161 Walnut Ave
161 Walnut Ave is in West Queen West. There are 2 planning proposals within 250 m. Streetcars stop 174 m away.
Data as of Nov 9, 2026 · Every item lists its source
- 2 planning proposals within 250 m: one in progress and one decided recently.
- Break-ins in West Queen West were above the Toronto rate in 2025.
- Streetcars 501 and 504 stop 174 m away; the nearest subway is 2.0 km.
- The nearest elementary school is Niagara Street Junior Public School, 152 m away.
- Nothing is on record for the building itself: no permits, orders or heritage listing.
- Lead in tap-water samples is higher than average in postal area M6J.
01What’s planned near 161 Walnut Ave
2 planning proposals within 250 m (about a 3‑minute walk): one in progress and one decided recently. That's about typical for Toronto (the typical address has 1).
In progress
- 13-storey building with shops230 Niagara St · 235 m awaySite plan: City review of the design and layout of a new building
It has been appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal (formerly the OMB), which will make the final decision.
To permit a 3-storey non-residential building having a non-residential gross floor area of 1,458 square metres.File 20 210255 STE 10 SA · submitted Oct 23, 2020 · City record and how to comment
Decided recently
- 2Second suite860 Richmond St W · 174 m awayCommittee of Adjustment · Minor variance: permission to bend a zoning rule, such as height, size or setbacks
The hearing was postponed. A new date hasn't been published yet.
To permit a hotel (to contain 62 rooms) and a restaurant use (at grade), including a gym in the basement level, within the existing three-storey non-residential building (vacant office uses). Also, to alter the existing building by…File A0653/26TEY · submitted Sep 4, 2026
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 161 Walnut Ave
Police recorded 99 major crimes within 500 m of this address from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026. That's more than at most Toronto addresses (the typical address has 40). The table compares the neighbourhood's rates with Toronto's.
| Major crime | Near this addressreported within 500 m, last 12 months | West Queen Westper 100,000 residents, 2025 | Torontoper 100,000 residents, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assaults | 46 | 589 | 768West Queen West is lower |
| Break-ins | 32 | 259 | 190West Queen West is higher |
| Car thefts | 7 | 84 | 225West Queen West is lower |
| Robberies | 7 | 52 | 79West Queen West is lower |
| Thefts over $5,000 | 7 | 19 | 61West Queen West is lower |
Thick bar: West Queen West. Thin grey bar: Toronto. Source: Toronto Police Service Public Safety Data Portal, Major Crime Indicators (Oct 2, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026) and Neighbourhood Crime Rates. Reported incidents only; police place each incident at the nearest intersection. Five-year trends for West Queen West
03Getting around from 161 Walnut Ave
The nearest subway station is Osgoode Station (Line 1), 2.0 km away. Within a 5‑minute walk there are 10 TTC stops served by the 504, 503 and 501 streetcars and the 63 bus, with about 3,898 departures on a typical weekday. The nearest GO train station is Exhibition GO, 1.2 km away, with 74 train stops on a weekday.
Source: TTC · Line 1 · too far to walk
Nearest stop: Queen St West at Niagara St, plus 2 more stops for these routes within 250 m.
Nearest stop: King St West at Niagara St.
Nearest stop: Strachan Ave at Canniff St.
Source: GO Transit · 74 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 161 Walnut Ave
The closest public and Catholic schools. They may not be the ones assigned to this address; check with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) or Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB).
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: Discovering Minds Montessori School. Source: Ontario Ministry of Education (2026), EQAO results.
Within 500 m (about a 6‑minute walk): four licensed child care centres and one EarlyON centre.
222 Niagara St · 152 spaces · toddler, preschool, kindergarten, school age · in the $10-a-day program · fee subsidies
905 King St W · 50 spaces · infant, toddler, preschool · in the $10-a-day program
155 Crawford St · 35 spaces · school age · fee subsidies
79 Manning Ave · 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 161 Walnut Ave
No building permits, building orders, heritage listing or short-term rental registration are on record for this address. About 90% of Toronto addresses also had none in the last 5 years.
06Around the block
Stays of less than 28 days, like Airbnb. That's more than at 98% of Toronto addresses.
Houses that rent individual rooms with shared kitchens or bathrooms. The City licenses them to enforce safety standards.
Ali Shawarma (restaurant or bar), Orchard Kitchen (restaurant or bar), Foxy Box Laser & Wax Bar (salon or personal services), and 11 more.
751 King Street West (356 m).
St. Felix Ctr - Adelaide Shelter (400 m).
All new business licences in West Queen West (14)
- Ali Shawarma · Restaurant or bar · 901 King St W · 292 m · licensed Oct 31, 2026
- Orchard Kitchen · Restaurant or bar · 700 King St W · 543 m · licensed Oct 23, 2026
- Foxy Box Laser & Wax Bar · Salon or personal services · 823 Queen St W · 186 m · licensed Oct 20, 2026
- Imacookie · Take-out or food shop · 28 Bathurst St · 734 m · licensed Oct 8, 2026
- Persona Studio · Salon or personal services · 927 Queen St W · 245 m · licensed Oct 6, 2026
- Impact Kitchen King · Take-out or food shop · 70 Bathurst St · 613 m · licensed Oct 3, 2026
- Woolshed Coffee Company · Take-out or food shop · 847 Adelaide St W · 168 m · licensed Oct 1, 2026
- Muang Thai Kitchen and Bar · Restaurant or bar · 791 King St W · 298 m · licensed Oct 1, 2026
- Tim Hortons · Restaurant or bar · 1005 King St W · 494 m · licensed Sep 25, 2026
- Greedy Goose Kitchen & Bar · Restaurant or bar · 803 King St W · 278 m · licensed Sep 15, 2026
- Strnd Hair Extension Studio · Salon or personal services · 777 Richmond St W · 54 m · licensed Sep 4, 2026
- Dark Horse Espresso Bar · Restaurant or bar · 64 Bathurst St · 627 m · licensed Sep 3, 2026
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 161 Walnut Ave
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 M6J, 19 of 394 home tap-water samples (4.8%) tested above Ontario's limit for lead (10 micrograms per litre). Across Toronto, 2.0% of samples did, so M6J is higher than the city overall. Health Canada recommends a stricter limit of 5 micrograms per litre: 32 samples here (8.1%) 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 · 394 tests, Jan 21, 2014 to Oct 5, 2026
Air Quality Health Index from Environment and Climate Change Canada's Toronto Downtown station, 3.7 km away, measured 5:00 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: West Queen West
West Queen West had 13,170 residents in 2021. The median household income was $101,000, higher than the typical Toronto neighbourhood ($85,000). 46% of households rent (typical neighbourhood: 46%). 38% of renters spend 30% or more of their income on housing. 24% of workers commuted by transit and 28% walked or cycled (typical neighbourhood: 26% and 5%). The most common first languages other than English and French are Spanish (3.9%), Cantonese (3.4%) and Portuguese (3.1%). Source: 2021 Census; the next census was taken in 2026.
Rents aren't published for single neighbourhoods. Across central Toronto (the old City of Toronto, before the 1998 amalgamation), a two-bedroom in a purpose-built rental building averaged $2,457 a month in October 2025, up 6% from a year earlier. The Toronto average was $2,055. The vacancy rate was 3.2%. These averages include long-term tenants; 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 West Queen West compares with Toronto’s 158 neighbourhoods →Archive photos from near this address: myaddressintoronto.com/address/161-walnut-ave#sec-history
