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A Site Plan Approval application has been filed with the City of Toronto to rebuild Covenant House’s main facility on Gerrard Street just east of Yonge, replacing its existing interconnected buildings with a purpose-built seven-storey youth services hub. Designed by Hilditch Architect, the project would modernize Canada’s largest youth-serving agency while expanding its capacity. The proposal would retain and restore the designated heritage facade of the former Willard Hall building along Gerrard Street East, with restoration overseen by ERA Architects.
The proposal applies to the property at 20 Gerrard Street East and 21 McGill Street, located on the north side of Gerrard Street East just east of Yonge Street. The site is currently occupied by Covenant House’s interconnected four- and five-storey facilities, comprising the former Willard Hall building fronting Gerrard Street and a former YMCA building fronting McGill Street that was acquired and integrated into the operation in 2000. The surrounding area forms part of the evolving Downtown Yonge corridor, characterized by a mix of institutional, residential, and commercial uses.
Covenant House has provided emergency shelter, transitional housing, healthcare, education, employment, and housing supports to more than 110,000 young people over the past 40 years. With the existing buildings having reached the end of their useful lifespan, Urban Strategies Inc has submitted a Site Plan Control application to the City on behalf of the owner.
The proposal would replace the existing buildings with a seven-storey institutional development rising 34.33m. Occupying the full depth of the site between Gerrard Street East and McGill Street, the building would contain 13,285m² of Gross Floor Area, resulting in a Floor Space Index of 5.83 times coverage of the 2,280m² lot. The facility would provide 158 beds within 114 rooms, accommodating a mix of crisis shelter, transitional housing, and supportive housing functions. Beyond housing, the building would consolidate Covenant House’s wellness, healthcare, education, employment, housing support, and community programming within a single purpose-built facility.
The principal south facade of the designated former Willard Hall building would be retained in situ along Gerrard, along with a portion of the east return wall, while a section of the west wall would be reconstructed to maintain the building’s historic form. Heritage restoration work would include masonry conservation, repointing, stone repairs, restoration of window proportions, installation of historically appropriate wood windows, and rehabilitation of the building’s central name band.
Existing stairs would be removed, and the ground floor reconfigured to align with the three arched entrances along Gerrard Street East, creating barrier-free access directly from the sidewalk. The project would also remove the existing interior court space between the original 1911 building and the 1921 addition. The building’s two entrance porticos are proposed to be dismantled, stored, and reinstalled following construction.
Below grade, the project would include two underground levels. No vehicular parking spaces are proposed. Bicycle facilities would include 50 spaces, comprising 30 long-term and 20 short-term spaces.
College Station on Yonge Line 1 is located approximately 260m north, while TMU station is roughly 400m south. Surface transit service is available through the nearby 506 Carlton and 505 Dundas streetcar routes, as well as the 97 Yonge and 19 Bay bus routes. Cycling infrastructure includes protected cycle tracks on Gerrard Street East and Yonge Street, providing connections across the downtown core.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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| Related Companies: | ERA Architects, Grounded Engineering Inc., Urban Strategies Inc. |
