Parkdale Hub

The intersection of Queen Street West and Cowan Avenue is currently home to an important cluster of City-owned facilities and community services, all of which need significant capital investment over the next ten years to maintain current service delivery levels. CreateTO, in collaboration with City divisions, agencies, the non-profit sector and broader community are reimagining this area to create spaces that will more efficiently and effectively serve the Parkdale community into the future. 

The Parkdale Hub project includes: 

• The revitalization and expansion of the Masaryk-Cowan Community Recreation Centre; 

• The revitalization and expansion of the Parkdale Library Branch;  

• The creation of new affordable rental housing delivered through the Toronto Builds Policy Framework; 

• The ongoing delivery of affordable live-work housing for local artists as well as an art gallery and community office space;

• The creation of new integrated hub with inclusive and accessible community space;  

• Significant enhancements to the public realm in the heart of the Parkdale neighbourhood, through the sensitive adaptive re-use of heritage buildings and improved connectivity with the adjacent residential neighbourhood. 
  

West Block 

The first phase of the project to be delivered, Parkdale Hub’s West Block, will include residential uses (approximately 171 total market and affordable rental homes) & community agency space (approximately 2,165 m²). 

A competitive request for proposals seeking partners to deliver and operate the West Block housing was launched in April 2025. In November 2025, Neighbourhood Land Trust and St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing were announced as the preferred proponents. The City will work with the Proponents to ready the West Block for groundbreaking by Q4 2026. Occupancy is targeted for 2029. 

Applications are now open for a multi-service community hub at 1337 Queen Street West in the South Parkdale neighbourhood. The City is seeking eligible organizations interested in entering a below-market lease agreement as community space tenants. 

The tenants selected will occupy the newly built space, located in the West Block of the proposed development. 

Information sessions will be held on: 

• November 20, 2025 

• December 4, 2025 

• January 15, 2026 

More details can be found on the City of Toronto’s Community Hubs website: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/community-partners/community-hubs/  

The City will continue to work with existing organizations on site to be accommodated through renovated or newly constructed space.

Centre Block 

Parkdale Hub’s Centre Block will be the second block to be delivered. It will include a co-location of Masaryk-Cowan Community Recreation Centre and the new Toronto Public Library Parkdale branch. 

Parks & Recreation and Toronto Public Library will work together on the development which will include the revitalization and expansion of the Masaryk-Cowan Community Recreation Centre with the addition of up to 30,000 square feet of space. The Parkdale Library branch will grow from its current 24,080 sq ft to 30,000 sq ft.  

Conservation of significant cultural heritage resources through the sensitive adaptive re-use of heritage buildings will be an important aspect of the project. Heritage Planning Services will review the adaptive re-use plans in the Heritage Strategy to ensure alignment with City heritage policies and guidelines. There will be significant enhancements to the public realm throughout the site. 

Community engagement on the design and service offerings will also be an important aspect of the Centre Block Project.

Timelines for the Centre Block will be adjusted pending progress on the West Block. The construction start for the Centre Block will not commence until the West Block reaches substantial completion and the space is occupied. More information will be shared when timelines become more clear.  

East Block 

The final block to be delivered, Parkdale Hub’s East Block, will include residential uses (approximately 60 total market and affordable rental homes) and community agency space.  

Timelines for the East Block will be adjusted pending progress on the West and Centre Blocks.  

Project History

The Parkdale Hub project was one of CreateTO’s first projects launched under the new city-wide model to centralize the delivery of the City’s real estate services and is a great example of CreateTO serving as a catalyst for city-building and supporting the vibrancy of the community, while contributing to the City’s broader city-building objectives. 

This project was initiated by City Council in 2017, with a request for City staff to convene an Inter-Divisional Agency Table to determine the feasibility of a coordinated City plan for the City-owned properties located at 1303, 1313, 1325 Queen Street West and 220 Cowan Avenue. 

In 2018, CreateTO was directed to undertake a Feasibility Study during which the agency, in collaboration with the City of Toronto Real Estate Services division, held several preliminary stakeholder and community meetings to learn what Parkdale residents, community organizations and local City agencies would like to see included in a future community hub. 

At the direction of City Council, the Parkdale Hub project was added as a Housing Now project in April 2023. The site was subsequently zoned for mixed-use development through a City Council approval in october 2023, which included Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments. At the time, the project was proposed to deliver 231 housing units, including 76 affordable rental units. 

In May 2025, Parkdale Hub was added as a project under the new Toronto Builds Policy Framework (PDF) to deliver a range of new rental homes on public land.