TORONTO, August 24, 2026 – The City of Toronto announced on August 24 that construction has officially begun on a rental housing project near Dundas Street West and Ossington Avenue. The project will create 74 rent-controlled homes, including at least 17 affordable units.
The site is located at 1113 to 1125 Dundas Street West in the Trinity-Bellwoods neighbourhood. The land was previously used for City-owned parking and other purposes, and will now be redeveloped into a 10-storey rental apartment building.
All of the new homes will be rental units and will not be sold as regular market condominium units. More than 40 per cent of the units will have two or three bedrooms, offering more options for families with children or residents who need more living space, compared with the one-bedroom and smaller units commonly seen in the downtown market.
One feature that makes this project different is that it is being built on City-owned land. Under Toronto’s current Public Developer model, the City is becoming more directly involved in developing public land. This includes setting the number of homes, the share of affordable housing and project requirements, before moving the development forward.
In recent years, Toronto has faced rising rents while also lacking long-term stable rental housing. In the downtown core in particular, land costs are high, and the supply of two- and three-bedroom rental homes suitable for families remains relatively limited.
Although the project that has now started construction includes only 74 units, more than 40 per cent are family-sized homes. All units will be rent-controlled, and some will be rented according to affordable housing standards.
The project will also use mass timber construction and a geothermal energy system to reduce energy use during building operations. According to the current plan, construction began this summer.
For residents renting in Toronto, 74 new homes will not immediately change the overall rental market. However, the City’s decision to turn public land such as parking lots into long-term rental housing is one way to increase supply when available land is limited.（LJI by Yuanyuan）
