Photo: Brian Burchell, Gleaner News

Owner/Developer: Mix of private owners, University of Toronto

On the face of it, U of T is an academic institution. It’s also one of the city’s most prominent landowners and developers. And clearly, it’s still figuring out how to balance its academic needs with responsible development. Consider its proposal to develop a student residence at Spadina and Sussex avenues. On the one hand, the University is working with the Daniels Corporation, a company known for critically-lauded projects like Regent Park. On the other, community members are frustrated with the way the institution is pursuing the project, and believe it has yet to demonstrate that it respects the broader community. Neighbourhood representatives want the height of the proposed building lowered dramatically, and for the University to consider developing a residence that mixes students from different years, as opposed to dedicating it to first year students. Little progress has been made to date, but we expect this site to be under greater scrutiny in the coming months.

Annmarie Brissenden, Gleaner News