Item - 2025.TE24.41

The Toronto and East York Community Council recommends that:  

1. City Council authorize, for purposes of construction at 1 Bloor Street West the temporary closure of a 3 metre wide portion of the southbound curb lane, on Yonge Street, between Bloor Street West and a point 66 metres south, from August 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026, inclusive.

2. City Council direct the applicant to continue posting a 24-hour monitored construction hotline number on the hoarding board, which must be prominently placed and legible from 20 metres and on all elevations from the construction site.

3. City Council direct the applicant to continue providing and installing public art, including mural artwork, onto every elevation of the hoarding board with adequate spotlighting for night-time illumination, at their sole cost, to the satisfaction of the Ward Councillor.

4. City Council direct the applicant to continue sweeping the construction site and adjacent sidewalks and roadways weekly, or more frequently as needed to be cleared of any construction debris and made safe.

5. City Council direct the applicant to continue ensuring that the existing sidewalks or the proposed pedestrian walkway have proper lighting to ensure safety and visibility at all times of the day and night.

6. City Council direct the applicant to continue consulting and communicating all construction, parking and road occupancy impacts with local Business Improvement Areas and resident associations in advance of any physical road modifications.

7. City Council direct the applicant to provide a sufficient number of traffic control persons as determined by the Work Zone Traffic Coordinator and the Toronto Police Construction Liaison Officer, on a daily basis to control construction vehicle access and egress to and from the site and maintain a safe environment for the public.

8. City Council direct the applicant to provide a sufficient number of pay-duty Police Officers as determined by the Work Zone Traffic Coordinator and the Toronto Police Construction Liaison Officer, during large scale concrete pours and large scale material deliveries to control vehicle access and egress to and from the site and maintain a safe environment for the public.

9. City Council direct the applicant to continue installing appropriate signage and converging mirrors to ensure that pedestrians, cyclists and motorists safety is considered at all times.

10. City Council direct that, Bloor Street West and Yonge Street be returned to their pre-construction traffic regulations and lane configurations when the project is completed.

As the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) operates a transit service on Yonge Street, City Council approval of this report is required.

One Bloor West Toronto Group (The One) Inc. on behalf of a new owner FAAN Advisors Group Inc. is constructing an 85-storey residential tower at 1 Bloor Street West. The site is located on the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Bloor Street West.

By way of background, Toronto and East York Community Council, at its meeting on November 25 and 26, 2020, approved the construction staging area on Balmuto Street from November 30, 2020 to November 30, 2022. In a separate meeting on March 10, 2021, Toronto and East York Community Council approved an extension of the construction staging areas on Yonge Street and Bloor Street West from September 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021. In a meeting on December 14 and 15, 2022, City Council approved an extension of the construction staging areas on Yonge Street, Bloor Street West and Balmuto Street, from December 14, 2022 to March 31, 2023. At the time, the developer indicated they would require the staging areas until June 30, 2025.

At its meeting on March 29, 2023, City Council approved an extension of the construction staging areas on Yonge Street, and Bloor Street West, from April 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025, however for Balmuto Street an extension was approved for only one year from April 1, 2023 to April 1, 2024. At a later meeting on July 24 and 25, 2024, City Council approved an extension request for the construction staging area on Balmuto Street from August 1, 2024 to February 1, 2026.

The developer is now requesting an extension for the duration of the construction staging on Yonge Street, as the development has experienced delays due to the project going into receivership and has undergone a transition of both development manager and construction manager.

Transportation Services is requesting authorization to extend the duration of the construction staging area on Yonge Street for an additional 35 months, from August 1, 2025 to June 30, 2028 to allow for the construction of the development to be completed. It should be noted that the temporary covered and protected walkways within the closed southbound curb lane on Yonge Street and eastbound curb lane on Bloor Street West have been removed. Currently, pedestrian movements are maintained within the existing sidewalks, abutting the site.