'We need to get it right': Application for final phases of Regent Park revitalization filed with city

In the basement of 463 Gerrard St. E. is a piece of Toronto's history — the remnants of the long since decommissioned boiler room of Canada's first large-scale social housing project. The dusty brick furnace sits in the corner with a smokestack that stretches to the top of the high ceiling.

"This would have been the door that the coal would have been put into and the fire would start. And this would be the first heating system for Regent Park," said Barry Thomas, the assistant general manager at the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), who took CBC News on a tour of the building this week. He's been working in the community in different capacities since 1982.

The building is one of the few remaining low-rise structures in Regent Park, which were built in 1947, that are set to be demolished to make way for new housing

More than 15 years after demolition began for the Regent Park Revitalization project, a formal application for rezoning has now been submitted to the city for the final two phases. The proposal includes adding more density, more affordable housing and more amenities. As the last major capital investment in Regent Park, residents and TCHC are emphasizing the importance of getting this right.

There are approximately 500 units remaining in the old buildings that run along Gerrard Street East to the north, River Street to the east, Oak Street to the south, and Dreamers Way to the west.

The last zoning bylaw amendment was in 2014 and allowed for the construction of 2,000 units.

TCHC put out a request for a developer to build the final two phases and Tridel won the bid in 2020, beating The Daniels Corp., the firm responsible for the development of Phases 1, 2 and 3. 

"So we're proposing to go from about 2,000 units up to about 3,000 units," said Peter Zimmerman, the senior director in the development division at TCHC.

"We're proposing to find a home for a new super special Toronto Public Library, a new civic square, and lots of space for community gardens and outdoor recreation space."

The design also includes a new community hub and a framework for a new high street alongside Gerrard. Zimmerman said Tridel and TCHC have done extensive consultations, listening to what residents want to see.

"We want to create some areas where residents can run their own programs, including having worship spaces and also be able to do other activities that are completely of their choice."

As part of its deal to work on the project, Tridel has also offered a $26.8-million community benefits package. TCHC says it will work with community members to determine how to spend it.

By the numbers

According to the plan, of the 3,000 proposed units in Phases 4 and 5, approximately 1,800 would be units sold at market prices.

The remaining 1,200 will be TCHC affordable units. Of those 1,200, 633 would be rent-geared-to-income (RGI) units — required to fulfil the obligation to replace all of the original 2,082 rent-geared-to-income housing units in Regent Park.

As for the remainder of those units, government funding will dictate how affordable they will be, according to Zimmerman. 

"We're creating the framework for governments to come to the table to create affordable housing and how deeply affordable we get depends on the amount and the sources of funding." 

There are, however, concerns among some residents about the increase in density and whether the surrounding amenities already in the neighbourhood can handle it. 

"The amount of pressure you can put on the community centre, the pool, it's too much pressure in one area," said Sureya Ibrahim, a long-time Regent Park resident and founder of the group Mothers for Peace.

Groups like the Regent Park Residents' Association and the Community Building Working Group of the Social Development Plan have been some of the active voices at the table in consultations and meetings with TCHC and Tridel.

"I think it's a good start, but I think we can always do better," said Walied Khogali Ali, who works with both organizations and is a long-time Regent Park resident.

"We're hoping that in Phases 4 and 5, we do not forget the reason why we revitalized our community in the first place, which is to make sure that there's a balance of TCHC and market residents."

Ali says they're pushing to ensure the net-new units are RGI units, something he acknowledges requires support from the province and Ottawa.

"We are not able to successfully have a revitalization for Phases 4 and 5 without those investments from other levels of government," said Ali, who s he'd also like to see governmental support for a rent-to-own program as part of the project.

Ali welcomes the addition of new community spaces, but says he wants to ensure the community has a say in their governance. His group has assembled its own Space Needs report outlining what exactly the community needs.

"This is personal. This is home. And I want to make sure that future generations are able to benefit from opportunities and not forgotten."

For Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam, who represents the area at city council, it's also personal. She grew up in Regent Park.

"I know that the pressure is really high to get it right and to finish well," said Wong-Tam, who commended Tridel and TCHC for their work on the rezoning application.

"The rezoning is the mechanism that enables us to get more services that the community members are asking for. "

Next steps

The rezoning application will be reviewed by city staff, and city-led public consultation will follow that.

Zimmerman says the hope is for demolition to begin next year, and construction the year after that. 

As for the few hundred residents that remain in the older units: they'll either be moved into some of the newer units built from previous phases of redevelopment, or temporarily moved to another TCHC complex elsewhere.

He says those moved off-site will have the right to return to one of the newer buildings once they're completed.

"It's a very close collaborative process, working with the residents to make sure that we have as little disruption in their lives as possible," said Zimmerman.

"This is our last chance. These are the last buildings that we're going to build. So we need to get it right."