A west end affordable housing provider is looking for relief from parking rules as its redevelopment project – the subject of previous ‘housing over heritage’ debates at city council – nears.
UpBuilding! Non-Profit Homes plans to demolish a two-storey building with a three-storey tower which contains four residential units and a community room. It is to be replaced by a three-storey structure with 18 one-bedroom townhouse units, including six deemed to be fully accessible at the ground level.
There’s a proposed total increase of eight bedrooms.
In order to make that plan happen, UpBuilding! is asking the city’s committee of adjustment for permission to have fewer parking spaces than required, as well as zero spots for electric vehicles and a decreased buffer strip around the parking area.
Committee members are set to consider the request during a meeting on Oct. 10.
The property at 50 to 60 Fife Rd. currently contains 70 residential units, which are provided as a mix of rent-geared-to-income and market rental rates.
Though the number of units is set to rise, there are no new parking spaces planned.
“The existing spaces provided are not fully subscribed at the present time,” explains the application submitted to the city. “It is anticipated that any additional parking demand generated by the new units can be absorbed by existing parking provisions as one-bedroom units are typically less car dependent.”
There are currently 95 parking spaces on the property.
It’s also asking to be exempt from needing parking spaces designed for electric vehicles (EVs). Current zoning requires 80 per cent to be ready for EVs.
“Requiring re-design and roughing in of 80 (per cent) of new spaces would add significant financial burden to this affordable housing project as well as increased disruption to tenants in the adjacent buildings,” the application states.
UpBuilding! also wants to reduce the buffer strip around surface parking from the required three metres to one metre.
The property was the subject of several debates by city council in 2022 after UpBuilding announced its redevelopment plan.
At the time, the building was included on the municipal registry of heritage structures and council moved to have elements of the building protected under the Ontario Heritage Act. However, following objections from UpBuilding and claims that would drive up the cost of the project, city council later abandoned its conservation plan.
Last year the committee of adjustment agreed to UpBuilding!’s request for reduced visitor parking (to 13 from 20), increased density (to 84 units from 70) and reduced private amenity areas (to 10 metres per unit from 20 metres per unit).
