Toronto is on the verge of unveiling a sweeping proposal to restrict density on a long stretch of Queen Street West, the key downtown strip that for decades has showcased the city’s most eclectic art, music and fashion.
Queen has long been an urban magnet, its appeal surviving changes in consumer tastes and an increasingly gentrified city. But those same pressures – including the westward march of chain stores – have also changed the street. A new staff report focused on balancing preservation with change is expected within weeks, and at least one major developer is concerned that the proposed solution is too restrictive.
The plan will cover the part of Queen between Bathurst and Roncesvalles, a 3.5-kilometre strip that takes in West Queen West and the former Parkdale Village, establishing new zoning policies while also seeking to protect the area under heritage rules.
According to a draft city document, new and renovated buildings would be limited to six storeys, up to 20 metres in total, with the first three storeys allowed adjacent to the sidewalk and the remainder set back. But the proposals go further, including design guidelines and a slate of changes – around pedestrian mobility, road safety, parking requirements and landscaping – that get to the heart of neighbourhood livability.
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