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In My Opinion: Revitalization at Coxwell and Queen is an Affordable Housing Success Story
The west side of Coxwell Avenue, between Queen Street East and Eastern Avenue, has been transformed into a mix of market value and affordable housing. Photo by Alan Shackleton.
By Paula Fletcher
Councillor, Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth
A once aging Toronto Community Housing (TCH) site with 120 units in the Queen and Coxwell neighbourhood is transforming into a showcase on how to deliver quality new affordable rental and market housing in the city.
With final rezoning completed in 2020, we in the East End have watched this site grow through demolition of the original buildings to completion of this new beautiful design in just five short years. Occupancy of the new units will start this year.
In 2018, the original plans for Don Summerville TCH called for replacement of the 120 rent-geared to income units plus 600 additional market condominium units.
When the development fell under new Ward 14 (Toronto-Danforth) boundary changes in 2018, I seized the opportunity to make the Queen Coxwell redevelopment the first planned mixed income TCH revitalization in the city.
Working with TCH, the City and Context Development, we were able to dramatically change the scope of the low-rise project.
The revitalization will now be comprised of:
- 120 rent-geared to income (RGI) replacement units
- 100 affordable rental units (80 per cent of market rate)
- 180 market rental units
- 350 market condominium units, and
- 16,000 square feet of retail space.
So what was originally scheduled to be 600 new condos and a rebuild of 120 TCH units has now changed to include an additional 280 new affordable and market rental units.
Among the mix, 32 units will be operated as a rent-geared-to-income co-op for artists. This is so exciting because the gentrification of many neighbourhoods in the East End, coupled with rising rents, have pushed artists out.
This new co-op guarantees their important cultural presence remains in our community. Incoming artists will be selected from an existing wait-list for these types of units.
This co-op is even more welcome, given the lack of new co-op housing being developed in the city.
The RGI and affordable rental units will be spread throughout the three buildings, which are located on 3.3 acres.
Tenant involvement is a hallmark of all revitalizations. Along with TCH staff, Applegrove Community Centre has organized many scholarship awards, tenant involvement in the design and installation of the beautiful art and poetry on the hoarding, as well as keeping in touch with residents about the progress of the project.
Tenants who lived in the original 120 units were relocated to other TCHC properties and can return to the community once the new units are completed.
This new and vibrant community is located just steps from Ashbridges Bay, the Woodbine Band Shell and Woodbine Beach.
With the addition of new affordable rental units along with the RGI replacement units and the co-op, there’s something for everyone in terms of highly desirable, quality affordable rental and purchase housing. The development is also providing an opportunity to revitalize commercial activity along Queen Street East.
Once again I am proud that our East End is leading the way to provide high quality affordable rental housing that is so needed in our city.
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This originally appeared as an 'In My Opinion' column in Beach Metro Community News on April 30th, 2025. Article link.
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