existing site within Ward 12 Toronto St. Paul’s, to provide a wider range of affordable housing options in the community; in the event an alternative off-site location is identified prior to permits being issued for 2470 Bayview Avenue, City Planning staff shall bring forward a report to the Toronto and East York Community Council with the revised off-site location.

The Toronto and East York Community Council held a statutory public meeting on January 14, 2025 and notice was given in accordance with the City of Toronto Act, 2006.

This report reviews and recommends approval of the Rental Housing Demolition Application which proposes to demolish nine existing rental dwelling units located at 1-15 Thelma Avenue, all of which are currently vacant, in addition to two rental dwelling units at 17 and 19 Thelma Avenue which were previously demolished. The 11 rental dwelling units are proposed to be replaced at an off-site location in a new development at 2470 Bayview Avenue.

The new development on the site is the subject to a related Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment application (24 181288 STE 12 OZ). The proposed development would permit a 27.0 metre (7-storey) apartment building, including mechanical penthouse, at 1-19 Thelma Avenue. An approval report for the Zoning By-law Amendment application has been advanced concurrently with this Rental Housing Demolition Application approval report.

This report also recommends approval of the Residential Demolition Permit under Chapter 363 of the Toronto Municipal Code, subject to conditions.