Toronto Builds housing initiative reveals long list of local projects with no start dates
By MATTHEW STEPHENS
Last week’s City of Toronto Planning and Housing Committee Meeting saw staff present an updated list of Toronto Builds housing projects across the city, including the information that the long-awaited Danforth Garage project has been “deprioritized” for the time being.
“This is a really great milestone for development and growth services area to have the housing development office up and running so quickly is something to be proud of,” said deputant Peter Martin, Housing Solutions Manager at Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness, in respect to the work being done by Toronto Builds.
“One of the things which we found really important about the Toronto Builds framework is the emphasis on not only affordable housing but supportive housing.”
Part of a three-year workplan to accelerate the delivery of municipal housing initiatives, the item presented at the Thursday, May 7, meeting focused on providing committee members with an annual update from the city’s Housing Development Office (HDO), a new division of staff tasked with providing “end-to-end oversight” of Toronto’s housing portfolio.
The HDO also administers city funding and incentive programs for affordable housing projects, helping to bolster the city-supported housing portfolio.
As of 2025, through the HDO’s efforts, the Toronto Builds program has initiated construction of 8,187 additional residential units, including 187 rent-controlled units and 2,342 affordable or rent-geared-to-income (RGI) homes.
In contrast to the City of Toronto Website, the HDO’s updated three-year workplan presented at the meeting includes an additional 44 development sites expected to begin construction between 2026 and 2028, in addition to its ongoing projects.
The updated Summary of Priority for Toronto Builds and other city-led projects also identifies which projects will take “priority” in the coming years.
Residents have been waiting for a progress update on the Danforth Garage site at 1627 Danforth Ave. since redevelopment plans were announced back in 2021. Those plans called for the property to be transformed into a new library, the new 55 Division police station, a number of mixed-use residential buildings and a TTC building. However, the project has now been “deprioritized” for the immediate future, city staff said.
List of Toronto Builds and other city-led projects (and status) in East Toronto
777 Victoria Park Ave. (Scarborough Southwest) – Under construction
72 Amroth Ave. (Beaches-East York) – 2027 Construction start
705 Warden Ave. (Scarborough Southwest) – 2027 Construction start
838 Broadview Ave. (Toronto-Danforth) – Construction start TBD
1631 Queen St. E. (Beaches-East York) – Construction start TBD
Ookwemin Minising (formerly Villiers Island) – Blocks 3,7,8,12 & 1 (Toronto-Danforth) – Construction start TBD
140 Adanac Dr. (Scarborough Southwest) – Construction start TBD
682 Warden Ave. (Scarborough Southwest) – Construction start TBD
592-598 Gerrard St. E. (Toronto-Danforth) – Construction start TBD
McCleary District, Port Lands (Toronto-Danforth) – Construction start TBD
101 Coxwell Ave. (Beaches-East York) – Construction start TBD
Danforth Garage (1627 Danforth Ave.) – Construction start TBD
411 Victoria Park Ave. (Quarry Lands) – Block 5 (Scarborough Southwest) – Construction start TBD
NOTE: The document notes that this information is “contingent on confirmation of funding and expiry of the existing development agreements and successful negotiation with proponent.” The document also states that “these sites have not yet received the planning approvals necessary for the density contemplated in this Table, and all unit counts are subject to planning approval.”
At last week’s meeting, Technical-Lead of the HousingNowTO Mark Richardson delivered a deputation urging the committee to incorporate CreateTO’s “milestone report” data to ensure project sites are tracked efficiently and the city’s housing project targets are being met.
HousingNowTO operates as a Toronto-based volunteer organization which monitors and advocates for the development of affordable rental housing on city-owned lands.
Richardson said including more detailed information for each site will help federal initiatives like Build Canada Homes integrate into the city’s framework for building new housing.
Several councillors on the committee also pushed staff to provide the public with a complete and accurate list of Toronto Builds housing projects before the item heads to full Toronto Council on May 20.
Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford’s motion on the item aimed to ensure city council is provided with a complete list of projects from the city’s December 2025 submission to Build Canada Homes, including “the amount of funding requested for each project in total and per unit.”
In a separate motion on the item, Scarborough North Councillor Jamal Myers requested the executive director of HDO work with CreateTO, Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), and appropriate city’s staff to ensure all “data related to Toronto Builds and the Toronto Housing Data Hub is produced and provided to the public in alignment with the City of Toronto’s open data policies.”
Comments (0)
There are no comments on this article.