TORONTO, Oct. 1, 2025 /CNW/ - The result of an innovative five-year revitalization plan led by the City of Toronto and the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), Don Summerville is a mixed-income, mixed-tenure housing community that sets the bar for new housing developments in Toronto.
Today, Mayor Olivia Chow, Councillor Paula Fletcher (Toronto-Danforth) and the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Member of Parliament for Toronto-Danforth joined representatives from TCHC and its partners, Context Development and RioCan, to celebrate the opening of 770 homes in the reimagined Don Summerville community, located at 1070 Eastern Ave.
The event marks a significant milestone that demonstrates the City's commitment and ability to partner on large housing projects to create inclusive and vibrant communities in which Torontonians can live, play and work. This project also contributes to the City's HousingTO target of approving 65,000 rent-controlled and affordable homes by 2030.
Going beyond revitalization
The 3.3-acre site in Leslieville was once home to two 60-unit TCHC rent-geared-to-income (RGI) buildings. With strong partnership between the City, TCHC and private developers, the revitalization of the former TCHC community was reimagined into a mixed-use housing development for residents of all income levels.
Built with partners, RioCan and Context Development, this new mixed tenure, mixed-income community includes three new buildings with 120 RGI homes, 100 affordable rental homes, 183 market rental homes and 367 condominium units. Integrated in the community is 16,000 square feet of new retail space, paving the way for businesses, jobs and amenities that will shape the development into a complete community. The community will also include a Privately Owned Public Space – or POP – which will offer a dedicated space open space that the public is welcome to enjoy.
The Don Summerville community is located in the highly desirable Leslieville neighbourhood in east Toronto, steps away from Lake Ontario and the Martin Goodman Trail, and with quick, easy access to transit on the TTC's 501 streetcars and Coxwell Avenue buses.
Within the market rental and condo buildings, there are 82 affordable homes including:
Don Summerville provides Torontonians with new homes, new experiences and new opportunities that have transformed the area into a vibrant, mixed-tenure, mixed-income community that grows and evolves to lift entire neighbourhoods.
Quotes:
"Soon residents will start moving into the newly revitalized Don Summerville community that is home to 780 mixed income, mixed tenure new homes. Don Summerville was created through the strong partnership from the City of Toronto, TCHC and private partners to deliver more affordable housing for Torontonians. Every Torontonian deserves to live in a home that they're proud of, and in a neighbourhood where they can thrive, like the future residents of Don Summerville will. This community is a model of what we can achieve across the City, and we will continue identifying communities and opportunities where we can do the same."
– Mayor Olivia Chow
"I've been very fortunate as the local Councillor to have been part of this groundbreaking project from its inception and to the official opening of this beautiful, new, fully mixed community. Not only have TCHC, the City of Toronto, Context and Riocan replaced the original 120 RGI apartments, but also have added 100 new affordable housing units, 183 market rental units and nearly 400 condo units. And to include new co-op apartments for low-income artists as well as apartments for community partners makes this a very special project for our east end community."
– Councillor Paula Fletcher (Toronto-Danforth)
"I'm excited to welcome Toronto Community Housing tenants back into Don Summerville, as well as the new market rental tenants and condo owners that they'll live alongside. As a result of this revitalization, TCHC and the City have been able to create more than six times more homes on this site than originally existed. Together, we can continue to produce results like these, building more affordable and social housing all across Toronto that welcomes people home."
– Sean Baird, TCHC President and CEO
"With the help of our developer partners Context and RioCan, we're returning 120 brand new RGI replacement units to the supply of social housing in Toronto. We're also welcoming in new neighbours to live alongside them in affordable and market rental homes, as well condominiums. This is a project that TCHC and the City can build on together, supporting the federal government's home building targets to create beautiful and affordable mixed-income communities that any Torontonian would want to live in."
– Yves Cheung, TCHC Chief Development Officer
"The work on the Don Summerville community was very compelling from a builder's standpoint. We were able to maximize the footprint of two old buildings and a whole lot of unused space to build a new community for hundreds of families that includes affordable rental, market condominiums and rentals, and co-op housing options, all situated within dynamic architecture that honours the Queen Street streetscape while overlooking Ashbridges Bay. I'm very proud of what we've achieved here and proud of the partnership we have with TCHC and RioCan."
– Howard Cohen, Principle, Context Development
""At RioCan, we believe that thoughtful development creates stronger, more connected communities. With Don Summerville, we're proud to have worked with TCHC and Context Development to deliver a mix of affordable and market homes, retail spaces, and community amenities that meet the needs of both returning and new residents. Projects like this show how collaboration can transform a neighbourhood and provide meaningful housing options for Torontonians."
– Jonathan Gitlin, President & CEO, RioCan
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SOURCE Toronto Community Housing Corporation
Media contacts: Media Relations, City of Toronto, [email protected]; Media Relations, TCHC, [email protected]
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