Plan for Honest Ed's site revised to save more heritage buildings, add extra park space

Revisions to the plan for the site of iconic department store Honest Ed'swill see moreheritage buildings saved and feature a larger public park, according to the city's planning website.

A fresh batch of revisions were submitted to the city'splanning division by the developer, Westbank, in mid-January, which, along with the park and heritage buildings, also promises to reduce the development's density.

• Take a final tour of Honest Ed's with David Mirvish

In the original plan submitted by the developer, only 15 heritage buildings were safe from demolition and there was no park.

At this point, 23 of the 27 listed heritage buildings on the site, which is bordered by BathurstStreet,MarkhamStreet,BloorStreet andLennoxStreet and also includes some parts of the west side ofMarkhamStreet, will be saved. The park is set to be 1,150 square metres.

Vancouver architect Gregory Henriquez, who is leading the design team, told Matt Galloway on CBC Radio's Metro Morning that the plan is to "build a series of smaller buildings that together form a new village" rather than "one large mega-complex, which is what you see a lot of in Toronto."

"The character and the interface with the residential neighbourhood [will be] maintained."

What stays, what goes

What the development will end up looking like has been a source of anxiety for some Toronto residents, with some neighbours worried about tall towers dominating the corner of Bathurst and Bloor Streets,and others concerned the area's black heritage will be lost in the shuffle.

Henriquez said his team is working to make sure the section of MarkhamStreet known as Mirvish village, a hub for black-owned businesses, retains its distinctive feel.

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"Small houses will be maintained.Restaurants will spill out on the streets. We're even talking to the city about the ability to close it down on the weekends and be able to have events," he said.

Those worriedan overly tall tower, however, may still have concerns.After three drafts, the proposed plan still includes a 28-storey building.

In all, the proposal is to build 47 buildings, some of which will be mid and high-rise. Once completed, it will have 804 residential units and 15,000 square metres of non-residential space.

The space will also include a public market and plenty of local retail, Henriquez said.

Not on the docket to be maintained is the beloved gold-and-orange Honest Ed's sign that wraps around the block-length building.

"It's actually a bunch of incandescent bulbs which are environmentally not so sustainable," he said.

Henriquez told Galloway that a there will be a public art program throughout the site, with plenty of homages to Honest Ed's history, including Honest Ed's alley.

Demolition could start in June

But first, onelast hurrah in the old Honest Ed's space.The Centre for Social Innovation, which is working with Henriquez on the development, is hosting a weekend of events in the now-empty store in late February, including an art maze and a dance party.

• Honest Ed's Festival

City planning is currently reviewing the latest plan submittedby the developer. After that, it will go tocommunity council and then to city council to be voted on.

If all goes well, the wrecking ballcomes out in June, Henriquez said.

"These things take usually three or four years to build," he said.

City planner Graig Uens said the city is working with the developer to make sure it hasa construction plan that will keep disruption to a minimum.