Don Summerville Revitalization Opens in Leslieville, Delivering 770 New Homes
Toronto celebrates mixed-income community with affordable, co-op, and market housing
TORONTO — A major milestone in Toronto’s affordable housing strategy was reached October 1 with the official opening of the Don Summerville community in Leslieville. The redevelopment, located at 1070 Eastern Avenue, replaces two aging Toronto Community Housing buildings with a vibrant, mixed-income neighbourhood offering 770 new homes.
Mayor Olivia Chow, Councillor Paula Fletcher (Toronto–Danforth), and Julie Dabrusin, Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change and MP for Toronto–Danforth, joined Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) and its private development partners Context Development and RioCan to mark the occasion.
The five-year revitalization transformed the 3.3-acre site into a three-building community featuring:
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120 rent-geared-to-income (RGI) homes
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100 affordable rental homes
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183 market rental homes
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367 condominiums
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32 co-operative homes, including units for artists
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16,000 sq. ft. of retail space and a publicly accessible open space (POP)
Introducing Don Summerville: A transformational mixed-income community in Leslieville
News release: https://t.co/KE5oZBn2ZX pic.twitter.com/PyT9KytXGQ
— City of Toronto 🇨🇦 (@cityoftoronto) October 1, 2025
Housing Targets and Partnerships
The project is part of Toronto’s broader HousingTO Plan, which aims to approve 65,000 rent-controlled and affordable homes by 2030. By combining public, private, and non-profit resources, Don Summerville demonstrates how collaboration can expand housing supply while creating inclusive, livable communities.
Sean Baird, TCHC President and CEO, noted that the revitalization created “more than six times more homes on this site than originally existed,” highlighting the scale of the transformation.
Community Features
Beyond housing, Don Summerville integrates retail, co-op, and cultural spaces to serve residents of all income levels. A new Privately Owned Public Space (POP) provides open space for community use, while partnerships with local agencies will ensure affordable housing is accessible to women, families, and artists.
Located steps from Lake Ontario, the Martin Goodman Trail, and served by TTC’s 501 Queen streetcar and Coxwell Avenue bus routes, the community combines housing growth with transit access and public amenities.
Significance for the East End
For Leslieville, the project signals both continuity and change. While existing TCHC tenants return to new RGI homes, the addition of affordable, market, and co-op housing expands opportunities for a broader mix of residents.
“This community is a model of what we can achieve across the City,” Mayor Chow said, emphasizing that the Don Summerville redevelopment is a blueprint for future projects.
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