Welcome to Mt Pleasant Village Revival Info Page

Our collective voices will be heard starting Monday, July 15 @ 10:00AM.  Your mere presence shows the support we have in the neighbourhood to stop this ill-conceived project and possibly save the historic Regent Theatre.  Press the link below and you will automatically connect to the hearing room.  You can log in as early as 9:30AM.

We are fortunate to have retained this experienced and knowledgeable team to have our voices heard.

Legal Services:

Mr. David N. Germain, Partner, Thompson, Rogers

Land use planning consultant:

Mr. Franco D. Romano, Principal, Action Planning Consultants

Architect:

Mr. Dan L. Cowling, Principal, CMV Group, Architects

This team has worked hard in putting together our case, delving deep into complex legal research, planning act considerations, and the architectural issues we have with the Regent proposal.  

Our case is very compelling and we hope for a successful outcome.  We thank those who have supported us in this cause.  Your input and financial support have been invaluable.

Mt. Pleasant Village Revival Residents' Association * has spent tens of thousands of dollars in preparing for the hearing.  Please consider making a donation to help out.  Here's our  GoFundMe link.  Any amount is very much appreciated!

You may have heard about the proposal to restore the Regent Theatre at 551 Mt. Pleasant Rd. This is not a restoration! This is a demolition followed by new construction that will massively expand the size of the theatre, re-inventing it as a “place of amusement” with a 600-person theatre seating area that can be converted into a large hall, a 1,860 sq.ft.  rear “Community Space” and an 800 sq.ft.  commercial kitchen. These facilities are not merely for live theatre, dinner theatre and cinematic exhibition, but also for multi-purpose events such as weddings, bar mitzvahs, graduation ceremonies, corporate meetings/parties, etc. The developer’s plan extends well beyond the rear of the existing theatre footprint and includes two residential lots to the east which front onto Hadley Rd, a residential street. These residential lots are where the plans call for commercial access by Community Space event patrons and for receipt of all deliveries, waste collection and employee access, between 8AM and 11PM daily. Also, don’t be fooled by claims that the alternative is a 25-story condo. The developer has not assembled enough land for that and in any case, it wouldn’t be permitted under the City’s Official Plan, Avenues Initiatives and current zoning laws.

Mt. Pleasant Village Revival's efforts to date have led to some significant accomplishments in establishing our case against the current Regent redevelopment proposal.  We fundamentally believe the Regent has a no right to build what it is proposing.  We have reviewed myriad precedent setting legal cases, nationally, provincially and locally.  Many trips to the archives have led to the discovery of the 1926 enabling by-law for the construction of the theatre, imposing exact building envelope restrictions.  We have documented a 1977 application to divide the rear residential lands facing Hadley Road into two lots through a successful Committee of Adjustment application.  While the lots have not been legally severed, a Reference Plan is registered against the title to the lands.  Reference Plans layout the potential underlying dimensions of the lot i once severance takes place.   We have assembled an accomplished team of professionals to contest the OLT appeal. 

We know we are up against a major redevelopment project.  We intend to win.

Terra Bruce Productions, now  Regent Revival Inc., purchased the Regent Theatre, along with seven low-rise residential properties adjacent to the property.  The company has proposed to not only demolish the existing theatre, keeping only the front facade of the building, but to expand its use and increase the size of the new building significantly.  This is not a restoration of an historic landmark theatre.  This is a new building that will massively expand its size and uses.   New seating technology will be implemented to create theatre seats that disappear into the basement and create a large flat-floored event hall.  Coupled with almost 2,000 square feet of "community space" and an 800 square foot commercial kitchen, the Regent will become a facility not just for live theatre or cinema showings, but also for multi-purpose events such as weddings, bar mitzvahs, graduation ceremonies, corporate events and more. All deliveries, waste management and personnel will be on Hadley Road.  This multi-use building will bring over 100,000 visitors annually to our neighbourhood.  

Given the proposed events that will take place there, and the revenue needed to provide a return on the developer’s stated investment of $50+ million, we expect this will be a very busy place, attracting users 12 hours a day until late in the evening. In addition to significant commercial traffic, this new facility will create a huge increase in demand for parking in the area. Planners for the developer (BA Group) state in their report that “…there is a substantial amount of on and off-street parking within the area (approximately 1,310 spaces)”. But that number includes every spot permitted to residents of Hadley Rd, Belsize Dr, Harwood Rd, Millwood Rd, Tilson Rd, Manor Rd, Penrose Rd, Thurloe Ave, De Savery Crescent, Wilfrid Ave, Acacia Rd (and more) by the City. In addition to converting Hadley Rd into a commercial corridor, this development will create significant traffic and parking pressures on a quiet residential neighbourhood that does not have the infrastructure to support it. What will you do when you come home and all the parking spaces on your street and in the area are occupied?

The City of Toronto's Official Plan and Zoning by-law designates that vacant land  the developer owns on Hadley Road as two residential lots.  Despite this, the developer is attempting to use a loophole in the law to build a massive commercial structure on a quiet residential street.  Instead of proceeding with applications to rezone the lands and look for an amendment to the Official Plan and Zoning by-law, the Developer has chosen to seek minor variances through the Committee of Adjustment for the city.   The variances proposed were hardly minor in nature and the proposal has not been properly vetted.  

The Developer, along with the local area Councillor, held a public meeting to unveil their plans to the neighbourhood in early 2023.   We were informed that the redevelopment of the Regent Theatre is a "city-building" project.   The "revival" of the Regent was an important initiative and much better than "a 25 storey condo."  (Don't be fooled by the condo threat, it is impossible under the Toronto Avenues initiative.) Two other meetings were held with the Developer and residents without any progress in addressing neighbourhood concerns.   A core group of residents formed the Mt. Pleasant Village Revival Resident's Association* so that we have a cohesive voice at the table in challenging the proposal.  Our objectives are to get the Developer to moderate its proposal so that:

•  The Regent Theatre will be truly restored, not torn down and rebuilt; 
• The existing laneway that, for decades, has serviced commercial buildings and the theatre on Mt. Pleasant Rd, continue to be used to service the theatre, not Belsize Dr, Manor Rd, and Hadley Rd;
• The developer be required to follow the proper process with community consultation to obtain a zoning change if they wish to expand this commercial facility onto residential lands.

On August 24, 2003, Toronto's Committee of Adjustment heard the Developer's proposal.  Our community stood together and made 14 deputations to the Committee opposing the application.  The application was rejected by the Committee on the grounds that:

    1. The general intent and purpose of the Official Plan is not maintained.

    2. The general intent and purpose of the Zoning By-law is not maintained.

    3. The variance(s) is not considered desirable for the appropriate development of the            land.

    4. In the opinion of the Committee, the variance is not minor.

The Ontario Land Tribunal  (the "OLT") adjudicates, amongst other things, matters related to land use planning.  The Regent has appealed both the Committee of Adjustment decision  and the Site Plan Approval of its development.    The hearing will be in two tranches, the first being the rejected minor variance application.  

The Mt. Pleasant Village Revival Residents Association ("MPVRRA") successfully made application for "party" status to the OLT.  This way we can fully participate in the hearing and can ensure that all relevant information is brought before the Tribunal, not just Regent's one-sided presentation.  We have engaged a land use planner and a lawyer to assist in our case.  To date, MPVRRA has uncovered a 1926 enabling by-law and a 1977 Committee of Adjustment ruling which seem to indicate that the Developer does not have the right to do what it is proposing on the rear residential portion of the property (Hadley).  

 It costs a lot of money to fight this battle against a wealthy developer. They have already bought up 7 residential properties surrounding the Regent Theatre lands, with over $20 million invested to date! To us, the cost  of our fight could be as high as $30 – $50 thousand for the required legal and land use planning expertise. The directors of MPVRRA have already contributed over $10,000 toward this cause but have reached their limits. It sounds like a lot of money, but if several hundred community households chip in $100 or more each, we will be able to engage the expertise we need to protect our community. Any excess funds collected (or funds recovered by an award of costs to us at the hearing) will be given to a meaningful local charity.   We have started a GoFundMe page - you can find the link below to make your contribution.

Terra-Bruce/Regent Revival want to profit from this project.  Whether it is promoting a new show in a  six hundred seat theatre, or flipping its theatre seats and  having large weddings and bar mitzvahs, hosting corporate lunches or symposiums, the aim is to fill all the spaces as much as possible.  Imagine the cacophony of late night prop pickups, early morning waste pick-up and everything in between.  

With hundreds of patrons, actors, and staff, the traffic around our neighbourhood will be unbearable.  In its filed reports, Terra-Bruce/Regent Revival wants their patrons to use all of our street parking - some 1,300+ parking spots available in the area.  They don't mention how many are spoken for through the parking permit process. Where will you park when you get home?

Terra-Bruce/Regent Revival, having sidestepped a zoning/official plan amendment process, has avoided proper due process in assessing infrastructure capacity to accommodate the significantly increased storm and sanitary flows from the various increased proposed uses.   A full investigation is needed to assess what improvements may be necessary and this has not been done.