Frequently Asked Questions

Rezoning / Master Planning General

In preparation for Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) rental and Tridel market housing, demolition began in November 2023 at 319, 325 and 355 Gerrard St. E. and 274 Sackville St. Work is expected to be complete in the fall of 2024.

TCHC remains committed to being a good neighbour, respecting tenants, and area residents by providing ongoing updates on construction with the community.

Learn more.

A rezoning application is made to the City of Toronto to allow for changes to building permissions such as size, height, location, and use. The zoning that was in place from 2014 did not allow for several uses and space requirements to fulfill the priorities and obligations of the City, Toronto Community Housing, and the community. These priorities and obligations included additional affordable units, replacement of all RGI units on the Regent Park footprint, additional community and retail spaces, and a new Toronto public library.

Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) and Tridel filed a rezoning application with the City of Toronto in April 2022, resulting in greater opportunity for the development of affordable homes and open spaces through an increase in the density in the Regent Park Phases 4-5 lands. The application was resubmitted December 2022, and April 2023, in line with the City’s rezoning application approval process.

TCHC and Tridel developed the rezoning application in close consultation with community members, in over 1,500 interactions, including surveys, virtual community meetings, focus groups and engagement with community organizations. The City of Toronto also held virtual Community Consultation Meetings for the Zoning By-Law Amendment and Rental Housing Demolition application for Phases 4-5 on June 9, 2022, April 25, 2023, and June 2023.

The rezoning application was approved by City Council in July 2023.

City Council received the first iteration of the Phases 4-5 Rezoning Application submitted by Toronto Community Housing and Tridel in April 2022. It was followed by resubmissions made in December 2022 and April 2023, in line with typical City protocols for the rezoning application approval process before final approval.

Community engagement has been central to the Regent Park revitalization to date, with resident input key to the development of the rezoning application. The application was developed in close consultation with the Regent Park community, resulting in over 1,500 interactions through surveys, virtual community meetings, focus groups and engagement with community organizations. The community has provided input throughout the design process and their vision shaped the final plan. The City also held community consultation meetings to discuss the rezoning application, on June 9, 2022, and April 25, 2023. The final zoning by-law reflects a community desire for more open spaces, the provision of micro-retail space, community spaces throughout the Toronto Community Housing) buildings, and the potential for a greater number of affordable rental units. You can find a detailed account of the design’s progress and the engagement that shaped its final product by visiting the Timeline to learn more.
The 2014 zoning allowed for nearly 2,000 homes throughout Phases 4-5 of Regent Park. The approved rezoning permits approximately 1,200 additional new homes in buildings ranging from six to 39-storey towers.
The 2014 zoning in Phases 4-5 allowed for building heights up to 25 storeys. The newly approved zoning includes heights varying from 6 storeys to a maximum of 39 storeys. In comparison, the tallest building in Phases 1-3 is 32 storeys at 130 River Street (Block 17S). For Phases 4-5, the team has included three categories of building size:
  • Low rise – Up to four storeys
  • Mid-rise – Five to eleven storeys
  • Tall – above 12 storeys
The shadows cast by Phases 4-5 buildings were an important consideration in the planning process. A shadow study was conducted and submitted to the City with the original rezoning application in April 2022, and again with the resubmitted application in April 2023. The studies are in line with City of Toronto policies that limit shadows cast by buildings and reflect feedback from the community on the placement and heights of the new buildings. Read the latest shadow study here.
The rezoning application is public on the City’s Application Information Centre where anyone can search for it. Additionally, all rezoning materials are shared on this website under “Vision”. Read our approved submission here.
Toronto Public Library has expressed interest in locating a full library at Regent Park (about 23,000 square feet). A community information session was held in March 2022 to speak with residents about the possibilities that the library can bring to Regent Park, serving as a community hub, a place to connect and learn. It may be combined with other community spaces as well. The library is a central aspect of the Phases 4-5 revitalization and is included as part of the approved rezoning application.
Green space will be introduced as a linear path for pedestrian connections all through Phases 4-5. It will also be available in the form of Privately Owned Public Space (POPS) around the new buildings. Toronto Community Housing has hired landscape architects to begin designing an engaging green path with features for residents and visitors to enjoy.
Residents of Regent Park have expressed interest in designating retail spaces for small businesses through community engagement. A minimum of 2,000 sq ft of affordable/micro-retail has been secured as part of the rezoning. Toronto Community Housing and Tridel will explore various opportunities for both smaller and larger businesses as non-residential space becomes more defined through the iterative design process for each residential building.

Relocation is a vital part of the revitalization process and Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) is committed to putting its tenants first.  Relocation of TCHC tenants began in February 2023 and will be a phased process.

Advance notice was issued to Phase 4A TCHC tenants in March 2022 ahead of a formal N13 notice.

TCHC issued N13 “Notice to End your Tenancy Because the Landlord wants to Demolish the Rental Unit, Repair it, or Convert it to Another use” to its tenants located on Phase 4a lands (in buildings West of Sackville – 325 and 355 Gerrard St., and 274 Sackville St.), to begin their relocation process that ran from February 1 to June 30, 2023.

TCHC maintains regular communication with tenants to inform them of any updates to relocation plans as needed. Relocation for tenants remaining on-site will be determined at a future date as the demolition and construction schedule continues to be refined.

We expect that the last building in Phase 3, 175 Oak Street, located at Oak St. and Sumach St. will be ready for occupancy in late 2024.

TCHC has made a clear commitment to its residents of Revitalization communities: TCHC continues to make every effort to provide relocating tenants with an appropriately sized unit for their household in their preferred community.

TCHC also continues to offer every relocated tenant the right to return, so long as they maintain their status as tenants with TCHC.
Learn more here.

The revitalization of Phases 4-5 will take an estimated 10 to 15 years to complete. The master plan will inform the phasing and timing of milestones including demolition, relocation, and construction. This plan is subject to the City’s planning approvals process.
We know that a dedicated space for faith-based community groups has been raised as an important part of living at Regent Park. As we complete the processes for master planning and the community benefits plan, we will look at the community needs holistically to determine how this can be incorporated in Phases 4 and 5.
Phases 4-5 will include common and public spaces with high quality safety features in all buildings. These features include additional lighting and clear views into public spaces, as well as design that helps to activate spaces and reinforce community safety.
The newly approved zoning for Phases 4-5 permits a total of approximately 1,976 market units and 1,270 Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) units. Of the 1,270 TCHC units, 633 will be RGI replacement units to fulfill the original 2,083 RGI units that existed pre-revitalization, and up to 637 will be net-new social housing units. Up to five buildings (45%) will be RGI/Affordable Rental buildings and six will be market condominiums (55%).
In the plan, we are looking at providing different types of spaces in the community, including both indoor and outdoor public spaces. We are also committed to providing central space for the community that is easily accessible, where members can engage with one another.
We know that affordable home ownership is something that the community has asked for in the past. We will take this into consideration for Phases 4-5.
The approved rezoning aligns with the City of Toronto parking rates, which implement parking maximums downtown to promote multimodal transportation. Parking rates range from 0.3 spaces to 1.0 spaces per unit depending on the unit size. The number of parking and visitor parking spaces per building will be determined on a site-by-site basis.
Sustainability and resilience are top priorities for Toronto Community Housing and Tridel. Since the revitalization began, TCHC has been a sustainability leader in its field thanks to features like the district energy system. Phases 4-5 will continue to showcase the City of Toronto’s commitment to net zero-ready buildings, with all buildings meeting the increasingly ambitious requirements of the new version of the Toronto Green Standard that came into effect on January 1, 2022. In addition, Phases 4-5 will explore measures related to climate resilience, indoor health, and outdoor comfort to continue using innovative sustainability methods.
Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) is exploring ways to enhance the sustainability of the district energy system. TCHC is retaining a consultant to develop a strategy that meets the Toronto Green Standards and provides reliable heating and cooling.
Toronto Community Housing’s (TCHC) Responsible Personal Accessibility in Toronto Housing (R-PATH) committee is an important stakeholder in the Regent Park revitalization process, and we have engaged them and will continue to do so through rezoning and into site plan process. TCHC’s accessibility standards are substantially more rigorous than the Ontario Building Code thanks to the input of the R-PATH Committee, and we take accessibility for all our tenants very seriously.
New dog-specific facilities are being imagined in the design of future buildings to create spaces that will address this issue.

Both Affordable and Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) units built by TCHC will remain so in perpetuity.

Contact your local Community Service Coordinator to get approval and fill out the required forms. Learn more about booking TCHC amenity spaces here.

Community Benefits Related

Community Benefits are additional physical, social, and economic benefits for the local community that are leveraged from major infrastructure and urban development projects.

Community Benefits:

  • ensure equitable economic opportunities that promote economic inclusion for people from historically disadvantaged communities and equity deserving groups.
  • contribute to the development of a system of training and workforce development programs that can enable economic inclusion.
  • contribute to sustainable communities with neighbourhood and environmental improvements and investments.
  • ensure clear commitments, targets, monitoring, and accountability from all parties to deliver on Community Benefits through negotiating a Community Benefits Agreement

Examples: Scholarships, jobs, employment training, investments in community space.

Tridel has committed $26.8 million dollars in support of jobs, scholarships, and funds to support social and economic transformation through the Request for Proposal (RFP) process to select Toronto Community Housing’s (TCHC) developer partner for Phases 4-5.

TCHC worked with the community to establish and sign a “Community Benefits Framework” in March 2020.

The Framework outlines principles for how TCHC would represent the Regent Park community during the RFP negotiations and how they will work with the community during the one-year engagement process to finalize the Community Benefits Agreement that will decide how the $26.8 million Community Economic Development Fund will be used.

Additional TCHC commitments include, working with RP tenants, the RPNA – Community Benefits Coalition, TCHC tenant council, working groups of the Regent Park Social Development Plan, and others to track, monitor, and report on the use of community benefits, provide timely information about employment opportunities to the community, and play a significant role in continuing community engagement.

These are programs, projects, and principles from the community, highlighted in the Refreshed Regent Park Social Development Plan (SDP). The SDP guides the social and economic transformation of the community, accompanying the physical transformation.

The master planning process relates to the physical design of Phases 4-5. Physical design includes the layout of the roads and residential blocks, the locations and size of the buildings and of commercial, community and open spaces, and the design of the public realm.

The $26.8 million Community Economic Development Fund (also called the community benefits package) is about the social and economic transformation of the community and is not tied to the rezoning or master planning process. It is a part of the revitalization and is unaffected by the rezoning application.

A CBA is a legally binding contract between a government and a developer. The agreement is usually developed with participation from government, developers, and the community. A Regent Park CBA will be signed by Toronto Community Housing and Tridel to formalize the benefits package the community will select in 2024, following the community engagement process that was launched on April 26, 2023.

To identify the community’s priorities and formalize the CBA, Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) has formed the Community Benefits Oversight Working Group (CBOWG), a diverse 20-member advisory group of Regent Park residents representing a spectrum of neighbourhood voices. They are supported by four non-voting representatives from local agencies and subject matter experts and tasked with engaging Regent Park residents to inform the CBA for the $26.8 million in community benefit funds made possible through revitalization and TCHC’s partnership with Tridel for Phases 4-5.

Learn more about the CBOWG and the Community Benefits Engagement Process that launched on April 26, 2023, on our Community Benefits page.

Together the Community Benefits Oversight Working Group (CBOWG), Toronto Community Housing (TCHC), and Tridel, with support from Monumental Consulting, specialists in equitable city-building and participatory design, co-designed the Community Benefits Engagement Process, which was launched to residents in the Regent Park community on April 26, 2023.

The Process works to identify the community’s priorities and develop the community benefits plan to inform the investment of the $26.8 million in community benefits dollars. TCHC, Tridel, and CBOWG will guide the process to learn about what is important to the people of Regent Park, recording these ideas to inform options for community benefit packages. Each package will incorporate possible community benefits such as jobs, community space, scholarships, funds for programs, and other ideas which come from the community. Proposed packages will be shared with the community for selection with a vote in a process that is anticipated to launch in 2025.

The CBA is then finalized, guaranteeing the delivery of the benefits included in the community benefits package selected by the residents. The CBOWG will monitor the progress of the CBA to ensure it is on track and successful.

Learn more about Co-Creation of Regent Park’s Community Benefits Agreement here.

To identify the community’s priorities and develop the community benefits plan, the Community Benefits Oversight Working Group (CBOWG) co-designed a community engagement process to determine how the funds should be invested in Regent Park. The working group includes a variety of people who live in Regent Park.

The working group has guided the process of learning about what is important to the people of Regent Park. Based on the priorities that emerged during the Listening to Community Phase, TCHC, Tridel and CBOWG co-designed packages that incorporate possible community benefits such as jobs, community space, scholarships, funds for programs, and other ideas which come from the community. The packages will be shared with the community for a vote in 2025.

The community benefits package that receives the most votes will be officially announced and celebrated at a public declaration and create the CBA between TCHC and Tridel,

guaranteeing the delivery of the selected benefits. CBOWG will monitor and evaluate the CBA over the life of the revitalization and report back to the community through a monitoring and evaluation framework.

Learn more about Co-Creation of Regent Parks Community Benefits Agreement here.

Regent Park residents ages 14+ who live in the revitalization footprint (River Street (east), Shuter Street (south) Gerrard Street (north), and Parliament Street (west)) and residents at 220 Oak Street had their say from April 26 to July 31, 2023, through an online survey, via email, one-on-one engagement opportunities, focus groups and through Toronto Community Housing’s (TCHC) participation in multiple community events.

Once results are tabulated, TCHC, Tridel, and CBOWG take the recommendations and co-develop up to three community benefits packages that the community will vote on in a process that is anticipated to launch in 2025.

Learn more about the Community Benefits Engagement Process on our Community Benefits page.

A sub-group from the Community Benefits Oversight Working Group (CBOWG), comprised of Regent Park Residents and organizational representatives, will analyze the results and provide recommendations to Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) and Tridel based on the priorities identified by residents. TCHC, Tridel, and CBOWG will then take these recommendations and co-develop up to three community benefits packages that the community will vote on in a process that is anticipated to launch in 2025.

Learn more about the Community Benefits Engagement Process that launched on April 26, 2023, on our Community Benefits page.

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© TCHC and Tridel 2022.