323 Regina Street

Project Update, February 2022: A Public Hearing was held on January 31, 2022, after which Council supported the Heritage Designation Bylaw and Heritage Revitalization Agreement. Click here to view the Public Hearing and Council Meeting recordings from January 31, and click here to read the Council package and all public correspondence received.

What's being proposed?

A Heritage Revitalization Agreement (HRA) has been received for 323 Regina Street. This would permit a rental infill house, larger than permitted under the laneway and carriage house program, in exchange for restoration work and protection of a 1928 heritage house, currently not protected in the Queen’s Park Conservation Area.

As part of this HRA, three Zoning Bylaw relaxations are proposed:

• higher density (0.18 FSR) for the infill house,
• a side yard setback (0.9 m. / 3 ft.) for the infill house, and
• a side yard setback relaxation ( 0.6 m. / 2.1 ft.) to allow the heritage house to remain in its current location.

The proposed Heritage Designation Bylaw and Heritage Revitalization Agreement (HRA) would provide stronger protection, design control, and development regulations which exceed those of the Heritage Conservation Area. The infill house would be designed to meet the neighbourhood’s design guidelines.

Click here to view drawings of the proposed development.

Applicant-led Engagement: Findings

Options for comment through the Applicant-led engagement included email, mail and a survey. A Virtual Open House was held on October 13, 2021 through Zoom. The feedback received has been reviewed by staff and made publicly available in the report to Council on Monday, January 10, 2022. No personal information provided in the feedback was publicly released.

What We Heard

During the applicant-led consultation, survey feedback indicated more than half the respondents supported the overall project (near 70%). Majority of community feedback focused on the following:

• too much density for the site;
• heritage conservation work completed prior to the HRA process;
• previous removal of Conservation Area protection; and
• reduction in green space.

Applicant Response and Revisions

In response to consultation feedback, the applicant has made changes to their proposal in the following key areas which are considered to address feedback received:

• changed the proposed tenure for the infill house from stratified to rental;
• had previously completed work evaluated by a Heritage Professional confirming its consistency with the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada; and
• reduced infill building density (0.22 to 0.18 Floor Space Ratio) and height, upper floor size, and size of the front entry landing which eliminated a relaxation request.

Although greenspace reduction was identified during consultation, the site coverage of the infill house is consistent with the laneway and carriage house development permit guidelines so no relaxations to site coverage are proposed, and there are no protected trees on site.

How can I engage?

There have been multiple opportunities for the public to provide feedback through the application review process. The process included applicant-led consultation and review by City committees. The review process has been iterative and revisions were considered, based on consultation feedback throughout the process.