A long-awaited expansion of Toronto's historic Allen Gardens conservatory is moving forward, after the community group behind the effort secured its first major piece of funding. The 165-year-old greenhouse complex, one of the city's best-known green landmarks, is now set to grow.
Toronto Centre City Councillor Chris Moyes said he was able to set aside $10 million for the project. He explained that the money comes from Section 42 funds, which are not drawn from the property tax base but are instead generated by development in the area and directed toward local revitalization.
According to Moyes, the $10 million is enough to get the ball rolling on the long-awaited expansion. That initial investment would deliver 8,000 new square feet of space and the first two greenhouses, marking the opening phase of a much larger vision for the site.
The full plan is considerably more ambitious. It calls for a total of five new greenhouses and 16,000 square feet of additional space, which would substantially enlarge the conservatory and expand what the popular Toronto attraction is able to offer visitors.
The total price tag for the project is about $50 million. With $10 million now in hand, roughly $40 million remains to be raised, money that supporters expect to secure through fundraising, philanthropy and donations from other foundations. The community group Friends of Allen Gardens says it is confident it can bring in the rest.
For now, the group says it will begin discussions with city staff on planning and approvals for the first two greenhouses. The soonest crews could break ground, organizers said, is next summer, meaning the earliest phase of construction is still roughly a year away.
To preserve the character of the heritage site, the group is already in discussions with a company based in British Columbia that it says can build the new greenhouses in the same style as the existing structures. Keeping the new additions consistent with the historic complex has been a priority for those behind the project.