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Italian Consulate Redevelopment (136 Beverley St, ?s, ?)

interchange42

interchange42

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Toronto's Consulato Generale d'Italia at the northwest corner of Dundas and Beverley is considering a redevelopment of its site. Currently the consulate is housed in the Chudleigh Mansion on the north side of the site, while there is lawn closer to Dundas. They are looking for expressions of interest from developers. The plan is to fund the restoration of the mansion through development of the remainder of the site. More here:

http://gateway.costar.com/home/news/shared/187514

42
 
There's a fair amount of fenced off underused green space along Dundas, which is what I assume will be the primary focus of the redevelopment potential.
 
Perhaps a mid-rise around 6-8 storeys along Dundas. They'd likely have to cut into the lawn space to a certain extent, and also leveling the overall raised surface elevation. I'm also open towards exploring options of reformatting the lawn into a more publicly accessible piazza type urban space at the corner of Dundas and Beverley.
 
Fashion ... school, museum, co work space/angel investor and whatever else
 
First Public Consultation Summary On May 27, 2017

Word document link from http://www.constoronto.esteri.it via Google

First Public Consultation Summary

On May 27, 2017, the Consulate General of Italy and CIBPA-Toronto invited the Italian and Italian-Canadian community as well as the local community to an information session and open discussion in relation to the renovation and possible redevelopment of the property located at 136 Beverley St. housing the Consulate General of Italy in Toronto. The historical property is in state of disrepair and requires costly renovations, therefore steps need to be taken for its preservation. It was the first consultation with the general public and was held at the consular premises.

The Consul General commenced by summarizing for the audience the history of the property, explaining how it is significant to understand matters of ownership and the objectives that the Consulate General of Italy and CIBPA wish to achieve with the renovation and possible redevelopment of the site. Consulate and CIBPA encouraged the audience and the community at large to submit ideas and suggestions.

The attendees, members of the Italo-Canadian community and local neighborhood associations, raised important questions relating to the renovation and possible redevelopment of 136 Beverley and obtained answers.

In 1936, on behalf of the Italian Government, a company called “Toronto Casa D’Italia Limited” purchased the property from the Beardmore family to establish a location from which to provide consular services. The property, soon known as “Casa D’Italia”, was also used to house various Italo-Canadian associations and to host Italian cultural events and initiatives.

With Italy’s entrance into war, the Canadian Government seized and acquired the property. In the 50’s the Italo-Canadian community, led by Sorbara, Carrier and Venchiarutti, founders of the CIBPA (Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association), successfully petitioned the Government to return the property to the Italian Community and reacquired title to Casa D’Italia at the cost of $40,000.

In 1960, Sorbara, Carrier and Venchiarutti transferred ownership of the property to the Italian Consul in Toronto, in trust for the Italian Government, to house the Italian Consulate. In the said transfer, they retained a Right of First Offer (ROFO), should the property be leased or sold by the Italian Government.

In 2014, Venchiarutti, the last survivor of the three founders of CIBPA, assigned the ROFO to CIBPA.

The transfers of ownership of Casa D’Italia and the assignment to CIBPA are traceable in the Ontario public land registry.

In 2017, the Consulate General of Italy and CIBPA reached an agreement on the mutual objectives to be pursued with the renovation and redevelopment of Casa D’Italia. These are:

1) preserve the historical building as a heritage site and fully renovate it to continue to house the Italian Consulate;

2) create new space to promote Italy and Italian-Canadian heritage and identity;

3) create an enduring benefit for the Italian-Canadian community and local community;

4) honor the memory of the three trustee who lead the efforts for the return of the property.


The attendees asked whether the Consulate General of Italy intends to sell the property to a developer that may be contemplating the demolishment of Casa D’Italia. Pastorelli reassured them that the Consulate General of Italy will retain ownership of Casa D’Italia, that the building will be preserved, not demolished, and that the Consulate will not relocate. Furthermore, CIBPA, through the exercise of its rights on the property, would not allow the Italian Government to depart from their mutually agreed objectives. CIBPA is a not-for profit organization committed to act in the best interests of the Italo-Canadian community.

The attendees asked about the cost of the renovation and the Consul General responded that, according to a study conducted in 2015, the costs could not be less than 6-7 million dollars. Pastorelli specified that now renovation is not the sole objective: creation of a new space to benefit the community and improvements to the site are also objectives.

Pastorelli informed the attendees that he initially requested funds to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to renovate Casa D’Italia, but due to public finance constraints these funds were not available. Therefore, Pastorelli explained, it was necessary to develop a self-sustainable project to renovate and possibly redevelop the site.

The attendees asked whether there was a renovation and redevelopment project already in place and Pastorelli explained that that it was too early for that phase and that inputs from the community were important in that regard. As for the steps taken, an Advisory Committee, chaired by the Honorable Frank Iacobucci, was created, a press release was issued, a section on the Consulate’s website for public input was dedicated, consultations with local politicians took place, a real estate advisor, CBRE, was selected and the first public meeting was held.

The Consul General explained that the Consulate General of Italy and CIBPA need feedback from the community to develop a renovation and redevelopment project plan that would meet the objectives specified above. The Consul General informed the attendees that he will set dates for future meetings with the community to continue the discussion on the renovation and possible redevelopment of Casa D’Italia.
 
And a brick structure supporting the floors with no room behind the plaster walls for insulation. The Brits didn't believe in insulation either. At minimum they built the structure out of wooden stubs with a brick veneer exterior.
 
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