Anthony Marcusa –
Infrastructure Ontario has produced an updated vision for the Corktown neighbourhood, as the coming Ontario Line subway looks to bring with it new mixed-used condos, job opportunities, and public space. While the provincial agency’s vision is optimistic, residents are concerned about an influx of tall towers and pricey units.
At a November 13 virtual meeting, Infrastructure Ontario informed residents of a new plan to develop the area around the forthcoming subway station. The province is keen on creating transit-oriented communities with both residential homes and office spaces.
After an initial proposal for Corktown Station was launched in 2021, a Municipal Zoning Order (MZO) was issued for the area in 2022, granting new allowances to developments, including increased density and height.
The updated proposal includes four towers from 46 to 58 storeys. The previous iteration, conceived in 2022, featured three towers of 46 storeys and another of 30 storeys. Across the site, the 2025 concept increases the number of units from 1,520 to 2,398, mostly comprising studio and one-bedroom units.
Some residents say tall towers do little to improve the livability of Toronto neighbourhoods.
“We are disappointed” that the planned changes for the Corktown location “seem destined to facilitate only the types of housing that Torontonians don’t need and the market doesn’t want, while doing little to address the real housing crisis,” Neil Betteridge, president of the Gooderham & Worts Neighbourhood Association told the bridge.
“Revised plans left out family-sized four-bedroom units and dramatically slashed the proportion of two- and three-bedroom units. The plan has gone from 40 per cent of two + bedroom units to only 25 per cent two- and three-bedroom units.”
The proposal, available online, envisions a hub with residences and jobs enjoying convenient access to various means of transportation. Some features are vague. Infrastructure Ontario claims the proposal supports “over 2,000 bicycle parking spots with dedicated spaces reserved for transit users” while also mentioning the towers will include “affordable housing.”
The agency’s “unwillingness to commit to any quantity of affordable rental housing as part of their Corktown site plans is an affront, both to the many people experiencing homelessness in our city, as well as to residents frustrated by the symptoms of the crisis such as encampments in city parks,” said Betteridge. “Government-owned land like this site should be the easiest place to deliver badly needed affordable rental homes.”
If constructed in its current form, the 50-, 54-, and 58-storey towers will be the three largest buildings between Jarvis Street and Bayview Avenue. However, a developer for the site has yet to be selected, and the proposal may still change.
“There is a concern about sunlight, about wind” the percentage of affordable housing, Cory Lemos, a Corktown historian, and author, told the bridge, “I feel sorry for anyone later on who’s going to be moving in there.”
The virtual presentation was confusing, Lemos argued, and questions about shadowing, wind and effects on local parks were dismissed. Because changes seem destined to be made, she said residents going against the agency and future developers felt a sense of helplessness.
“You can’t rely on what you’re agreeing to,” she said. “They do what they want. Their answers never really address our questions. But we keep attending [meetings] because we have to; there are some moments we can make some impact.”
Lemos suggested Infrastructure Ontario is making it difficult for community members to stay informed and engaged.
“I don’t know how many people attended the virtual meeting,” she said. “It would be nice to know. Because the city hasn’t really been circulating notices, it’s up to the neighbourhood associations to get the word out.”
Betteridge echoed concerns about a lack of transparency. “IO’s focus on minimizing building costs for future developer purchasers of the site and technical complexity for Metrolinx looks to be driving unusual distribution of massing and building heights on the site,” he said.
“No shadow or wind studies have been shared by IO; these revisions also appear to reduce the amount of public realm space adjacent to Parliament Square Park.”
“The already tall towers being stretched into the sky at 50, 54 and 58 storeys seem destined to make Parliament Street inhospitable for residents.”
Betteridge hopes the City of Toronto will be more involved in the creation of the hub, with a greater emphasis on public space. He encourages residents to voice feedback by December 13 during a public comment period.
