Fourplexes are not new to Leaside, but there are fourplexes, and there are fourplexes! Leaside’s beloved “Talbot quads” on Bayview between Parkhurst and Eglinton, are double duplexes (two by two). In 2023, City Council amended the zoning bylaw and the Official Plan to permit multiplex housing (up to four units) in areas designated Neighbourhoods and in all the low-rise Residential zones in the City of Toronto.
An application was made to the Committee of Adjustment for a fourplex (four by one) requesting five variances, including reduced front-yard and side-yard setbacks, at 712 Eglinton Ave. East (at the northeast corner of Rumsey Road), which was approved in October 2024. However, a second application followed shortly after for a revised proposal requesting a much larger reduction in front-yard setback. Urban Forestry had objected to the applicant’s proposed removal of the large tree in the rear yard. Urban Forestry, together with Community Planning, Toronto Building, and the applicant apparently negotiated a compromise – moving the building forward to protect the tree – that was reflected in the revised Committee of Adjustment application, approved in March 2025.
Everything was quiet at the site until the morning of June 25, 2025, when the large honey locust tree in the rear yard of 712 Eglinton Ave. East was cut down without warning or notice, and apparently without permission from Urban Forestry. Neighbours were upset at the loss of this well-loved neighbourhood tree, which spread its shade on the Rumsey Road sidewalk. The culling is now the subject of an investigation by Urban Forestry, as stated by a public notice placed on the construction fencing outside the property. Since June 25, work has proceeded quickly, demolishing the bungalow and laying down foundation forms for a new house. Coincidentally, the demolition and building permits are marked as having been issued on the same day – June 25 – as the tree was cut down. There’s even a new permit to allow a parking space at the rear of the building.
What to make of this?
The multiplex is a four-storey flat-roofed building out of keeping with its bungalow block neighbours. “Two by two” format would have been preferred but would have required more than a single lot to accomplish. However, in the long run, with the pressures for intensification in anticipation of the long-awaited Eglinton LRT, it’s to be expected that the Eglinton block will change over time. This is just the start.
But the tree culling? While subject to a City investigation, the culling raises many questions, not the least of which is: why was the tree destroyed if the applicant had already gotten their way? Maybe they wanted room for a parking space, and a “clear working space.” And, not to prejudge the results of the investigation, but if a fine was levied, would it be a “slap on the wrist” and “a cost of doing business”? And if building permits were already issued, why would they not be revoked (and no additional ones issued) pending the results of the tree culling investigation underway?
This happens at a time when the City is considering strengthening its tree protection policies. The proposed “Growing Spaces” program, currently out for public consultation, recognizes that new infill housing development needs to ensure that the city’s existing tree canopy is supported and that there is growing space for trees as land is developed and new housing built. Visit the City’s site or email to have your say.
If you are wondering what a honey locust tree looks like – they are not that common in Leaside – there is a fine specimen on the Millwood Road side of Trace Manes Park adjacent to the baseball diamond.
