Today, Toronto City Council unanimously authorized City of Toronto staff to enter into an agreement with Metrolinx to acquire a portion of 2050 Finch Avenue West for the proposed Jane Finch Community Hub and Centre for the Arts.
The portion of 2050 Finch Avenue West, which is approximately 1.98 acres, will be sold to the City for a nominal consideration of $2. Estimated costs to conduct necessary diligence on the property and typical closing costs, including land transfer costs, are $200,000 and will be funded from the 2021-2030 Council Approved Capital Budget and Plan for Corporate Real Estate Management. The anticipated closing date for the transaction is Q4 2021.
The City, along with Metrolinx and a local community group, the Jane Finch Community Hub and Centre for the Arts Organizing Committee, identified the portion of 2050 Finch Avenue West as the proposed site of the Jane Finch Community Hub and Centre for the Arts. The property acquisition builds on the feasibility study completed in 2019 by the Jane Finch Community and Family Centre and the Community Action Planning Group, in consultation with local residents and the City. The study establishes a vision, programming and concept design for the future community hub.
The proposed site is located on the boundary of Black Creek and Glenfield-Jane Heights neighbourhoods, two of 31 Neighbourhood Improvement Areas identified through the City’s Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy. According to 2016 Census data, close to one in three residents in these two neighbourhoods are low income, close to 80 per cent are racialized, almost 60 per cent are newcomers and over 80 per cent are families with children. The proposed site provides an excellent opportunity to optimize social, economic and environmental returns in ways that achieve multiple benefits for residents of the Jane-Finch neighbourhood.
The community hub is also in alignment with the development of a complete community framework for the area under the Jane-Finch Initiative. The aim of the Jane-Finch Initiative is to develop an integrated plan for the Jane-Finch neighbourhood that advances social equity and economic inclusion for current and future residents, encourages the appropriate kinds of growth and development in the area, and guides investment in community improvements.
Quotes:
“The Jane Finch Community Hub and Centre for the Arts will be a huge, positive addition for the northwest part of our city and for the residents who live in the area. I want to thank the provincial government for providing the City of Toronto with this land that will allow us to create a much-needed community hub. Thank you as well to Councillor Anthony Perruzza and the Jane-Finch community for their strong advocacy for this hub that will be a key part of the neighbourhood’s future along with the Finch West LRT. I’m confident that the programs and services that will be offered at this community centre will have a lasting impact and today City Council moved forward to make sure this happens.”
– Toronto Mayor John Tory
“This is great news for the Jane-Finch neighbourhood. This has been a long time coming for this community and we have some ways to go. Together as a community we are going to build a magnificent community hub and centre of the arts in the dynamic and vibrant Jane-Finch neighbourhood.”
– Councillor Anthony Perruzza (Humber River-Black Creek), City Council Poverty Reduction Advocate
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