Proposal for now 10-storey building at Murphy’s Law site to be heard at Toronto and East York Community Council meeting on Feb. 19
By MATTHEW STEPHENS
A proposal for a 10-storey mixed-use residential building at the Murphy’s Law site in the Beach will be considered at a public meeting held by Toronto and East York Community Council on the morning of Thursday, Feb. 19.
The development site at 1684, 1689, 1700 and 1702 Queen St. E., northwest corner of Kingston Rd., is calling for a 10-storey building with 168 residential rental dwelling units, 56 vehicular parking spaces and 186 bicycle parking spaces.
Initially approved for six-storeys in 2022, developer Sud Group returned two years later with an updated proposal calling for an 11-storey mixed-use residential building with 216 units and 54 vehicular parking spaces and 240 bicycle parking spaces.
That 2024 proposal received significant backlash from the community due to increased height and density, a drawn-out timeline since site acquisition, and lack of vehicle parking spaces.
Residents also expressed disappointment that the 11-storey proposal went against the 2012 Queen Street East Urban Design Guidelines, a city-approved regulation established to limit building heights along Queen Street East in the Beach to six storeys between Coxwell and Neville Park avenues.
During a virtual community meeting last October, Sud Group confirmed that the Murphy’s Law project was “unfeasible to build at six-storeys” due to market conditions between the years of 2022 and 2024.
Residents questioned the timing of the developer’s new proposal, which came less than a year after changes were made to the City of Toronto’s Mid-Rise Guidelines in December 2024. The latest iteration of the city’s guidelines generally defines a mid-rise building as any building that is five to 14 storeys in height.
When asked in October if there was any prior knowledge about upcoming changes to the city’s building policies, David Morse, a representative of urban planning firm Bousfields Inc. who spoke on behalf of the developer, said they have been taking part in ongoing studies to update the city’s Mid-Rise Guidelines since 2016.
“It wasn’t that we were tipped off, it was that we were part of the process and being consulted with the city about updating the Urban Design Guidelines,” said Morse during the October 27 meeting last year. “So, we took queue from those updates, we worked with city staff, and we tried to put together a proposal that met the city’s new Mid-Rise Guidelines. And then they were updated and released in late 2024.”
Now, despite the city’s guidelines allowing more height than the recently proposed 11-storey building, Sud Group has submitted a slightly smaller proposal to community council at its Feb. 19 meeting, reducing the development by 48 units and one storey.
Beach Metro Community News reached out to City Planner Sean Guenther for information regarding the proposal’s decrease in height and density. In response, City of Toronto’s media relations team said a link to the full report will be published one week in advance of the Feb. 19 meeting. At the time of reporting, it remains unclear whether the report will provide any information as to why the proposal was changed.
The public meeting on Feb. 19 starts at 10 a.m. and will take place in Committee Room 1 at Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen St. W.
To speak at the meeting, contact the city via email at teycc@toronto.ca or by phone at 416-392-7033 no later than 12 p.m. on Feb. 18. After registration, city staff will make contact with instructions on how to participate.
At the meeting, community council will discuss the proposal and then make recommendations to Toronto Council for a final decision.
