The Dundas–Sherbourne Neighbourhood Revitalization Plan focuses on creating social and economic equity for community members as the neighbourhood grows and develops. The plan aims to ensure that current and future residents, local groups, organizations and businesses are supported as the area is developed over time.
In December 2019, City Council directed staff to develop a neighbourhood revitalization plan including a full community engagement process for the Dundas East and Sherbourne area. The neighbourhood revitalization plan will include a community action plan and a redevelopment plan. Boundaries for the plans are Jarvis Street to the west, Parliament Street & Regent Street to the east, Carlton Street to the north and Queen Street East to the south.
The boundaries of the revitalization plan will be reviewed and may be further refined based on analysis and public consultation.
A community action plan is a community-centred process that enhances planning frameworks by engaging diverse residents, community groups, organizations, businesses, property owners (with active development applications) and other partners to identify principles, priorities and subsequent actions that can advance equity and build stronger communities.
The Dundas and Sherbourne Community Action Plan recognizes that neighbourhoods have community leaders with capacity, local resident networks, non-profit organizations, local businesses and institutional partners. This plan will build on resident and community strengths and work in collaboration with community assets, expertise and experience to identify existing and future needs and challenges that can be addressed through a combination of City supports and external partnerships.
The community action plan will create opportunities to leverage new City led supports and policy levers developed during its lifespan. The plan will be responsive to changing neighbourhood contexts and needs and will be a ‘living’ document that grows and responds to community feedback.
The redevelopment plan will establish a vision for the development of affordable housing and support services around the neighbourhood that would also support a future revitalization of the Dan Harrison Community Complex (owned and operated by Toronto Community Housing).
By working with residents, community partners, and other City divisions, the redevelopment plan will identify community sites which can be activated to support improvements to the neighbourhood. Community engagement on the redevelopment plan is expected to begin in the Fall of 2024.
The Dundas and Sherbourne Community Action Plan is a core project of the Downtown East Action Plan which aims to address complex and entrenched challenges in the area related to poverty, homelessness, housing, community safety, mental health and substance use and the drug poisoning crisis.
The Downtown East Housing Strategy will connect the City’s affordable and supportive housing developments and initiatives both underway and planned for the area, with the aims of creating more affordable and supportive housing opportunities in the Downtown East Area and of supporting people with multiple marginalized identities, such as Indigenous, Black and 2SLGBTQ+ persons. This data-driven strategy will inform future decision making when considering new investments in housing and services to achieve a balance of housing types across the housing continuum.
The City of Toronto is committed to revitalizing George Street for vulnerable people and the broader community by building a new facility that will replace the existing Seaton House men’s shelter with a smaller emergency shelter and an all-gender transitional shelter, add a state-of-the-art long-term care home offering 24-hour care and add a community hub offering a number of programs and supports.
Cabbagetown Southwest is a residential and mixed-use neighbourhood with a collection of properties comprising a variety of architectural styles built in the late 19th and early-20th centuries. The area’s initial development began in the 1850s with a significant development period in the 1870s and 1880s. A Heritage Conservation District of the area is proposed to protect and conserve these heritage resources and to guide future change and development in the area.
TOcore is about planning for the future of Toronto’s Downtown. The Downtown Plan is a 25-year vision that sets the direction for the city centre as the cultural, civic, retail and economic heart of Toronto and as a great place to live. The plan provides a blueprint to manage growth, sustain liveability, achieve complete communities and ensure there is space for the economy to grow.
A Community Advisory Circle will be implemented to provide a platform for 12 to 15 representatives from the Dundas and Sherbourne neighbourhood to come together, discuss issues, share information, provide feedback, and work towards common social and economic goals and solutions within the neighbourhood. The Community Advisory Circle will play a vital role in fostering collaboration, trust, and promoting inclusivity in the advisory and decision-making processes.
Community Advisory Circle Recruitment is Now Open until 5 p.m. on July 31 2024.
An advisory group for Dundas and Sherbourne has been struck through Street Health and is comprised of individuals with lived experience of marginalization. The role of the Lived Experience Advisory Group will be to co-create a fulsome and sustainable engagement strategy that centres on the experiences of people with lived experiences of marginalization in meaningful ways. Learn more.
There will be upcoming focused engagement opportunities in the community. Engagement opportunities will be posted here as they become available. Summaries of what has been heard will be added here as they become available.