Development can feel complicated. Between blue prints and zoning applications, sometimes it’s tough to follow along, but this website is designed to inform and educate so that people can be active participants in the process. Today we’re explaining zoning and the Zoning Bylaw Amendment at 300 Bloor Street West.

What is Zoning?

Every piece of land in Toronto is designated for a specific use (e.g. residential, commercial, mixed commercial-residential, institutional, or industrial). This is called zoning.

The Zoning Bylaw

The Zoning Bylaw is the legal document that implements the policies and objectives described in the City’s Official Plan. It regulates what can be built and where. The Bylaw establishes precise development standards for lot size and frontage, building setbacks, the height and built form of structures, the number and dimensions of parking and loading spaces, requirements for open space, etc.

The Zoning Bylaw Amendment

Anyone who wants to use, alter, or develop a piece of property in a way that doesn’t conform with the Zoning Bylaw, must request a Zoning Bylaw Amendment (ZBA) from the City, also known as rezoning. The ZBA is a useful tool because it allows land owners to determine the most appropriate and desirable plan for a specific piece of property, instead of adhering to the more generic guidelines of the Zoning Bylaw.

How does this apply to 300 Bloor Street West?

300 Bloor Street West is currently finalizing a Zoning Bylaw Amendment for the site and preparing a Site Plan Control application.

The details outlined in the ZBA have been greatly influenced by community input via three pre-application meetings and seven working group meetings over 18 months, with representatives of the community, city staff, and the local Councillor.

Why are we applying for a ZBA?

300 Bloor Street West is a complex site – the existing church creates a significant heritage component that we’re committed to incorporating in the new plan. The site sits on top of extensive transit infrastructure, limiting the prospects for below grade excavation and parking. And the current zoning allows for a structure that is 18 metres tall with 3 times the density of the lot area (restricting how large the building can be). These factors create a challenge that requires a unique solution, one that does not sit within the City’s current Zoning Bylaw.

The amendment for 300 Bloor Street West includes a request for additional density and height to allow for the residential tower (at 100.5 metres with an increase amount of buildable square footage equivalent to 7.23 times site density), and a reduction to the number of required car parking spaces on site. These changes have been proposed in conjunction with feedback from the working groups and represent the collaboration and compromise that will make the development a shining example of strong, community-focused design.

The result of the process will be a new site-specific bylaw that will outline the rules for height; setbacks; stepbacks; permitted uses; amount of residential, office, retail and institutional square footage; and parking, at 300 Bloor Street West. It’s a tailored solution that considers the unique requirements and conditions of the site, resulting in a proposal that best serves the community.

Collaboration is key to the successful completion of any goal, so when we set the goal of reimagining 300 Bloor Street West as part of the fabric of the Annex, adding new opportunities to, live, worship, work, and play in a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable community, we knew collaboration would be an integral part of the process. That’s why we built this website.

This website isn’t designed to sell, it’s designed to act as a hub of information connecting the community, the city, the congregation, and the partners on this innovative project. The rezoning process outlined by the Planning Act and the City of Toronto mandates just one community consultation meeting and one statutory meeting. We don’t think that’s enough.

We believe that all stakeholders, from community residents to congregation members to anyone who interacts with the site, should have the opportunity to give input on how it evolves, and we’ve set up this website as a way for people to stay informed, to review key documents, to join upcoming events, and, most importantly, to enter into the conversation.

We’ve received a variety of comments, both praising the redevelopment and raising concerns, and we’ve taken them all to heart, using them to help refine the site plan. For instance:

• Following concerns about the height of the building, the tower was reduced from 38 storeys to 29.
• Following concerns about massing and heritage, a substantial portion of Bloor Street United Church is being retained with a minimal portion of the residential tower cantilevering over the top of church.
• Following concerns about shadowing and how the new development would fit within the neighbourhood context, the residential tower was moved further south and reoriented to east-west, while tower massing was reduced to improve the pedestrian experience at street level.
• Following concerns about traffic and parking, parking design shifted from above ground to underground to further reduce height and provide additional space.
• Following concerns about the ground level experience along Bloor, additional softscape landscaping was integrated and a Privately-Owned Publically Accessible (POPS) midblock connection was introduced to provide convenient access from Huron Street to Paul Martel Park while strengthening a connection to nature and green space.

We’re committed to working together to make this project the best it can be, and to introduce a development that will enhance the existing culture of the Annex, benefiting the community for decades to come. That’s why we created 300bloorstreetwest.com. Thank you for taking part.

Have something to say? Connect with our team and we promise to get back to you as soon as possible