Toronto City Council officially designated the fifth and final residential area of Cabbagetown a Heritage Conservation District on Feb. 6, 2024. A majority of the homes in this area are at least 125 years old and appear much as they did in the nineteenth century. Several were built before Canada’s Confederation.
Buildings in the area that is roughly between Parliament and Sherbourne and from Carlton in the north to Shuter Street in the south now fall under rules in the Cabbagetown Southwest HCD bylaw. The area joins four others in the historic Victorian neighbourhood which have had HCD status for a number of years.
The heritage bylaw sets regulations for alterations to heritage homes that are visible from the street and requires heritage permits before replacement of doors and windows and removal or rebuilding of architectural features. Details can be found on other posts on this website. https://cabbagetownhcd.ca/heritage-conservation-district/
Once a district is designated, it gains public recognition as well as some measure of protection against the demolition or unsympathetic alteration of properties. Future changes to a heritage conservation district will need to be carried out in a sympathetic manner, compatible with the area’s established heritage character as identified in the heritage conservation district plan and designation by-law.
A number homes in the area south of Carlton that were built in the later part of the twentieth century are not included in the Southwest HCD area, but owners are urged to consider the character of the surrounding district when planning alterations.
