City’s Planning and Housing Committee to host Public Meeting on ‘missing middle’ residential development plan for Amroth Avenue
By AMARACHI AMADIKE
Toronto’s Planning and Housing Committee will host a Public Meeting to discuss a city-initiated residential development at 72 Amroth Ave. on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 9:30 a.m. at Toronto City Hall.
CreateTO, a City of Toronto agency, is proposing the amendment of the Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw in order to build a six-storey building fronting on Amroth Avenue (southeast of Woodbine and Danforth avenues).
The proposal also includes two three-storey stacked townhouse buildings that will be built behind the larger development, fronting a central landscaped courtyard.
Together, the buildings will provide 34 additional residential units to the neighbourhood comprising 28 units in the larger building, and six units in the townhouses.
According to the architectural plan, CreateTO proposes that the six-storey building will consist of five bachelor units; 12 one-bedroom units; 10 two-bedroom units; and one three-bedroom unit.
Facing the courthouse, the larger of the townhouses will have two two-bedroom units and two more three-bedroom units, while the smaller townhouse will be made up of one one-bedroom unit and one three-bedroom unit.
There will be 39 bicycle parking spaces available to tenants. However, there so far appears to be no plans for vehicle parking in the proposal.
The project is part of the City’s Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) initiative which aims to diversify Toronto’s housing options by creating more opportunities for “missing middle” housing across the city.
Missing middle refers to low-rise buildings with multiple units ranging from a single-family home to a mid-rise apartment building.
These housing types have historically been scarce in Beaches-East York as new developments more often than not consist of condominiums.
However, in 2023, Toronto Council allocated 72 Amroth Ave. to the Beaches-East York (BEY) Pilot Project which focuses on residential building on city-owned land.
Officials hope that this development will serve as a demonstration project that can be replicated in other parts of the city as CreateTO looks to increase Toronto’s missing middle housing portfolio.
Following the Oct. 30 meeting (which will take place in Committee Room 1 at Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen St. W.), the Planning and Housing Committee will make recommendations on the project before forwarding it to Toronto Council for final considerations.
Residents who wish to address the Planning and Housing Committee with comments and concerns are encouraged to register by email at phc@toronto.ca or by phone at 416-397-4579 before the noon deadline on Tuesday, Oct. 29.
For more information about the development, contact Community Planner Sean Guenther at Sean.Guenther@toronto.ca or CreateTO’s Manager of Community Engagement Asha-Keyf Dahir at adahir@createto.ca
