Heritage Conservation Districts (HCDs) are a planning tool that guide change in neighbourhoods that represent Toronto’s rich social, cultural and architectural history—places that contribute to the livability and appeal of Toronto as a multicultural, sustainable and equitable city. HCDs provide place-based policies that conserve and enhance historic neighbourhoods, while pointing to opportunities for contextually appropriate growth and change.
In addition to identifying and designating HCDs, City Planning is undertaking a number of planning studies that include heritage components, such as cultural heritage resource assessments (CHRAs), which provide an opportunity to identify heritage resources and inform the development of area-specific policies and guidelines.
The nomination, study and planning of HCDs is guided by the City Council-adopted document Heritage Conservation Districts in Toronto: Procedures, Policies and Terms of Reference. HCDs are designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act and protected through municipal by-laws.
| Heritage Conservation District | Description | Year Designated | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blythwood Road | Blythwood Road is an area of shared character dating back to the early establishment of the street (first named Victoria Avenue) as a right-of-way over property originally owned by Jessie Ketchum in 1860. As such, Blythwood Road has a longer range of periods of construction and greater variety of architectural styles than adjacent streets, with a more individualistic range of expression. | 2005 | |
| Cabbagetown (North, Northwest, Metcalfe , South) | Cabbagetown is recognized as one of the most vibrant residential neighbourhoods in Toronto. The “Victorian” character of the District is visible in the relatively unchanged streetscapes, many surviving examples of row housing and single family residences displaying late nineteenth century architectural styles and an integrity of form. | 2002 – 2008 | |
| Cabbagetown Southwest (HCD Plan and Appendix D) | Cabbagetown Southwest Heritage Conservation District comprises a residential and mixed-use neighbourhood with a collection of properties comprising a variety of architectural styles built in the late 19th and early-20th centuries. The District’s initial development began in the 1850s with a significant development period in the 1870s and 1880s. The approximate boundaries of the District are: North – Doctor O Lane (south of properties fronting Carlton St.); West – east side of lanes east of Sherbourne St.; East – west side of lanes west of Parliament St.; South – irregular, but to Shuter St on Seaton St and various points between Dundas and Shuter Streets toward the east. | 2024 | |
| Draper Street | Draper Street is a cohesive row of second empire semi-detached workers cottages built between 1881-1889 located within the downtown core. The street has retained its residential character in spite of the surrounding area’s transition to industrial and manufacturing uses in the late 19th and 20th centuries, and has a high degree of integrity. A copy of the HCD Plan is available upon request. | 1999 | |
| East Annex | The East Annex was the first large-scale residential neighbourhood to be studied in Toronto as a potential heritage conservation district. The character of the area is one of incremental change where the major periods of development, primarily from the 1870s to the first decade of the twentieth century, are amply represented. A copy of the HCD Plan is available upon request. | 1994 | |
| Fort York | Fort York was the first heritage conservation district designated in Toronto. The Heritage Conservation District includes the grounds of Historic Fort York and a portion of the remaining undeveloped Garrison Common to the west of the Fort. A copy of the HCD Plan is available upon request. | 1985 | |
| Garden District | The Garden District is characterized as a neighbourhood book-ended by two public parks in Toronto’s downtown east side: Allan Gardens to the north and Moss Park to the south. The District primarily contains representative examples of late 19th and early 20th century houses. | 2017 (OLT approval 2021) | |
| Harbord Village (Phase 1, Phase 2) | Harbord Village is a primarily residential neighbourhood where the majority of houses date from the late 19th century. The area contains representative examples of workers housing constructed by a small number of speculative developers, defined by a fine grain lot pattern and a relative completeness of row housing in a variety of styles. | 2005 / 2011 | |
| Historic Yonge Street (HCD Plan) | The section of Yonge Street between College Street and Bloor Street has a dynamic history as one of Toronto’s premier main streets, occupied by independent businesses, government services, professional and fraternal organizations and cultural venues defined by late 19th and early 20th century commercial main street buildings. | 2016 (OLT approval 2024) | |
| King-Spadina | The King-Spadina area contains a concentration of late 19th and early to mid-20th century Residential and Industrial/Commercial buildings; three public parks, including Victoria Memorial Square, Clarence Square, and St. Andrew’s Playground; and a distinctive network of laneways. These historic resources are associated with several periods of Toronto’s historical and economic development but are most prominently a reflection of Toronto’s period of industrial and manufacturing growth at the turn of the 20th century. | 2017 (OLT approval 2024) | |
| Kingswood Road South | Kingswood Road South is part of the Balmy Beach neighbourhood, a former seasonal resort community on the shores of Lake Ontario. Its geographic location along the lakefront contributes to a defined sense of place as one of only a few Toronto neighbourhoods that remains connected to its waterfront. Early 20th-century architecture and mature streetscapes preserve a strong relationship with the history of Balmy Beach and the evolution of the area into a streetcar suburb of Toronto. | 2010 | |
| Lyall Avenue | Lyall Avenue is well known to local residents as an avenue of special character. This tree-lined street with well kept turn-of-the-20th century architecture and a balanced streetscape preserves a strong connection with the historical development of East Toronto. | 2006 | |
| West Annex Phase 1: Madison Avenue | Madison Avenue is located within the West Annex neighbourhood, and contains a significant collection of residential houses that were designed in the prevailing architectural styles of the early 20th century by renowned Toronto architects. | 2015 (LPAT approval 2019) | |
| Parkdale Main Street (HCD Plan) |
Parkdale Main Street is an evolved historic district, with a concentration of late-19th and early 20th century commercial buildings. The portion of Queen Street West between Dufferin Street and Macdonell Avenue is the historic main street of the Village and Town of Parkdale, and reflects its evolution from a village, to a streetcar suburb, and present-day urban community. | 2022 (in force 2024) | |
| Queen Street West | Queen Street West is defined by the historic nature of its buildings, its vibrant street life, and its diverse retail and commercial environment. It provides an important transition from the financial district and the core of downtown Toronto to the residential neighbourhoods to the west. Queen Street West is unique in its combination of historic architecture, pedestrian oriented retail, and appeal to local residents, other Torontonians and tourists alike. | 2007 | |
| Riverdale | Riverdale contains some of the earliest properties on the east side of the Don River, and reflects a period of development which stretched from the mid-1880s to the First World War. The houses are a mixture of Bay-n-Gable, Second Empire Row houses and examples of modest Edwardian Four Squares. | 2008 | |
| Rosedale (South, North) | Rosedale was developed as an early picturesque suburb of Toronto, with varied architectural styles representative of upper class housing from the 1880s to 1930s. The District was home to some of Toronto’s most prominent citizens who commissioned houses from the city’s leading architects of their time. Its curvilinear streets, mature tree canopy, park-like lots and variety of historic styles contribute to a defined sense of place within close proximity to the downtown core. | 2002 / 2004 | |
| St. Lawrence Neighbourhood | The St. Lawrence Neighbourhood is a dynamic mixed-use area that encompasses the original 10 blocks of the Town of York, significant cultural institutions and a dynamic historic context that reflects the evolution of Toronto from its initial period of European settlement to the mid-20th century. Ontario Land Tribunal decision. | 2020 | |
| Teiaiagon-Baby Point | The Teiaiagon-Baby Point Heritage Conservation District, located along the Humber River, is a significant area in the City and has cultural heritage value based on thousands of years of Indigenous settlement and use, archaeological resources and burials, natural features, and association with Indigenous ways of knowing and being. The District has historic and associative value as part of the ancestral lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and as the historic location of Teiaiagon, a mid-to-late seventeenth century Haudenosaunee village. Baby Point was also part of the larger Humber Valley Surveys designed by the Home Smith Company in the early 20th century. The District is a designed cultural heritage landscape, based on its landscape features, street pattern, and built form which reflect the Garden Suburb design. The Garden Suburb is also reflected in its homes that date from the Home Smith building period (1911-1941), during which design restrictions were put in place to protect the character of the neighbourhood. | 2025 | |
| Union Station | Union Station occupies a central position in Toronto’s urban landscape. Located between the Financial District, Entertainment District, the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood and the post-industrial waterfront, the Union Station district is an significant cultural landscape that has historically and continues to serve as a link between divergent urban conditions and as a hub for transportation and commerce. | 2006 | |
| Weston Phase 1 | Weston includes portions of the former Town of Weston and is located on the banks of the Humber River. It includes buildings that were constructed as early as the 1850’s, with the majority built in the latter half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. | 2006 | |
| Wychwood Park | Wychwood Park is a residential community of approximately sixty homes, laid out according to a plan registered in 1891. Largely built between 1905 and 1917, many of the predominantly Arts-and-Crafts style houses are of considerable architectural and associative significance due to their occupants and designers. The architecture, combined with the park-like ambience as a whole, contribute to a unique sense of place. | 1985 | |
| Yorkville – Hazelton | The Village of Yorkville, incorporated in 1853, was historically the closest town to the City of Toronto, and later an early working class suburb of the growing city, attracting labourers, shopkeepers and professionals as well. The result is a mix of 19th century housing types, built close together and sharing a similar relationship with the street. By the 1960’s Yorkville was the heart of one of Toronto’s finest and most creative arts communities. Today, the original houses along Hazelton Avenue and associated streets provide a link to the cosmopolitan neighbourhood’s past. | 2002 |
There are currently no HCDs under appeal.
City Planning is currently undertaking a number of Heritage Conservation District studies:
The following planning studies include a heritage component:
Heritage Conservation Districts (HCDs) are an important part of the heritage planning framework in Ontario and the City of Toronto. They serve to ensure that historically significant neighbourhoods and areas are protected and reflect the people of Toronto and as a place through its cultural heritage values and characteristics. HCDs are maintained so that every Torontonian, present and future, can appreciate and take pride in the City’s rich cultural heritage. By protecting our significant and historic neighbourhoods we recognize the importance of history and context within our growing city. The City of Toronto has been designating HCDs since 1985 and has created 27 of them.
An HCD is an area of the city that is legally protected by a municipal by-law passed under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA), by City Council. HCDs are designated because the areas they protect are considered to be historically, contextually or culturally significant and require heritage planning process to ensure that they are conserved. Within the boundary of an HCD every property is subject to the HCD by-law. An HCD Plan directs how change and conservation should be managed.
No two HCDs are the same. Each HCD has a concentration of heritage properties that gives them a distinct character, or sense of place. They can include residential neighbourhoods, commercial main streets, institutional and industrial campuses, or natural areas. By protecting our significant and historic neighbourhoods we recognize the importance of history and context within our growing city.
When City Council passes a Part V designation by-law, a Plan for the Heritage Conservation District is adopted at the same time. An HCD Plan is a document that identifies the cultural heritage values of the district and provides clear objectives, policy direction and guidance on how to conserve them.
The contents of an HCD Plan give a municipality direction on how to manage future change in a way that respects and retains the heritage attributes that make the district unique. A municipality reviews proposed changes through the heritage permit process, which is described within the Plan.
An HCD Plan is also an important resource for property owners. It can help property owners to help them understand how their property contributes to the district and navigate the planning and permit application process.
There are required contents of an HCD Plan as stated under the Ontario Heritage Act (Section 41.1). In Toronto, an HCD Plan also meets the requirements of an HCD Terms of Reference (adopted by City Council in 2012).
Section 41.1(5) of the OHA, requires that a Heritage Conservation District Plan include the following:
Zoning by-laws implement the land use policies of the City’s Official Plan. They are legal instruments that set the required standards for obtaining a building permit. Zoning by-laws regulate the use of land and where buildings and structures can be located. They regulate building heights, densities, setbacks, and parking requirements, and other important aspects of development. If a conflict exists between an HCD Plan and a zoning by-law that affects the HCD, the HCD Plan prevails to the extent of the conflict. However, in all other respects the zoning by-law stays in full force.
The overall height of new developments or additions is governed by other planning tools such as Site and Area Specific Policies, Secondary Plans, and zoning by-laws applicable to the district. HCD Plans focus on creating compatibility between new developments or additions and the existing fabric within the district. The objective is for new developments and additions to fit harmoniously within the heritage context while conserving the district’s attributes.
No, Part V designation under the Ontario Heritage Act does not regulate the use of a property. Zoning by-laws regulate the use of land and where buildings and structures can be located. If an owner would like to change (rezone) the use of a property, an application is required under the Planning Act. If a rezoning involves alterations to the exterior of the building that is visible from the street, the alterations may require a heritage permit.
Both the Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism responsible for the Ontario Heritage Act and the Insurance Bureau of Canada have stated that insurance premiums in Ontario should not increase because of municipal heritage designation. The age and condition of a property can be factors when assessing insurance premiums, but this is not necessarily related to a property’s heritage status.
Owners should contact the Insurance Bureau of Canada if their insurer has questions about insuring a designated property. Heritage property owners are encouraged to shop around to find the right insurance provider. Additional information on heritage designation and insurance premiums can be found on our website: Insuring Your Heritage Home.
Yes, the City of Toronto has two financial incentive programs: the Heritage Grant Program, and the Heritage Property Tax Rebate program. Both programs provide property owners with financial assistance to repair and conserve heritage attributes on their designated property.
The Heritage Grant program is for heritage properties with residential, or non-profit uses. The Heritage Property Tax Rebate (HPTR) program is for heritage properties with commercial, or industrial uses. The HPTR program can also help with the costs of maintenance and conservation work.
Within an HCD, only contributing properties are eligible for municipal heritage funding.
All properties within the district boundary are designated properties that are protected by, and subject to, the Part V designation by-law under the Ontario Heritage Act. In the HCD Plan, properties are evaluated and placed in one of two categories: “contributing,” or “non-contributing.”
Contributing properties have buildings and/or structures that are heritage attributes that clearly reflect and relate to the history and unique character of a district. Non-contributing properties may consist of vacant land, or a building that does not clearly support the district’s unique character.
The HCD Plan has different policies and guidelines for contributing and non-contributing properties.
The demolition of a contributing property is not allowed within an HCD, except in exceptional circumstances.
Buildings on non-contributing properties can be replaced with new infill construction. However, because a non-contributing property is still part of the district, any new development must be respectful of the district’s unique character and not negatively impact it.
Proposed new construction, alterations and additions should conserve heritage attributes, contribute to and be compatible with the district’s character and sense of place. Heritage Planning staff are available to assist owners in making a heritage permit application.
There is a variety of housing type options already allowed within different neighbourhoods in the City, which will be able to continue to exist with the HCD designation, such as laneway housing, secondary suites, and multiplexes. These types of housing options can be accommodated within existing structures or through additions or new builds in a way that still conserves the heritage value of the area.
All HCD Plans anticipate future changes to buildings and structures as a natural result of how communities grow and evolve. To address this, new construction, alterations and additions within the HCD boundary will require a heritage permit and will need to meet the policies of the HCD Plan, as well as other City requirements.
An HCD is a tool to manage change, it does not to prevent change or freeze a district in time. HCD policies and guidelines provide clear standards for conservation and ensure that future changes complement, rather than detract from, the district’s unique character. An HCD Plan does not regulate interior of structures or buildings.
The HCD Plan includes policies and guidelines that reflect recognized sustainable conservation approaches and reflect a whole carbon approach that is in line with the City’s climate objectives.
There is no cost for a standalone heritage permit. Typically, Heritage permit applications can be approved within a week if they are minor in nature.
Certain alteration or renovation projects may also require a building permit or a planning approval. A heritage permit does not replace a building permit, or other required approval. If your project also requires a building permit, the two permit systems are assessed and issued together. Take note that there may be fees connected to the building permit application. More information on the application decision process in found on the Heritage Permit Guide page.
If your proposal does not require a Building Permit or you want further advice please email heritageplanning@toronto.ca.
An HCD Plan includes a description of the alterations or classes of alterations that are minor in nature that do not require a heritage permit. Alterations to the interior of a structure or building are not subject to a heritage permit.
If you propose to alter or demolish a building or structure on a property within a Heritage Conservation District submit your drawings, specifications and details through Toronto Building. Heritage Planning will review your application through this process.
Property values depend on many complex factors. The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) does not use HCD status as a determining factor for current value assessment.
Studies province-wide on this topic have found that properties within a HCD either hold their value or increase in value after being part of a HCD boundary. HCD designation can have a positive association with property values.
Refer to Studies:
The HCD Plan supports maintenance work on buildings and reflects principles of minimal intervention and compatibility of interventions with the existing building. These are principles that are applicable to maintenance work regardless of heritage status.
The HCD Plan supports the recommendations of the City of Toronto’ Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Among the “Actions for Justice”, the RAP includes actions to support Indigenous place-keeping (action 15), underlining the importance of place-making and place-keeping as being “integral to truth, justice and reconciliation in that it creates and nurtures space, in process and policy, for ceremony, teaching and community; strengthens Indigenous connections with lands and waters; and builds cultural competency and capacity for land-based Indigenous engagement. (RAP,44). Within this action, it identified a specific action to “[a]dvance historical or heritage designations for sites of Indigenous significance” and a specific action referring to the need to “…review City Planning policies, process and practices, including heritage policies such as, but not limited to Heritage Conservation Districts (HCDs)” (RAP, 46).
The Ontario Heritage Act requires one public meeting to take place as part of the HCD designation process. The Toronto Preservation Board (TPB) meeting is the public meeting as required by the Ontario Heritage Act. It gives concerned parties the ability to submit comments, and/or request to speak at the meeting. All property owners are notified by mail when the report and HCD Plan goes forward to the TPB.