Virtual community meeting on 11-storey building proposal for Murphy’s Law site set for Monday, Oct. 6
A virtual Community Consultation Meeting on a proposal to build an 11-storey mixed-use residential building at Queen Street East and Kingston Road (the Murphy’s Law building site) will be held on the night of Monday, Oct. 6.
The proposed height of the building has raised the ire of some Beach residents for a number of reasons including the fact it is five storeys higher than allowable under the area’s Queen Street East Urban Design Guidelines (UDG). Established in 2012, the Queen Street East UDG limits building heights to six storeys along Queen Street East between Coxwell Avenue and Nursewood Road.
Proposed by developer SUD Group, the 11-storey rental residential building will consist of 216 dwelling units, 54 vehicular parking spaces, and 240 bicycle parking spaces. The proposal will maintain the historic CIBC bank building at the northwest corner of Queen and Kingston, which had been the longtime home of the popular Murphy’s Law pub.
Plans for the site at 1684, 1698, 1700 and 1702 Queen St. E. also include what was the former home of the Days Inn hotel which was demolished a number of years ago. Since the hotel’s demolition the site has sat empty, with the pub closed and the area fenced off.
A six-storey residential building had been approved at the site by the City of Toronto in 2022. However, construction on the six-storey building never started and the proposal for 11 storeys was submitted earlier this year.
In a June 2025 Beach Metro Community News story, developer SUD group said the increase in the proposal’s height was made because the lesser height was “no longer viable” and that market conditions had changed. SUD Group said their planning is reflective of the City of Toronto’s 2024 Mid-Rise Guidelines and 2012 Urban Design Guidelines.
“The new application reflects the city’s current planning direction, particularly the City of Toronto’s 2024 Mid-Rise Guidelines. It also considers the 2012 Urban Design Guidelines to ensure a contextual response to the neighbourhood, including a four-storey street wall along Queen Street East,” said SUD Group in a story published in June.
“The intent with this proposal is to develop a purpose-built rental building with an affordable housing component,” said SUD Group.
It is not known at this time how many units within the building will be affordable.
Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford shared his concerns regarding the empty development site and lack of construction on the approved six-storey building in our June story.
“Unfortunately, the developer chose not to move forward with that approved proposal, and is instead returning and looking to nearly double the size and more than double the unit count,” said Bradford. “I have heard from many residents who are concerned that the developer is moving the goalposts here. I share these concerns.”
Residents wishing to take part in the Oct. 6 virtual community consultation meeting, which goes from 6:30 to 8 p.m., can do so by going to www.toronto.ca/CPconsultations for the registration link.
Those attending on Oct. 6 are urged to join the meeting 10 minutes before its start. For more information on participating in City of Toronto online meetings, go to https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/get-involved/public-consultations/participate-in-virtual-engagement-events/
Residents can also take part in the Oct. 6 meeting by phone. To do so, dial 647-749-7152 and Conference ID: 162 720 153#.
