Beach homeowners’ bold real estate move could transform neighbourhood

TORONTO – A group of homeowners near Coxwell Avenue and Dundas Street East have banded together to try and sell their collective properties.

The hope is if they make all the land available at the same time, there might be some interest from companies looking to build a low-rise development.

The idea originated with one of the residents approaching others about the need to move due to a health condition. Some of them had a meeting to discuss the possibility and decided to give it a shot.

Robert Long lives in one of the homes and doesn’t know what the outcome of their search may be.

“We’re just going by ear now to see where everything is going,” he said. “I just got my first letter yesterday. That’s what’s happening now. It’s just in the beginning stages.”

There are a total of five homes that may be up for grabs in Toronto’s Beach neighbourhood and the lots are about 30 metres deep on average.

Daniel Trayes lives beside the property potentially for sale on Ashland Avenue and doesn’t think anyone else in the community has been consulted.

“This is the first time we’ve heard anything about this,” he said. “We haven’t had any neighbours contact us, come to our door and tell us what is going on here.”

The area is considered to be a low-rise east end neighbourhood in Toronto and zoning typically allows for one- to three-storey houses or buildings.

“It could be a townhouse, row house, semi-detached,” said the Director of Community Planning for Toronto and East York, Gregg Lintern.

“The area is made up of a whole range of houses just like that. That’s the type of development you would normally find in a neighbourhood with schools, some shops and on main streets.”

At this point, city officials have yet to hear from the homeowners or perspective developers.