The Annex is facing intense pressure, with 25 major development projects currently underway. Can the neighbourhood grow without losing its unique character? Heritage consultants will be defining that character over the next seven months as they scour the neighbourhood to document 1,007 properties within the boundaries of Dupont, Bloor, Bedford and Bathurst streets.

Heritage controls provided by an HCD could avoid explosive situations like the one currently playing out at 145 St. George, where tenants are consulting with MPP Bell and Councillor Layton on how to protect their rent-controlled apartments from being demolished for a 29-storey rental and condominium tower. 

http://gleanernews.ca/index.php/2021/08/16/news-the-race-to-preserve-annex-heritage-july-2021/#.ZCymSNNE3VY

Number 145 St. George St., the first in the street’s modernist row, is a 12-storey rental building built in 1959 with 130 units. It has big balconies and lovely green brick details, but there are plans afoot for it that would render my advice bad.

Tenblock, a development company, has proposed replacing this building with a 29-storey tower. Under Toronto’s rental-replacement rules, any building redeveloped with more than six rental units must have those units replaced, so they will be part of the new building, along with 211 condo units.

The absurdity of Toronto’s housing market is on full display here as it makes financial sense for a developer to tear down a perfectly good building housing hundreds of people to build bigger. And this isn’t the only one.

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2021/06/20/the-absurdity-of-torontos-housing-market-makes-tearing-down-perfectly-fine-rental-buildings-financially-lucrative.html