JRA PRINCIPLES FOR DEVELOPMENT
Our Guiding Principles for Addressing Development:
facilitating community engagement that informs proposals
accept/respect the legislated planning framework that secures community feedback
work with City plans and land use policies
recognize that city officials are stewards of City plans and land use policies that guide development applications
advocate for positive change in recognition of the social, environmental, physical and political context in which we live.
JRA DEVELOPMENT STATEMENT
We are seeking greater clarity around municipal policies, plans and development standards that frame development proposals within the area.
Ad-hoc development proposals prompted by market pressures alone can destabilize communities and sharpen the void between a neighbourhood's expectations and municipal aspirations for our community.
To remedy our challenge in coming to terms with the inevitable evolution of our community, a comprehensive review of the Junction, and Dundas Street in particular, would capture the community's aspirations within a municipally sanctioned process.
The JRA has been advocating for an Avenue or Area study, including heritage, that would meaningfully engage impacted residents and businesses.
DESIGN YOUR MAIN STREET
YOUR VOICE AND VISION MATTERS
Overview of Project
Background information:
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The JRA has been advocating for an avenue or area study, including heritage, that would meaningfully engage impacted residents and businesses.
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Parkdale, Roncesvalles and Bloor West Village have had such studies done, paid for by the City. The Junction has not. Planning Studies – City of Toronto
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In early 2020, during the City of Toronto’s budget consultation process, the Junction Residents Association with the support of 3 neighbouring residents associations, formally requested an avenue study along Dundas Street (between Jane and Humberside). The request was rejected; no room in the budget was the reason given.
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Design Your Main Street is inspired by the recent Avenue Road Safety Coalitions’ commissioning of Brown and Storey Architects to prepare a report: Concepts for expanding the public realm on Avenue Road
Purpose of the Project:
Design Your Main Street will provide a platform for the community to have a voice, given the emerging pressures in the Junction and the impending changes to the physical landscape. The focus of the project is to capture what we value as a community and retain the services of professionals for a design/study of Dundas. This design/study will give us an effective tool to lobby the Councillor's office to inform the Official Plan policies that impact our community. The project will also seek to identify opportunities to make streetscape improvements.
Why Should the Community Pay for an “Avenue Study”?:
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While neighbouring areas have had this funded by the City of Toronto, the Junction’s request was denied because of the City’s inability to fund it now.
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To illustrate what we want Dundas Street to look like.
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Prepares the community for responding to development proposals.
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Provides a consensus among members about what they would like to see.
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Can be used as a tool by the City to inform policies that impact our neighbourhood.
Phases of the Project:
Phase 1 (completed) - by surveying the community during the summer of 2023 (with assistance provided by university students with expertise in community outreach and survey research).
You may access the Design Your Main Street Study Report below:
Phase 2 - The completion of the Design Your Main Street Survey provides a barometer of community sentiments to refer to and use in securing political support for whatever we see as opportunities for city undertakings.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
THE INTENT OF THE DESIGN AND MAINSTREET DESIGN STUDY TO ADVOCATE FOR AN AVENUE STUDY ON DUNDAS HAS BEEN PREEMPTED BY THE CITY'S ADVANCES TOWARDS CITY WIDE STUDIES TO ENCOURAGE MAIN STREET INTENSIFICATION.
Avenues Policy Review Consultation Slide Deck
Avenues Policy Review Open House Slide Deck
Learn more:
Housing Action Plan: Avenues, Mid-rise and Mixed Use Areas Study
Funding of the Project:
Design Your Main Street is a Junction Residents Association initiated project made possible through funding received through the Canada Summer Jobs Program , donations from the public and sponsorship from our Community Partners featured below. Please consider making a donation today.
DESIGN YOUR MAIN STREET COMMUNITY PARTNERS
The JRA can't do this without the support our
amazing community partners!
HOUSING
Dr. Carolyn Whitzman's presentation at FoSTRA's AGM
Watch Dr. Carolyn Whitzman's presentation on addressing the housing crisis at FoSTRA's AGM
The Junction Residents Association is pleased to be a member of FoSTRA
Dr. Carolyn Whitzman is a housing and social policy researcher. She is an Adjunct Professor and
Senior Housing Researcher at University of Toronto’s School of Cities, undertaking research on
scaling up affordable and nonmarket housing supply. She has worked as an expert advisor to UBC’s
Housing Assessment Resource Tools (HART) project, which developed standardized best practices for
analyzing housing needs, using government land for nonmarket housing, and nonmarket property
acquisition, using detailed, open data.
Carolyn is the author, co-author or lead editor of six books, including Home Truths: Fixing Canada’s
Housing Crisis (2024) and Clara at the Door with a Revolver: the scandalous Black suspect, the
exemplary white son, and the murder that shocked Toronto (2023). She is the author or co-author of
over 80 book chapters, articles, and reports, on issues related to the right to the city. She has
provided expertise to national, state/provincial and local governments, UN Women, UN Habitat, and
private and non-profit organizations.