After years of neglect, a development proposal has now been put forward by the new owner of Soeurs de la Visitation site that I believe is a pragmatic path forward. A new low-rise development, if approved, would preserve much of the Convent building, add housing at a scale likely welcomed by most residents, and remove the entry/egress traffic cut across Byron.
Residents can view the full details here.
The proposal by Concorde Properties would demolish roughly half of the existing convent building, restore the remaining portion, and see the construction of six stacked townhouse structures containing 126 units, along with a four-storey low-rise apartment building with 47 units. There would be 152 parking spots built in underground parking garages, accessed from Leighton Terrace. My understanding is that the owner would use the restored convent for its own office space.
There are several key documents in the application package to which I’ve linked above that residents will likely want to review. In planning-speak, this application is a “minor” re-zoning that won’t require a committee and Council vote unless I force that.
The main document is the planning rationale that you can find here. It contains the specifics of what zoning changes are being sought, renderings of the proposed new development, and a site plan. The developer has also submitted their rationale for partial demolition of the convent here. Separate from the re-zoning, the heritage permission is the subject of an application yet to be made public when complete that will be voted on by committee and Council.
In general, I’m supportive of the application. City staff or – if I force a vote – Council can refuse it. However, I believe that would be counter-productive. The convent is a treasure in our neighbourhood but has sat vacant and decaying for fifteen years. As councillors including myself have noted for years, cities in Ontario have very few powers to force owners to maintain heritage properties. The portion of the convent that Concorde is proposing to restore and put to use would preserve an important part of Westboro’s history. I know Concorde, and am as confident as one can be that if the zoning and demolition are approved that construction and preservation would follow in short order. Their track record of construction isn’t of sitting on vacant parcels.
You can visit the link above to send comments to the planner, which are due by May 11. I’ll be hosting a virtual open house, likely on May 13. I recognize that this is after the comment period. If you have questions about the development that you need answered in order to inform your submission, I’d encourage you to reach out directly to the planner, and I and my team are here to help you get the information you need to put your best foot forward.
Some time after the comment period the planners will make a determination that they’re in a position to approve the re-zoning and I’ll be given a chance to require that this go to a committee and Council vote, so please consider copying me on any submission that you make to the planner. I’ll be reading and contemplating your feedback right up until the point that I have to make a decision as to whether to force this to a vote or not.
Kitchissippi, I feel good today that a credible builder has a realistic plan to accomplish a restoration of the convent at a scale that isn’t another tall tower. The risk of not proceeding with zoning and demolition applications is another long period of neglect during which I can’t help but believe we’ll lose the structure entirely. I’ll be keen to read your feedback, but am encouraged that we finally have a path forward to rescuing this site.