256 Shaw St
256 Shaw St is in Trinity-Bellwoods. There are 3 planning proposals within 250 m. Streetcars stop 22 m away.
Data as of Nov 8, 2026 · Every item lists its source
- 3 planning proposals within 250 m: two in progress and one decided recently.
- Break-ins in Trinity-Bellwoods were above the Toronto rate in 2025.
- Streetcar 505 stop 22 m away; the nearest subway is 1.6 km.
- The nearest elementary school is Pope Francis Catholic School, 305 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 256 Shaw St
3 planning proposals within 250 m (about a 3‑minute walk): two in progress and one decided recently. That's more than at most Toronto addresses (the typical address has 1).
In progress
- 1Minor variance303 Shaw St · 97 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.
File A0485/26TEY · submitted Jun 25, 2026 - 2Add a storey1161 Dundas St W · 244 m awayCommittee of Adjustment · Minor variance: permission to bend a zoning rule, such as height, size or setbacks
The Committee of Adjustment approved it on Jul 28, 2021. It has been appealed to the Toronto Local Appeal Body (TLAB), which will hold its own hearing and make the final decision.
To alter the existing one-storey commercial building by constructing a second storey partial addition with a second storey outdoor patio.File A0321/21TEY · submitted Mar 12, 2021
Decided recently
- 3New house32 Argyle St · 237 m awayCommittee of Adjustment · Minor variance: permission to bend a zoning rule, such as height, size or setbacks
The Committee of Adjustment approved it on Oct 21, 2026.
To alter the existing two-storey semi-detached townhouse dwelling by converting it to a semi-detached houseplex containing two dwelling units, by constructing a front porch with stairs, a front basement walkout, a rear two-storey addition…File A0630/26TEY · submitted Aug 28, 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 256 Shaw St
Police recorded 57 major crimes within 500 m of this address from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026. That's about typical for Toronto (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 | Trinity-Bellwoodsper 100,000 residents, 2025 | Torontoper 100,000 residents, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assaults | 36 | 947 | 768Trinity-Bellwoods is about the same |
| Break-ins | 14 | 351 | 190Trinity-Bellwoods is higher |
| Car thefts | 4 | 76 | 225Trinity-Bellwoods is lower |
| Robberies | 2 | 58 | 79Trinity-Bellwoods is lower |
| Thefts over $5,000 | 1 | 70 | 61Trinity-Bellwoods is about the same |
Thick bar: Trinity-Bellwoods. 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 Trinity-Bellwoods
03Getting around from 256 Shaw St
The nearest subway station is Ossington Station (Line 2), about a 25‑minute walk (1.6 km). Within a 5‑minute walk there are 8 TTC stops served by routes 505 and 63, with about 2,189 departures on a typical weekday. The nearest GO train station is Exhibition GO, 1.6 km away, with 74 train stops on a weekday.
Source: TTC · Line 2 · about 25 min walk
Nearest stop: Dundas St West at Shaw St, plus 1 more stop for this route within 250 m.
Nearest stop: Ossington Ave at Dundas St West North Side, plus 1 more stop for this route within 250 m.
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 256 Shaw 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: The Orchard Montessori School, 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, two EarlyON centres, no privately owned public spaces and one shelter or respite site.
319 Ossington Ave · 71 spaces · kindergarten, school age · in the $10-a-day program · fee subsidies
49 Givins St · 121 spaces · preschool, kindergarten, school age · in the $10-a-day program · fee subsidies
155 Crawford St · 35 spaces · school age · fee subsidies
248 Ossington Ave · free programs for children up to 6 and their caregivers
180 Shaw 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 256 Shaw St
No building permits, building orders, heritage listing or short-term rental registration are on record for this address. About 9 in 10 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 9 in 10 Toronto addresses.
Houses that rent individual rooms with shared kitchens or bathrooms. The City licenses them to enforce safety standards.
Roxton Public House (sidewalk café), Town Barber (salon or personal services), Man of Kent (sidewalk café), and 1 more.
Matthew House - Dundas House (269 m).
All new business licences nearby (4)
- Roxton Public House · Sidewalk café · 1112 Dundas St W · 135 m · licensed Sep 25, 2026
- Town Barber · Salon or personal services · 1114 Dundas St W · 140 m · licensed Oct 2, 2026
- Man of Kent · Sidewalk café · 202 Ossington Ave · 209 m · licensed Sep 8, 2026
- Bobbie Sue's Mac and Cheese · Take-out or food shop · 162 Ossington Ave · 239 m · licensed Oct 7, 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 256 Shaw 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 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, 3.4 km away, measured 5:00 PM EST Sunday 8 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: Trinity-Bellwoods
Trinity-Bellwoods had 15,415 residents in 2021. The median household income was $92,000, about the same as the typical Toronto neighbourhood ($85,000). 44% of households rent (typical neighbourhood: 46%). 42% of renters spend 30% or more of their income on housing. 23% of workers commuted by transit and 31% walked or cycled (typical neighbourhood: 26% and 5%). The most common first languages other than English and French are Portuguese (11.2%), Cantonese (7.1%) and Mandarin (6.7%). 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 Trinity-Bellwoods compares with Toronto’s 158 neighbourhoods →Archive photos from near this address: myaddressintoronto.com/address/256-shaw-st#sec-history
