Huge Toronto development would actually be a place people can afford to live

The procession of new residential developments may be a key step in overcoming the housing shortage afflicting Toronto, but the reality is that most new units coming online are far from affordable. 

However, one new proposal aims to make hundreds of units available that most people in the city could actually afford.

Bucking the trend of investor-driven condo developments that pack in shoebox-sized one-bedroom units at astronomical prices, a planned community in Etobicoke would dedicate a sizeable contribution of affordable rentals across four towers.

A team of non-profit organizations is spearheading the proposal at 1543 The Queensway, including Community Affordable Housing Solutions, St. Clare’s, Haven on the Queensway, and international charity Habitat for Humanity.

The site spans 1543-1551 The Queensway, along with frontage to the south from 66-76 Fordhouse Boulevard. Currently home to a mix of light industrial properties, no notable businesses would be lost in what would be a full demolition of the subject site.

The team has signed on Hariri Pontarini Architects to design a four-tower complex with heights ranging between 30 and 45 storeys that would replace the existing buildings on site.

While affordable housing would not represent the majority of the units on site, the proposal goes well above and beyond municipal requirements and could truly raise the bar and set a new precedent for what private development can accomplish to help curb the current housing crunch.

The affordable housing component measures 23,651 square metres out of the complex’s total area of 131,424 and the overall residential area of 126,338 square metres.

The 342 affordable units out of the total 1,819 homes planned in the complex represent almost 19 per cent of the units planned, far exceeding the affordable unit count of any of the smaller-scale City-led projects advancing elsewhere in Toronto.

But the project doesn’t stop there, and also plans to include a variety of community resources that cover a broad range of resident needs and services. Much of these community facilities would be situated in the complex’s 30-storey building along the site’s Queensway frontage. 

Among the community uses planned in this building alone, Haven on the Queensway would operate an over 3,750 square-metre facility across three levels of the podium, housing services like a food bank, a seasonal clothing donation centre, and support services for senior citizens.

Habitat for Humanity would also have a presence in the building, with plans to operate a “GTA ReStore” that would offer home improvement products at affordable prices. 

Other services planned include a daycare and playground, a drop-in space capable of hosting a wide range of meetings and events, and an educational centre teaching ESL programs and helping equip people with the tools and resources to find employment.

These services would allow the complex to act as a catalyst for residents to better their lives, however, a lack of local transit options does present one major hurdle.

The development site is only served by a single bus route, and despite proximity to the Gardiner Expressway just south of the site, even parking has been kept to a minimum.

Just 583 parking spaces would serve a population in the thousands, and the majority of residents would be expected to rely on local transit and a significant bike parking component of just under 1,400 spaces.