The decades old Etobicoke Civic Centre has been deemed surplus property and will likely be sold to developers.
The 67-year-old Etobicoke Civic Centre has been deemed surplus property by City officials who want the large parcel of land be flattened to build more public housing.
The 399 The West Mall Crescent Centre was one of 26 properties identified across the City as surplus by the Toronto Parking Authority (TPA), after canvassing all the City’s divisions and agencies.
The building is expected to be demolished to build almost 1,400 housing units once a new Civic Centre is constructed in 2028 at the Six Points Interchange area.
“The list of sites (considered) includes underperforming car parks and properties that are vacant or currently used for non-parking purposes,” according to a TPA report.
The Old Centre is today used by Etobicoke York Community Council for meetings, hearings or for use by community groups. It is also rented for shows and exhibitions.
The old will be replaced by the new Etobicoke Civic centre with gym and library to be completed by 2028.
The report said staff is working to transfer the sites to city-building priorities, including the expansion of affordable housing, shelters and parks. They are looking at ‘repurposing underperforming lots toward future housing, parks or other long-term opportunities.’
There are plans to build 1,376 residential units on the 16.5 acre site.
Sections of the Old Centre will be incorporated in the new facility. The front door has been deemed as having heritage value and will be kept intact.
The massive property will bring in a huge sum to City coffers as the total gross floor area (GFA) of the building is 1.3 million square feet.
This report said the TPA operates parking at 271 City-owned parking facilities, including surface car parks and parking structures.
Many residents are concerned about the cenotaph at the Etobicoke Civic Centre, a clock tower erected in 1968 to honor the memory of those who died in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.
”These properties have generated significant interest from the development community, other City Divisions and City Council as land assets,” according to the report. Then can ‘be leveraged to advance various city-building initiatives.’
The City is working with other governments to achieve a 10-year goal of approving 65,000 rent-controlled homes by 2030. This includes 41,000 affordable rental, 6,500 rent-geared-to-income and 17,500 rent-controlled homes.
The Old Civic Centre was placed on the chopping board for housing along with the Lawrence Market North, a car park in Yorkville , 838 Broadview Avenue, 105 Spadina Avenue, 363 Adelaide Street W., and 30 Alvin Avenue.
The original Etobicoke Civic Centre was built in 1958 to replace the former Township of Etobicoke Municipal Hall.
The new state-of-the-art Centre to be completed in 2028 will feature more than 508,000 square feet of office space including municipal office towers, a multi-purpose council chamber, a child care centre, a new Toronto Public Library branch, a public health clinic for dental services and gym.
The new state-of-the-art civic hub, which is being built, will cost about $480-million to construct.