A move to add nearly 100 Toronto buildings to the city’s heritage registry list amid letters of objection ? including from one owner who says his building is a “box” with “no redeeming qualities” ? is the latest example of growing tension between community groups, property owners and developers as municipalities come under pressure to accommodate growth.
City councillors voted unanimously on Tuesday to add a swath of 94 properties in Toronto’s west end to the municipal heritage register, a move which means that city will need to be involved in applications for municipal permits, such as demolition, involving these structures.
Councillor Joe Cressy, in whose ward several of these buildings are located, says the area is home to some of Toronto’s earliest buildings. The formal addition of these properties on the registry list, in connection with last month’s city approval of the King-Spadina heritage conservation district, does not freeze development but prevents “fly-by-night” demolitions. “The city began here, and the future of our city will be derived by the economy here,” he said.
But the owner of a two-storey office building near Spadina Avenue and Queen Street West questioned its heritage value, calling its inclusion on the list “ridiculous.”
“You look at things like the Horsehoe Tavern… I can understand that,” said Mark Cowan, the director of Bercow Inc. “But b...