Davisville theatre reno riles residents
Local group plans to fight art organization’s bid to partially reconstruct heritage building
An art organization that wants to overhaul an old movie house in Davisville Village is running into opposition from local residents and the city, who say plans for the site may not fit the neighbourhood.
A theatre company out of Newfoundland submitted an application to partially reconstruct the Regent Theatre on Mount Pleasant Road, a heritage theatre that’s seen dwindling sales over the years. The plans include expanding the space.
The plan has been backed by a local residents’ association, but other locals are worried about the project’s impact and an application on the expansion was denied by the Committee of Adjustment. It’s now headed to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT), where locals — including a real estate developer — are spending tens of thousands of dollars on legal fees to stop it.
The heritage building at 551 Mount Pleasant Rd. originally opened in 1927 as the Belsize Theatre. The venue was once one of Toronto’s most popular places to see live theatre, and later became a beloved local spot to watch movies.
In 2017, Coun. Josh Matlow successfully moved a motion at council to designate the Regent as a heritage building, which received the status in 2022.
However, lack of upkeep and low attendance have left the venue begging for a new life, said Franco Boni, executive and program director for Regent Revival Inc., an affiliate of Terra Bruce Productions which bought the property in 2020.
The proposal submitted for the Regent Theatre’s partial reconstruction would preserve heritage elements — including the front facade, the astrological ceiling, and the teardrop-shaped elements on the stone capitals — but also expand the theatre into an arts centre.
Adapting the space into “a modern theatre and an arts centre is actually going to extend the life of the venue,” said Boni.
The South Eglinton Davisville Residents’ Association (SEDRA) — which supports the proposal — has long been involved in discussions around the best way to do this while preserving the heritage building.
Boni’s vision — which also includes reducing the seats, community spaces and a third storey for lounge space for the second balcony — means “getting components we don’t have in our neighbourhood,” says SEDRA board member Jeff Latto.
“That’s why we’re excited about it: more options for community programming,” Latto added.
Despite all the excitement around breathing new life into the venue, there isn’t a consensus on how to do that. Since the project involves expanding the rear closer to Hadley Road for a delivery area and loading dock, residents on that street question whether it would overwhelm the road’s capacity.
“We’re not NIMBYs,” said David Hirsh, a resident and real estate developer. “It’s a street that ought not to be commercialized and, frankly, pack the neighbourhood to the point of destabilization.”
“I think that’s his opinion,” Boni told the Star in response. “I can only share how careful and sensitive we were to that back area, which has been an unused empty parking lot.”
According to Regent Revival’s website, the space could also be used for concerts, cabarets, circus and children’s programming. “It will not be a nightclub,” it says.
While the area is zoned for residential homes, the theatre has been able to operate because it was built before Toronto had zoning laws. In order to expand the its footprint and use, builders needed exceptions to an array of city rules, and submitted an application to the city’s Committee of Adjustment, which denied the application.
According to city documents, among the requested exceptions to city rules were permission to build closer to the back of the property line and to make the building taller.
“We are requesting this (rear yard) setback because it allows for a fully enclosed delivery area. So when a theatre group is loading into the theatre the garage door can fully enclose the activity,” Boni said, whose team has since filed an appeal to a provincial adjudicator that can overrule the decision.
Hirsh, who co-founded the Mount Pleasant Village Revival Residents Association in order to argue against the proposal, noted that the association is not opposed to revitalizing the Regent Theatre.
“What we have an issue with is the manner in which this is being proposed,” he said, adding he’s also concerned about noise if the delivery area operates late.
There is no below-grade parking planned for the site, which Hirsh believes means attendees will occupy residential spots. However, Boni says when they met with community members, they offered an operational solution: identifying and encouraging ticket-holders to park in the nearby Green P, or other lots.
Latto, whose association SEDRA includes Hadley Road in its catchment, believes Hadley residents’ concerns should be incorporated into the project.
“If this is successful, and we expect it will be, there will be more traffic in the area. That needs to be managed. We need the city involved, whether it’s signage, better enforcement or whatever,” he said.
City spokesperson Deborah Blackstone said city staff “don’t anticipate an issue” with road infrastructure capacity, noting there’s also a site plan control application still under review.