1 Defries St
1 Defries St is in Regent Park. There are 3 planning proposals within 250 m, including a 48‑storey building with 1,197 homes and shops (under review).
Data as of Nov 8, 2026 · Every item lists its source
- A 48-storey building with 1,197 homes and shops is under review, 127 m away (747 Dundas St E and 4 more addresses).
- Bus 121 stop 169 m away; the nearest subway is 1.8 km.
- The nearest elementary school is Nelson Mandela Park Public School, 427 m away.
01What’s planned near 1 Defries St
3 planning proposals within 250 m (about a 3‑minute walk): three in progress. Some cover several addresses; each proposal is listed once. That's more than at most Toronto addresses (the typical address has 1).
In progress
- 146-storey building · 1,170 homes and shops5 Defries St · 34 m awayRezoning: a request to change the Official Plan or zoning so something new can be built
City planners are reviewing it. Residents can comment before a decision is made.
Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment application for two 46-storey residential buildings containing approximately 1,170 dwelling units and a 2-storey non-residential building containing 1,111 square metres of non-residential space.File 26 246687 STE 13 OZ · submitted Sep 30, 2026 · City record and how to comment - 248-storey building · 1,197 homes and shops747 Dundas St E and 4 more addresses · 127 m awayRezoning: a request to change the Official Plan or zoning so something new can be built
City planners are reviewing it. Residents can comment before a decision is made.
Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment application for a mixed-use development comprised of two 48-storey towers containing approximately 1,197 residential units and 1,300 square metres of non-residential GFA. The proposal includes a…File 25 236949 STE 13 OZ · submitted Oct 8, 2025 · City record and how to commentAll 5 addresses
747 Dundas St E · 749 Dundas St E · 755 Dundas St E · 761 Dundas St E · 2 Mark St
- 3430 homes111 River St and 7 more addresses · 187 m awayCondominium: a request to divide a building into condominium units
City planners are reviewing it. Residents can comment before a decision is made.
*** Draft plan of condominium for 430 units.File 21 234388 STE 13 CD · submitted Nov 4, 2021 · City record and how to commentAll 8 addresses
111 River St · 113 River St · 115 River St · 117 River St · 119 River St · 121 River St · 123 River St · 125 River St
Development Applications and Committee of Adjustment Applications, City of Toronto. A proposal that covers several addresses is listed once. Decided: development files submitted in the last 4 years; Committee of Adjustment decisions in the last 2 years.
02Safety near 1 Defries St
Police recorded 197 major crimes within 500 m of this address from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026. That's more than at almost all Toronto addresses. The table compares the neighbourhood's rates with Toronto's.
| Major crime | Near this addressreported within 500 m, last 12 months | Regent Parkper 100,000 residents, 2025 | Torontoper 100,000 residents, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assaults | 120 | 948 | 768Regent Park is about the same |
| Break-ins | 42 | 167 | 190Regent Park is about the same |
| Car thefts | 17 | 95 | 225Regent Park is lower |
| Robberies | 7 | 84 | 79Regent Park is about the same |
| Thefts over $5,000 | 11 | 12 | 61Regent Park is lower |
Thick bar: Regent Park. Thin grey bar: Toronto. Source: Toronto Police Service Public Safety Data Portal, Major Crime Indicators (Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026) and Neighbourhood Crime Rates. Reported incidents only; police place each incident at the nearest intersection. Five-year trends for Regent Park
03Getting around from 1 Defries St
The nearest subway station is Castle Frank Station (Line 2), about a 29‑minute walk (1.8 km). Within a 5‑minute walk there are 9 TTC stops served by routes 501, 503, 504, 505 and 121, with about 3,106 departures on a typical weekday. The nearest GO train station is Union Station GO, 2.6 km away, with 354 train stops on a weekday.
Source: TTC · Line 2 · about 29 min walk
Nearest stop: River St at Dundas St East South Side, plus 1 more stop for this route within 250 m.
Nearest stop: Dundas St East at River St.
Nearest stop: Queen St East at River St.
Nearest stop: King St East at River St.
Source: GO Transit · 354 train stops on a weekday
TTC and GO Transit schedules for a typical weekday (Nov 11, 2026). Walking times are estimates.
04Schools and child care near 1 Defries St
These are the closest public and Catholic schools by distance. They may not be the schools assigned to this address: school boards set their own attendance areas, so check with the Toronto District School Board or Toronto Catholic District School Board.
Elementary schools
Share of Grade 6 students meeting the provincial standard. Toronto: 87% reading, 54% math.
Secondary schools
Share of students who passed the Grade 10 literacy test on their first try. Toronto: 84%.
The red tick on each bar is the Toronto average. Private schools within 1 km: Liberty Prep School. Source: Ontario Ministry of Education (2026), EQAO results.
Within 500 m (about a 6‑minute walk): two licensed child care centres, one EarlyON centre, one privately owned public space and no shelters or respite sites.
25 Nicholas Ave · 103 spaces · infant, toddler, preschool · in the $10-a-day program
440 Shuter St · 179 spaces · infant, toddler, preschool, kindergarten, school age · in the $10-a-day program · fee subsidies
440 Shuter St · free programs for children up to 6 and their caregivers
Source: City of Toronto Licensed Child Care Centres and EarlyON Child and Family Centres.
05The building at 1 Defries St
Source: Building Construction/Demolition Violations
1 building permit in the last 5 years. For comparison, about 1 in 10 Toronto addresses had any permit in that time. Permits show work the City approved; they don't show work done without a permit.
Source: Building Permits · 2 on record
It isn't listed or designated on the City's Heritage Register.
Source: Heritage Register
Permit history: 2 projects from 2 permits
- Site Service · inspection · issued Sep 3, 2025
Installation of PVC storm lateral connection, decommissioning of two CBs, decommissioning of water main lateral, decommissioning of sanitary lateral, lowering of existing MH top. Includes water… · Permit 25 210427 - Demolition · completed Apr 24, 2020
Proposal for demolition of existing 1 storey build for future development of a 37 storey residential condominium building with 3 level below grade parking. · Permit 19 179051
06Around the block
Stays of less than 28 days, like Airbnb. That's more than at most Toronto addresses (the typical address has 2).
Houses that rent individual rooms with shared kitchens or bathrooms. The City licenses them to enforce safety standards.
Public space (225 m).
Source: Short Term Rentals Registration, Multi-Tenant (Rooming) House Licences, Business Licences and Permits (storefront types; owners’ personal names are never shown), POPS, and Daily Shelter Occupancy (Nov 6, 2026). Confidential shelter locations are not published.
07Risks and environment at 1 Defries St
TRCA's maps show this address is outside the areas that could flood from rivers in a major storm (TRCA plans for a storm like Hurricane Hazel in 1954) and outside lake shoreline hazards. Basement flooding from overloaded sewers can still happen anywhere in the city.
Source: TRCA Regulation mapping 2025
In postal area M5A, 4 of 134 home tap-water samples (3.0%) tested above Ontario's limit for lead (10 micrograms per litre). Across Toronto, 2.0% of samples did, so M5A is about the same as the city overall. Health Canada recommends a stricter limit of 5 micrograms per litre: 9 samples here (6.7%) were above it. These are voluntary tests, mostly from older homes, so they don't tell you about this house. Lead comes from old pipes and plumbing, not the City's treatment plants. If your home was built before the mid-1950s, you can get a free test kit by calling 311.
Source: Non Regulated Lead Sample · 134 tests, May 21, 2014 to Oct 15, 2026
Air Quality Health Index from Environment and Climate Change Canada's Toronto Downtown station, 3.7 km away, measured 12:00 AM EST Monday 9 November 2026. Forecast high for the next 24 hours: 2 (low risk). The scale runs from 1 to 10+; 1 to 3 is low risk.
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · hourly
TRCA mapping is for screening, not site-specific decisions. Lead results are voluntary samples from homes in the postal area, not this address.
08The neighbourhood: Regent Park
Regent Park had 12,750 residents in 2021. The median household income was $65,500, lower than the typical Toronto neighbourhood ($85,000). 70% of households rent (typical neighbourhood: 46%). 32% of renters spend 30% or more of their income on housing. 35% of workers commuted by transit and 24% walked or cycled (typical neighbourhood: 26% and 5%). The most common first languages other than English and French are Bengali (7.8%), Tamil (3.5%) and Mandarin (3.3%). Source: 2021 Census; the next census was taken in 2026.
In October 2025, the average rent for a two-bedroom in a purpose-built rental building in the former City of Toronto was $2,457, up 6% from a year earlier. Across Toronto: $2,055. 3.2% of these apartments were vacant. These are averages paid by all tenants, including long-term ones, across a large area; new listings usually cost more.
| Average rent, October 2025 | Central Toronto | Change in a year | Toronto |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,526 | +2% | $1,499 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,914 | +4% | $1,763 |
| 2 bedrooms | $2,457 | +6% | $2,055 |
| 3 bedrooms or more | $3,195 | 0% | $2,361 |
Source: CMHC, Rental Market Survey (October 2025), purpose-built rental apartments, central Toronto (the old City of Toronto, before the 1998 amalgamation). CMHC doesn’t publish rents for single neighbourhoods. Adapted by My Address in Toronto.
How Regent Park compares with Toronto’s 158 neighbourhoods →Archive photos from near this address: myaddressintoronto.com/address/1-defries-st#sec-history
![Case 981, R.W. Nash, February 15, 1937, car 2764, gas station, looking [west]ward, to River St, on Dundas St East, (Legal Department)](/photos/59253-f.jpg)