Housing in The Annex: A Battle Between New Development and Preserving History
The Annex
I moved into The Annex almost two years ago. I rented my unit in one of the Walmer Road apartment buildings, sight unseen, only knowing that the building was steps away from campus.
Upon arrival, I came to love the neighbourhood. It had a comfortable amount of green space, the streets were relatively quiet, and the density was low enough for me to run without feeling like I was jostling for position on the sidewalk. Contrarily, it had proximity to high enough density neighbourhoods that I got the “city living” experience.
When walking around the neighbourhood, I found the patterns of development strange. There were streets of apartment towers, next to a street of single-family homes, next to mid-rise buildings, next to fraternity houses, next to businesses, bars, and restaurants. It was a true mixed-use community.
Not necessarily the Toronto that I was expecting, but a happy surprise.
According to the city of Toronto, The Annex has a formal border from Christie Street to the west, the CPR rail tracks to the north, Yonge Street to the east, and Bloor Street to the south.
Despite the formal definition, the traditional areas of The Annex are considered to range from Bathurst to Avenue Road to the east and west, bordered by the CPR tracks and Bloor to the north and south — excluding the neighbourhoods of Yorkville and Seton (Korea Town).
The neighbourhood has a population of around 30,500 people, comprising 60% renters, who make an average salary of around $71,000, compared to Toronto’s average of $65,000. Given the proximity to the University of Toronto, it is not surprising that 70.6% of The Annex residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
This smaller “historic Annex” area is a hub for transit. It is serviced by both of Toronto’s subway lines, and the Spadina and Bathurst Streetcars.
Housing Affordability in The Annex
The City of Toronto is facing a housing affordability crisis. The average price of a home has steeply increased, and housing advocates claim that it is fueled by supply drastically undershooting demand.
Given the proximity to downtown, the excellent access to transit, and the lower density of the neighbourhood, The Annex is the perfect candidate for intensification.
Condo projects and building proposals are scattered all over The Annex.
Several developments are currently under construction in the community, and new renovations on older units.
One of the most interesting housing projects is the Mirvish Village project, built on the southwest corner of Bloor and Bathurst. This development will add 900 residential homes to the adjacent neighbourhood.
Also of note, the “Spadina Node” located between Walmer Road and Madison Avenue along Bloor street and above the Spadina Subway station has a development proposal to intensify the neighbourhood. As the proposal stands, the development will add three 30+ story mixed-use towers to the neighbourhood.
This news is welcome to many, but community activists who live in The Annex are worried about the overall character of the neighbourhood changing.
For example, residents who live in The Annex, such as notable author Margaret Atwood, have expressed concern with their wellbeing living in The Annex and the changing community, as demonstrated through this Twitter thread.
Heritage Conservation Districts
The Annex Residents Association is working to designate portions of The Annex as Heritage Conservation Districts.
The Heritage Conservation District (HCD) Program designates an area of the city legally protected by a municipal by-law passed under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA).
The Heritage Conservation Districts in Toronto — Procedures, Policies and Terms of Reference state that: “Property owners within an HCD who wish to alter their property or demolish a designated structure must obtain heritage permits. The appropriateness of proposed changes will be weighed against the HCD Plan… HCD advisory committees will also be consulted where appropriate”
Implementing this plan would make it very difficult to change the existing properties in the Annex.
The Annex has already implemented HCDs in the neighbourhood — East Annex between Bedford Road, Avenue Road, Davenport Road, and Prince Author Avenue.
Additionally, Madison Avenue has also been declared an HCD.
Further, countless properties in The Annex have been given this protection. 6 Walmer, for example, remains empty after some construction on the property in 2021. This property has been controversial after a condo building proposed on the property was denied approval in 2011.
The Annex Residents Association is currently preparing a proposal to project the area extending from Bedford West to Bathurst Street to protect the remainder of the traditional Annex neighbourhood.
This project has been seen as a “NIMBY” (not-in-my-backyard) tactic by The Annex Residents Association to prevent further development in the neighbourhood.
Most intensification development occurs along the main streets of The Annex. Pro-housing advocates argue that missing middle housing needs to be built inside neighbourhoods in the form of three to five-story walk-ups, as seen in cities such as New York. The Annex has some of these builds already, but it is argued that more need to be built to meet the area’s demand.
If a further historic designation is passed, mid-rise housing will be difficult to build in the older parts of The Annex.
Concluding Thoughts
To what extent should the preservation of communities be prioritized over solving crucial policy issues such as housing affordability and supply? That is the question.
Ultimately, the Toronto City Council has the final say on the development of neighbourhoods. Still, powerful community groups have the resources to slow down the development of communities at City Council.
The Annex is the neighbourhood I now call home, and selfishly, I do like the lower density of the community in addition to the proximity to downtown and transit. But I do believe that overall, neighbourhoods should change over time. Housing affordability and supply will continue to be pressing issues in Toronto, and The Annex will continue to wrestle with this issue on the front lines.
