City okays Niagara towers, wants community benefits, Abbatoir rules

Dennis Hanagan –

Two residential towers for 89-109 Niagara Street near King and Bathurst were approved by city council at its August meeting.

The 12 and 14-storey towers will be connected by a 5-storey podium. The plan includes the retention of the site’s heritage buildings commonly known as the coffin factory.

The towers, offering mostly condos with one providing some rental units on lower floors, will be built south of the heritage buildings.

The complex will have 367 dwelling units. A minimum of 30% will be 2-bedroom and a minimum of 10% 3-bedroom. There’ll also be space for commercial and office use.

Under Section 37 of the Planning Act council wants the development to include 13 affordable rental housing units plus eight at mid-range rent. Almost all units in the heritage building and some in the new towers will be live-work space.

Also under Section 37 the city will get $150,000 to put toward capital improvements at existing Ward 19 Toronto Community Housing rental units.

Ward 19 parks will get $100,000 for improvements. Council also wants the developer to employ noise and odour mitigation measures because of the nearby abattoir at 2 Tecumseth — “should the abattoir reinstate operations,” notes a planning report.