Anthony Marcusa –
After years of uncertainty and controversy, a development plan for a West Don Lands heritage site has finally emerged. A recent application by Aspen Ridge Homes for the Dominion Foundry site proposes three high-rise mixed-use buildings that will include affordable units as well as community and retail space.
The proposal, encompassing properties from 153 to 181 Eastern Avenue, imagines a total of 997 dwelling units across three towers of 43, 34 and 31 stories. The application includes 292 affordable rental units, which it says would make up the entire smallest tower. This tower would be integrated with the existing machine shop at the site.
In total, 955 square metres of community space is proposed, alongside 505 square metres of retail space.
The Old Foundry site has been at the centre of a battle between residents and developers for years. In 2020, the Ford government issued a Municipal Zoning Order (MZO) for the site, allowing development to circumvent city and public input. The MZO allowed for towers exceeding any height restrictions, surpassing mid-rise buildings in the area .
Following the MZO designation, the provincially owned land was sold to a developer with the intention of building high-rises, although records suggest Aspen Ridge was the developer all along.
“Certain city documents have mentioned them in footnotes,” said Franca Leeson, chair of the Canary District Neighbourhood Association. “The original plan was to raze the site completely and build something new. The MZO was set up with that in mind.”
“The province gamed the system by starting to use MZOs in order to speed up development, which is not what they were intended for.”
In 2021, the province started to demolish the buildings at the Dominion Wheel and Foundries site, some of which are over 100 years old. Residents rallied to pause the efforts and a court injunction stopped demolition.
Later that year, the Ontario government cancelled its demolition plans. The existing buildings were granted heritage designations and would be incorporated into a development that the province said would include 1,000 housing units, of which 250 would be affordable. The resulting proposal maintains Aspen Ridge’s original vision, upsetting some local people.
“With the deal the province made with the developer, there was no way that there would be a mid-rise building on that site that matches the scale of the other buildings in the area because the developers had already paid for this site,” said Leeson. “They calculated the entire venture based on all those [planned] units.”
“They can’t use the whole site, so they’ve squeezed the three towers in the middle of the site. Aesthetically, the community is not pleased.”
The two market-rent buildings will include outdoor amenity spaces on the third floor, while the affordable housing tower will feature one on the thirteenth floor. Though Official Plan recommendations state towers should be at least 25 metres apart, in some places the distance is less than 20 metres.
“In general, I have not seen anyone say the new designs look great,” Leeson said. “They’re so ugly, they’re very out of keeping with the particular aesthetic in the neighbourhood.”
Leeson acknowledges that Aspen Ridge has been receptive and communicative. In particular, residents raised questions about the location of a community space that appeared difficult to access. After discussion, the public area was moved.
Still, local residents can do little to push back against the high-rises.
“We don’t have a lot of power,” Leeson said. “What power we have is to keep talking to the developer, preferably with the city included. We can discuss aesthetics and continue to raise issues.”
“We’re stuck. We’re halfway down the hill and we have to work with what’s there.”
