Stretch of College Street could receive heritage designation
Toronto city council wants to protect some of downtown’s iconic neighborhoods, including a long stretch of College Street.
In the last 3 years, the city has undertaken what they call the ‘College Street Study’. Between Bathurst Street and University Avenue, community planners have identified a series of properties could have heritage value.
“In far too many cities around the world, in a drive for change, we completely lose sight of our past and the best cities are those that do both,” said Ward 20 Councillor Joe Cressy.
Advertisement
They’ve listed total 24 properties; 15 properties on the south side of College St. and 9 properties on the north side.
This could mean many property owners can continue with business as usual, but not everyone is happy about the designation.
“There are certain buildings that have a character of heritage, those I understand, they needs to be preserved. But I can only speak for my own building and there is no heritage value for my building,” said Kaisar Sarwar, who owns a property on the street.
He says his building is rundown and that this designation would put a wrench in his plans. He was hoping to demolish the building or build something more lucrative on top of the existing structure.
The city wants to make it clear — they’re still open to change in the neighbourhood, so long as it respects the heritage guidelines. They want to avoid overnight demolitions, like the a 110-year-old bank at Yonge and Eglinton last year.
Advertisement
Officials say if owners or developers want to make any adjustments, they’ll have to work with the city to get approval first.
“That’s what this is all about, it’s not about freezing College street in time but rather setting clear guidelines so we don’t lose our history,” said Cressy.
The next step is to formally place these properties on the city’s Heritage Register.
Stretches of Ossington Street and Yonge Street are also being considered for heritage designation.
A full report will be presented at a City Council meeting on April 24.
