CreateTO, the City of Toronto’s dedicated housing firm, is forging ahead with a mixed-income real estate community at 805 Wellington Street West– the place of the Strachan House structure in Liberty Village.
Strachan House was built in 1888 and served an 80-year stint as a major lumber planing mill under John B. Smith & Sons. In 1989, the home was converted into encouraging real estate, run by the Homes First Society, but citizens were displaced in early-2022 as the City dabbled redevelopment plans.
CreateTO’s proposal, sent to city staff in mid-March, will return the 1.4-acre site at 805 Wellington Street West to its roots. It calls for an eight-storey “Building A” on the east portion of the site, with 81 deeply economical supportive housing units, and a 30-storey “Building B” on the west portion of the website with 240 market rentals and 61 affordable rental units.Site Statistics
For 805 Wellington Street West: Structure heights:
- eight and 30 storeys/331 ft at the highest point
- Total gross flooring area (all residential): 360,473 sq. ft
- “Structure A” GFA: 58,524 sq. feet
- “Structure B” GFA: 301,952 sq. ft
- Residential systems: 382
- System breakdown: 93 bachelors, 153 one-beds, 106 two-beds, and 30 three-beds
- Landscaped open area: 7,836 sq. ft
- Vehicle parking: 14
- Bike parking: 432
The plans also reveal there are 52 accessible systems planned throughout both buildings, and 7 live-work systems slated for “Building B” along Wellington Street.The proposition also requires the retention of any heritage elements of Strachan Home– it has been listed on the City of Toronto’s Heritage Register considering that 2024, and was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act last month– as well as the preservation and continuation of the Garrison Flats community garden on the eastern part of the website, and the preservation of Wellington Park at 801 Wellington Street West.
CreateTO and the City of Toronto hosted a community pop-up occasion last month, where they revealed that the 805 Wellington Street West neighborhood will be provided to “occupants from low-to-moderate-income households, with a maximum earnings set at 4 times the annual rent.” Per the City’s latest meaning for budget friendly housing, rents will be at or listed below the lesser of average market rate, or 30% of the before-tax family income.A 2nd neighborhood information session will be held on April 15 at the Fort York Visitor Centre.