“Out of all of the Infrastructure Ontario proposals, this is one of the sites with the best transit connections because it’s served by two subway lines—the Ontario Line and Line 2 Bloor–Danforth. However, the proposed building heights are among the lowest across Infrastructure Ontario’s transit-oriented community proposals,” More Transit Southern Ontario (MTSO) director Haadhi Faizal told NRU.

More Transit Southern Ontario is a volunteer-based organization that advocates for more connected, equitable, affordable, frequent, reliable, and safer transit across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and surrounding regions.

“You compare the Pape Station TOC site to the Cosburn site, just one kilometre north, and Cosburn has two 29-storey buildings compared to only one at Pape. At Thorncliffe Park, there are multiple 57-storey buildings proposed. What we’d like to see at the Pape site is multiple 50- to 60-storey buildings to maximize the amount of housing delivered in this area. If Thorncliffe Park, with only one station, can justify that level of density, then a site served by two subway lines should justify similar heights,” Faizal said.

In addition to several other Infrastructure Ontario TOC sites accommodating greater height and density than what is proposed at Pape Station, there is also an active development application immediately adjacent to the site at 654–656 and 658–668 Danforth Avenue. There, Del Boca Vista Properties is proposing a 49-storey mixed-use building containing 496 residential units.

“The main reason Infrastructure Ontario has cited for the proposed height is the desire to transition to the surrounding low-rise neighbourhoods,” Faizal explained. “The challenge with that argument is that these low-rise neighbourhoods exist largely because, for decades, zoning policies have restricted density and prevented taller buildings from being built. Given that this location is directly served by rapid transit, it should accommodate significantly more housing density.”

The proposed Pape TOC is located within Greektown, a neighbourhood characterized primarily by two- to four-storey mixed-use buildings, with retail and restaurant uses at street level and residential units above.