A new development application seeks to construct a seven-storey condominium building on a small residential street near the hub of Forest Hill Village.
On July 12, Batory Planning + Management submitted a site plan application to the City of Toronto for the redevelopment of properties at 1-19 Thelma Avenue, which is just north of Spadina and Lonsdale.
The proposal includes replacing a mix of 10 existing and vacant detached and semi-detached houses with a new seven-storey apartment building featuring 24 three-bedroom units. The street has no other buildings above three storeys. There is a three-storey apartment at the corner of Thelma and Spadina.
The building will include 55 parking spaces (48 for residents and 7 for visitors), 36 bike parking spaces, and a green roof. The site, currently zoned for residential use, requires amendments to the Official Plan and Zoning By-law for this development.Â
According to a cover letter submitted with the development application, the building design features “a facade in light masonry, complemented by a unique punched window layout and a variety of balcony designs oriented towards both sides of the building.”
The building will require both a zoning and an official plan amendment for approval, which necessitates consultation with the community in the form of a public meeting, which has yet to be scheduled.
The site is located in a Neighbourhood designation, which permits residential low-rise residential uses, and within the St. Clair West Protected Major Transit Station Area.
The proposal represents contextually appropriate growth in an area served by transit, near a range of amenities and green spaces, and within walking distance of a variety of commercial spaces.
New apartment units in this older Toronto community would provide the opportunity for local residents to “age in place,” by downsizing from a residential detached home to a condominium.
“The inclusion of new apartment units in this area provides additional housing opportunities for people to remain in their community at different stages of life as their housing needs evolve and will contribute to meeting the provincial housing goal of 285,000 new units in Toronto by 2032,” read the planning rational submitted with the development application. “A greater housing mix, particularly in areas well serviced by transit, schools, and services, is a key component in fostering social cohesion and equitable communities within the city.”
Thelma and Spadina is also home to a Forest Hill Green P parking lot, a site that was the subject of much cantankerous debate just over a decade ago when a mixed-use building was proposed on the site, followed by the parking lot. Both were debated thoroughly. So, it will be interesting to see if this project sails through given it has a neighbourhood designation from the city and might set a precedent in the area.
