I am pleased to report to our community that Toronto City Council has approved a zoning by-law amendment allowing the proposed 299 Campbell Ave development to move forward after many years of community consultation and involvement. 

This development will be a significant addition to our community with the proposed expansion of the Perth-Dupont Toronto Public Library (TPL) branch being housed in the base of this building – providing a brand new and significantly enlarged library for our neighbourhood. The Perth-Dupont branch is currently one of the smallest libraries in the entire TPL system and this expansion will result in a significantly larger library, growing to approximately 10,000 square feet.

When I think back to four years ago, there was talk at City Hall of closing libraries and reducing library hours. At the same time those discussions were happening, nearly 100 people here in Ward 18 came together to support expanding the Perth-Dupont branch in our community. Together with many involved community members of the Junction Triangle Library Expansion Committee, we have worked towards achieving this important milestone and should be proud of how far we have been able to come from only four short years ago.

The TPL has embraced this expansion project and is supporting this innovative approach to renovate and expand other libraries all across the system. Toronto Public Library is the world's busiest urban library system with 100 branches, over 32 million items borrowed yearly, and over 18.5 million annual visitors.

I am very excited to bring forward a major victory regarding the proposal to expand the Perth-Dupont Library. Over the past two years I have been working closely with the community to identify opportunities and strategies to improve library services in the Junction Triangle neighbourhood.

Since our first public meeting back in August, 2011, with nearly 100 community residents, I have been investigating every opportunity available to expand the Perth-Dupont library. This opportunity has come with the development at 299 Campbell. Through negotiations with the developer, and Section 37 contributions from surrounding developments, the new development will have 10,000 ft2 reserved specifically for the new library - even when including the 2nd floor of the existing Perth Dupont Library, this will be 4 times larger!

To date, I have successfully added this project to the capital list of the Toronto Library Board and ensured the necessary zoning changes at City Council. I look forward to working closely with the community as this exciting project moves forward!

On November 5th, I held a public meeting at Casa da Madeira to ask the community whether to move forward on our proposal to integrate a new library into the TAS development project at 299 Campbell Ave (Dupont and Campbell). That night, our proposal received overwhelming support from the community, it received overwhelming support from the Library Board on November 18th, from Planning and Growth Management Committee on November 21st and yesterday it received Council approval. 

Thanks to the Junction Triangle Library Expansion Committee, TAS Design Build, Library Staff and the Junction Triangle community for working together and making our area a better place to live, work and play.

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Originallly posted in Bloor West Villager By Lisa Rainford

This article is a follow up to Perth/Dupont library could make new home in 10,000 sqft space, which was posted after Planning and Growth Management Committee approved the item. 

Toronto City Council approved a plan to build a new, 10,000 square foot library as part of a condominium project at Dupont Street and Campbell Avenue at its meeting Tuesday, Dec. 16.

“This was the last major hurdle in the approvals process,” said Junction Triangle Library Expansion Committee co-founder Kevin Putnam in a statement. “It’s an awesome development made possible by (Davenport) Councillor Ana Bailao. She has delivered something really great for our neighbourhood.”

Throughout the following six months, the condo developer, Tas, will complete the building’s final design and construction will begin when the project has been approximately 70 per cent sold.

“The library should open in about three years if all goes well,” Putnam said.

The library will move from its current location at 1589 Dupont St., just west of Perth Avenue, to the 10,000 square foot space at 299 Campbell Ave. Currently one of the smallest branches in Toronto, the Perth/Dupont library has been ranked as one of the city’s lowest circulation branches, however, there are waiting lists for almost every program. Those who frequent the library know it’s overcrowded. And so, as the city contemplated closing libraries in response to an independent consulting company’s report a few years ago, Junction Triangle residents rallied to create a public-private partnership to fund an expansion of their library.

“Residents came together and worked with the councillor, who worked with the developer,” said Putnam, crediting Bailao, who secured $1 million in Section 37 funding (money allocated for community use by developers), specifically from an impending condominium development on Lansdowne Avenue.

Mazyar Mortazavi, president and CEO of Tas, says it’s part of the company’s DNA to be “community builders” first.

Tas has agreed to sell the space to the library board for $1 million – even though it’s worth $3 million, Putnam said. And, that money has already been allocated through Section 37 funds. The remainder of the money needed to finish the interior will be made through the sale of the old library, said Putnam.

Posted by Aubrey Jax /BlogTO/ DECEMBER 17, 2013

The Perth/Dupont Library in the Junction Triangle is set for a makeover - or, better, a complete overhaul. Last night Toronto City Council voted to approve a motion that will see a 10,000 square foot library replace what is currently Toronto's tiniest (except for the Toronto Zine Library at the Tranzac, but that doesn't count). As our Mayor once said - "libraries, libraries, libraries!" - wait, that's not how it went.

In the wake of libraries being threatened across Canada, this news seems like a holiday miracle for Junction Triangle residents, who've been fighting for the branch for over two years.

The miracle (this was one of the libraries briefly slated for closure) comes via an unlikely source - namely condos, condos, condos. Property developer TAS are working on a development at 299 Campbell (at Dupont) which will host the new whopper of a book depository in their space a mere five minute walk from the library's current digs at 1589 Dupont Street. Will the new condo be called "The Book Depository," and will this make you finally shell out for a glass box in the sky? If the condos sell and the story plays out as planned, the library could be complete and open for business in just three years.

Photo by dalmond on Flickr.

Working with Librarian Carmen Martino and Library Admin Staff, area residents, local developers and others we have been able to secure a commitment to increase the size of this neighbourhood branch by 4 times!

By Lisa Rainford

Originally Posted in Bloor West Villager

If all goes as planned, the Perth/Dupont library will get a new and much larger home at the corner of Campbell Avenue and Dupont Street.

The goal is to move the library from its current location at 1589 Dupont St., just west of Perth Avenue, to a 10,000 square-foot space at 299 Campbell Ave., owned by Tas, a developer that is proposing a condominium building currently in pre-construction.

The library project is now making its way through city channels, according to Kevin Putnam, co-founder of the Junction Triangle Library Expansion Committee, which first came together in December 2010. The proposal will go to city council for final approval later this month, he said.

“The library will go from one of the smallest branches in the system to a full-size 10,000 to 15,000 square-foot space,” Putnam told The Villager.

The Perth/Dupont library has been ranked as one of the city’s lowest circulation branches, however, there are waiting lists for almost every program. Those who frequent the library know it’s overcrowded. And so, as the city contemplated closing libraries in response to an independent consulting company’s report a few years ago, Junction Triangle residents rallied to create a public-private partnership to fund an expansion of their branch.

“Residents came together and worked with the councillor, who worked with the developer,” said Putnam, crediting Davenport Councillor Ana Bailao, who secured $1 million in Section 37 funding (money allocated for community use by developers), specifically from an impending condominium development on Lansdowne Avenue.

Mazyar Mortazavi, president and CEO of Tas, attended Perth/Dupont library’s 30th anniversary event and was inspired to get involved in the project.

“For us, it’s part of our DNA, to be community builders first,” Mortazavi said. “Our general process, when we’re doing one of our properties, is we connect with the councillor and the neighbourhood.”

Tas has agreed to sell the space to the library board for $1 million – even though it’s worth $3 million, Putnam said. And, that money has already been allocated through Section 37 funds. The remainder of the money needed to finish the interior will be made through the sale of the old library, he said, with the entire process will likely take three to four years.

“We’re pretty darn excited,” Putnam said.