From Councillor Cheng's newsletter.
- Thread starter Northern Light
- Start date
HousingNowTO
Senior Member
@Edward Skira -- since it is a nice sunny but cold work-day, could you please take some additional "UNDER CONSTRUCTION" photos of the CUMMER development site today..?
This HNTO request is open to anyone who lives, works - or travels nearby. Thx!
Trees gone and topsoil removed. Not much more.
northyorker1
New Member
where's the outrage on the chopped trees? Why was it outrageous to cut down the trees at Osgoode hall and Ontario Place but not here?
Northern Light
Superstar
You really like poking bears don't you?
***
Rather than you give you a long-winded answer, may I suggest you read back the debates that have already happened in this thread over some 26 pages, they really do answer your question.
***
I will, briefly note, however, that the decision to build housing here, much needed housing is one that has been made, and there is no way to do that without removing the trees.
Whereas, at Osgoode Hall, there were alternative options to build the head house for the subway station elsewhere nearby.
Regrettably, neither the City, nor the Province seemed genuinely interested in exploring the alternatives which would either have removed a traffic lane and some median space on University Avenue, or created a transit mall on Queen.
By contrast, shifting the housing here, marginally, a few meters either way would not have changed the outcome w/the trees.
Whereas Osgoode Hall is a signature heritage building and landscape in the City, the patch of green here was not. It was nice and valuable to some, to be sure, but it was not a signature site in the City, nor heritage, nor of exceptional ecological value.
****
In the end, no one advocated cancelling the Ontario Line to save a few trees, but rather sought consideration of alternative designs to both preserve the trees and the heritage landscape and fence.
Similarly, UT'ers, by and large, are not about to suggest cancelled affordable housing for that reason either.
Nothing much new.
HousingNowTO
Senior Member
[Day 1,380] March 2025, part of a photo-series our Affordable Housing volunteers call : "SPRING SUNSET OVER STAN CHO LODGE" in Willowdale.
The beauty of new-build Supportive Housing construction during the traditional season of re-birth and renewal.
Based on the progress on the FOUNDATIONS, we could see Modular Housing units being craned into place on this Cummer Ave site by MAY 18th, 2025.
The beauty of new-build Supportive Housing construction during the traditional season of re-birth and renewal.
Based on the progress on the FOUNDATIONS, we could see Modular Housing units being craned into place on this Cummer Ave site by MAY 18th, 2025.
Rody365
New Member
Councillor Lily Cheng wants to introduce this motion to use Section 37 funds to build a fence adjacent to the modular housing project at 185 Cummer Ave.
bsky.app
Matt Elliott (@graphicmatt.com)
Councillor Lily Cheng wants to introduce this motion to use Section 37 funds to build a fence adjacent to the modular housing project at 185 Cummer Ave. Councillor Gord Perks doesn't like it and tells everyone to vote against it.
bsky.app
Allandale25
Senior Member
Divisional Court rejected the appeal by Voices of Willowdale.
ProjectEnd
Superstar
Disgustingly this was adopted by show of hands. Shameful.Councillor Lily Cheng wants to introduce this motion to use Section 37 funds to build a fence adjacent to the modular housing project at 185 Cummer Ave.
View attachment 639799View attachment 639800Matt Elliott (@graphicmatt.com)
Councillor Lily Cheng wants to introduce this motion to use Section 37 funds to build a fence adjacent to the modular housing project at 185 Cummer Ave. Councillor Gord Perks doesn't like it and tells everyone to vote against it.
Get bent, suckas. Stupidly, costs weren't awarded as the member found the term 'NIMBY' to be derogatory. Get. Effing. Bent.
Media Advisory
April 30, 2025
City of Toronto to provide an update on the supportive housing project at 185 Cummer Ave.
Tomorrow, Mayor Olivia Chow will be joined by Councillor Lily Cheng (Willowdale) to mark the progress of the rent-geared-to-income and supportive housing project at 185 Cummer Ave. The City will also formally announce its housing partner for the 59 new homes for older adults and seniors that are being developed through prefabricated construction.
Date: Thursday, May 1
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Location: 185 Cummer Ave.
Note: Parking on the premises is strictly prohibited. Limited parking spots are available at the north side of the church compound at 288 Cummer Ave. Paid parking is also available at the Finch East subway station at 890 Willowdale Ave.
RSVP: Media are asked to RSVP to media@toronto.ca by 6 p.m.
April 30, 2025
City of Toronto to provide an update on the supportive housing project at 185 Cummer Ave.
Tomorrow, Mayor Olivia Chow will be joined by Councillor Lily Cheng (Willowdale) to mark the progress of the rent-geared-to-income and supportive housing project at 185 Cummer Ave. The City will also formally announce its housing partner for the 59 new homes for older adults and seniors that are being developed through prefabricated construction.
Date: Thursday, May 1
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Location: 185 Cummer Ave.
Note: Parking on the premises is strictly prohibited. Limited parking spots are available at the north side of the church compound at 288 Cummer Ave. Paid parking is also available at the Finch East subway station at 890 Willowdale Ave.
RSVP: Media are asked to RSVP to media@toronto.ca by 6 p.m.
Northern Light
Superstar
The News Release mentioned above:
www.toronto.ca
Woodgreen will be the operator here.
From the above:
City of Toronto marks progress and names operator of 59 new supportive homes for seniors at 185 Cummer Ave.
News Release May 1, 2025 Today, Mayor Olivia Chow and Councillor Lily Cheng (Willowdale) welcomed the onsite delivery and craning of the modular units for a new supportive housing project at 185 Cummer Ave. Set for completion by early 2026, the new three-storey modular development will provide...
www.toronto.ca
Woodgreen will be the operator here.
From the above:
Allandale25
Senior Member
Article in The Triullum:
Aidan Chamandy
about 2 hours ago
A rendering of the Willowdale supportive housing complex. City of Toronto photo
https://www.vmcdn.ca/files/texttospeech/10603867-df3996b0-efd2-46b4-9fe8-4aca9c9ae39f.mp3
This article was first published by TorontoToday, a Village Media publication.
After years of delays, legal battles and political resistance, a 59-bed supportive housing project in North York is finally moving forward — though it will cost the city more than $21 million above the original budget.
On Thursday, Mayor Olivia Chow marked a turning point, welcoming deliveries of the prefabricated housing modules and announcing that non-profit WoodGreen would operate the building.
“Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. We need to build more homes faster, leveraging new techniques including prefabricated construction,” Chow said in a press release. “This project will create affordable housing to help seniors transition from homelessness.”
Located at 185 Cummer Ave. — formerly 175 Cummer Ave. before being renumbered during the rezoning process — the three-storey building is part of the city’s modular housing initiative.
Toronto launched its modular housing program early in the pandemic, with the goal of constructing over 200 supportive units for vulnerable residents, including those experiencing homelessness. Built off-site and then assembled on city-owned land, modular housing is faster and significantly less expensive than traditional builds.
Despite being one of five modular housing sites announced in 2021, the Cummer Avenue project has faced some of the fiercest pushback.
Opposition from residents and local officials stalled construction, turning the site into a flashpoint in Toronto’s broader struggle to build affordable housing — especially when future tenants are seen by some as a threat to neighbourhood character.
The project is now expected to be completed in early 2026.
Local city councillor Lily Cheng (Willowdale) — who had previously opposed the development — said her concerns have now been addressed. She said she had worried about the building’s impact on residents at the adjacent seniors' public housing complex.
“There is no 24-hour security here, and given some of the news from other implementations of shelters and supportive housing, [the neighbouring seniors] were unsure of whether or not their interests would be cared for,” she said.
Cheng noted the inclusion of older adults among future residents was key to building local support.
“That is something the community really wanted, but it was difficult for the city to provide that assurance earlier in the process,” she added.
“I think we’ve landed on the best possible outcome,” she said.
Four of the five sites in the modular housing initiative — including one at 321 Dovercourt Rd. in Little Portugal — have moved ahead without major disruption.
But Cummer Avenue’s progress was halted in 2021, when the city asked the provincial government to issue a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) to fast-track approval.
MZOs are a special tool that allows the province to bypass traditional planning processes and speed up development. While the other sites got a green light from the Ford government, the Cummer MZO was denied.
According to Toronto Star 's reporting, the rejection came after opposition from former housing minister Steve Clark and Willowdale MPP Stan Cho, who represents the area.
Cho did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
The building has also been inundated by legal troubles.
The Cummer site was the subject of a court challenge launched in 2022 by a community group and a local developer. It took two years for the matter to be resolved. In March 2025, the Ontario Divisional Court sided with the city, ending the battle once and for all.
By then, costs had ballooned.
Originally budgeted at $14 million, the project’s price tag now stands at $36 million. Nearly $5 million was spent on storing and transporting the prefabricated modules during the legal delay.
Some units were damaged in storage, requiring $1 million in repairs. Rising construction costs and modifications to the project added another $16 million.
According to Abi Bond, head of Toronto’s Housing Secretariat, no further cost increases are expected.
Supportive housing project denied MZO finally moves ahead — $21 million over budget
The costs for the Cummer Avenue project more than doubled after four years of opposition and legal battlesAidan Chamandy
about 2 hours ago
A rendering of the Willowdale supportive housing complex. City of Toronto photo
https://www.vmcdn.ca/files/texttospeech/10603867-df3996b0-efd2-46b4-9fe8-4aca9c9ae39f.mp3
This article was first published by TorontoToday, a Village Media publication.
After years of delays, legal battles and political resistance, a 59-bed supportive housing project in North York is finally moving forward — though it will cost the city more than $21 million above the original budget.
On Thursday, Mayor Olivia Chow marked a turning point, welcoming deliveries of the prefabricated housing modules and announcing that non-profit WoodGreen would operate the building.
“Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. We need to build more homes faster, leveraging new techniques including prefabricated construction,” Chow said in a press release. “This project will create affordable housing to help seniors transition from homelessness.”
Located at 185 Cummer Ave. — formerly 175 Cummer Ave. before being renumbered during the rezoning process — the three-storey building is part of the city’s modular housing initiative.
Toronto launched its modular housing program early in the pandemic, with the goal of constructing over 200 supportive units for vulnerable residents, including those experiencing homelessness. Built off-site and then assembled on city-owned land, modular housing is faster and significantly less expensive than traditional builds.
Despite being one of five modular housing sites announced in 2021, the Cummer Avenue project has faced some of the fiercest pushback.
Opposition from residents and local officials stalled construction, turning the site into a flashpoint in Toronto’s broader struggle to build affordable housing — especially when future tenants are seen by some as a threat to neighbourhood character.
The project is now expected to be completed in early 2026.
Local city councillor Lily Cheng (Willowdale) — who had previously opposed the development — said her concerns have now been addressed. She said she had worried about the building’s impact on residents at the adjacent seniors' public housing complex.
“There is no 24-hour security here, and given some of the news from other implementations of shelters and supportive housing, [the neighbouring seniors] were unsure of whether or not their interests would be cared for,” she said.
Cheng noted the inclusion of older adults among future residents was key to building local support.
“That is something the community really wanted, but it was difficult for the city to provide that assurance earlier in the process,” she added.
“I think we’ve landed on the best possible outcome,” she said.
Four of the five sites in the modular housing initiative — including one at 321 Dovercourt Rd. in Little Portugal — have moved ahead without major disruption.
But Cummer Avenue’s progress was halted in 2021, when the city asked the provincial government to issue a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) to fast-track approval.
MZOs are a special tool that allows the province to bypass traditional planning processes and speed up development. While the other sites got a green light from the Ford government, the Cummer MZO was denied.
According to Toronto Star 's reporting, the rejection came after opposition from former housing minister Steve Clark and Willowdale MPP Stan Cho, who represents the area.
Cho did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
The building has also been inundated by legal troubles.
The Cummer site was the subject of a court challenge launched in 2022 by a community group and a local developer. It took two years for the matter to be resolved. In March 2025, the Ontario Divisional Court sided with the city, ending the battle once and for all.
By then, costs had ballooned.
Originally budgeted at $14 million, the project’s price tag now stands at $36 million. Nearly $5 million was spent on storing and transporting the prefabricated modules during the legal delay.
Some units were damaged in storage, requiring $1 million in repairs. Rising construction costs and modifications to the project added another $16 million.
According to Abi Bond, head of Toronto’s Housing Secretariat, no further cost increases are expected.
Being delivered.