🏙️ Keys to the City: 275 Merton Street – Unlocking City Land for Housing

494 New Rentals Break Ground at 275 Merton Street

October 27, 2025 Alwin Marshall-Squire Affordable & Supportive Housing, Editorial 0

Rendering of 275 Merton Street affordable housing development showing green massing, outdoor public space, trees, seating areas, and residents gathering outside. Image source: CreateTO. — Rendering of the future 275 Merton Street purpose-built rental community, featuring new public space, family-friendly homes, and a direct connection to the Beltline Trail. (Image source: CreateTO)

Building on Public Land: A Midtown Milestone

The City of Toronto has broken ground on a new 494-unit purpose-built rental development at 275 Merton Street, transforming a former municipal site into urgently needed housing. Located near the Kay Gardner Beltline Trail, this midtown project exemplifies how underused City-owned land can be repurposed to meet housing needs.

Mixed-Income Community with 148 Affordable Rentals

The development will include:

494 purpose-built rental units
148 affordable rental units (about one-third)
A range of unit sizes, including family-friendly two- and three-bedroom apartments

These affordable units will be geared toward a range of household incomes, contributing to a more inclusive housing mix.

Better Connections, Greener Living

In addition to housing, the project includes:

A new midblock pedestrian connection from Merton Street to the Beltline Trail
Retail space to support community vibrancy
Green building standards, meeting the Toronto Green Standard for sustainability

This blend of residential, retail, and public realm improvements supports the city’s climate and livability goals.

Public-Private Collaboration Delivers Results

The project was made possible through a partnership between:

City of Toronto
CreateTO (Toronto’s real estate agency)
Collecdev-Markee (private development partner)

By combining the City-owned 275 Merton Street parcel with Collecdev-Markee’s adjacent land, the team was able to maximize density, accelerate timelines, and improve pedestrian infrastructure.

Advancing the HousingTO Plan

275 Merton is part of the City’s ambitious HousingTO 2020–2030 Action Plan, which targets:

65,000 rent-controlled homes by 2030
- Including 41,000 affordable rental units
- 6,500 rent-geared-to-income (RGI) units
- 17,500 rent-controlled units

It’s also one of nearly 100 City-owned sites identified as potential housing locations. This project is a tangible example of how the city is making progress toward its housing goals—one project at a time.

📘 Keys to the City is GTA Weekly’s weekly spotlight on affordable housing projects across the Greater Toronto Area—because housing is the key to a stronger, more inclusive city.
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About Alwin Marshall-Squire 15551 Articles

Alwin Marshall-Squire is the Editor-in-Chief of S-Q Publications Inc., overseeing editorial strategy for GTA Weekly, GTA Today, and Vision Newspaper. He leads the publications’ mission to deliver bold, original journalism focused on the people and communities of the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, and the global Caribbean diaspora. Also writes for GTA Weekly and GTA Today.