A couple years back, when East Coast company Terra Bruce decided to buy the old Regent Theatre on Mount Pleasant and return it to its previous life as a beloved live theatre, everyone seemed thrilled with the notion. The facade and much of the theatre would be preserved, it would be modernised and enlarged. And, most importantly, the historic and cherished building would not become another condo development site. 

Now, months and months have gone by and the Regent Revival project has faced opposition from a group of local residents concerned about, amongst other things, parking on neighbourhood streets. 

A petition was put up to secure funds to pay a lawyer, letters of complaint were written, and the project has been stalled pending a hearing at the Ontario Land Tribunal. 

Nearly a year ago, the project faced its first major setback at the Committee of Adjustment, where the developers sought approval for minor variances. 

Despite being a standard part of the city’s process, the committee ruled against the project. Terra Bruce decided to appeal the decision, bypassing the Toronto Local Appeal Body (TLAB) in favour of the Ontario Land Tribunal, which functions more like a courtroom, requiring factual and evidence-based testimonies. 

The hearing is underway right now.

“It’s not the majority of the community (who are against the project). We have the support of the South Eglinton Residents and Davisville Residents associations. We’ve received a letter of support from the BIA. We have heritage approval from the North York Preservation Board. We have a lot of support,” said Franco Boni, executive and program director for the Regent Revival project.

“It’s going through the democratic process, I suppose, whatever you want to call it. We are seeing it through and hopefully it won’t impact the outcome. We are still interested in building a theatre, but they have delayed us a year, and it’s been at significant cost to the owner. It’s a shame if it doesn’t happen.”

Boni said that Terra Bruce’s efforts to address residents’ concerns have been met with resistance. The company has made concessions, such as removing a proposed community room to limit public access from the back, but these measures failed to satisfy the opposition.

“We’ve tried, we’ve reached out to them several times, and we’ve had meetings with them,” Boni said. “The last meeting we had, they just ended up shouting at us and yelling at us.”

Despite these challenges, the developers remain hopeful that the Ontario Land Tribunal will rule in their favor. They emphasize the philanthropic nature of the project, highlighting the city’s gain of a new theatre without taxpayer dollars. However, the protracted battle has already delayed the project by a year, according to Boni, which comes with significant costs.

The Mt. Pleasant Village Revival Residents Association has raised several concerns regarding the Regent redevelopment project. 

One of the issues is that the project involves demolishing the existing theatre, except for its front facade, and significantly expanding its size and use. The group stated that it sees the project as a demolition rather than a true restoration of the historic theatre.

Another major concern is the anticipated increase in traffic and parking demand. 

According to the group, the project is expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors annually, creating significant commercial traffic in a residential neighbourhood. The group is concerned that the developer’s plans includes using residential streets for event parking, which could inconvenience local residents.

Additionally, the association has found that the developer’s proposal extends beyond the existing theatre footprint, affecting two residential lots on Hadley Road. This expansion could disrupt the residential character of the neighbourhood.

The outcome of the upcoming hearing will be crucial in determining the fate of the Regent Revival project. Will a new theatre help transform Mount Pleasant and the surrounding neighbourhood or will it fail? Stay tuned.