281 Augusta Ave
281 Augusta Ave is in Kensington-Chinatown. There are 4 planning proposals within 250 m. Streetcars stop 162 m away.
Data as of Nov 8, 2026 · Every item lists its source
- 4 planning proposals within 250 m: four in progress.
- Assaults, break-ins, robberies and thefts over $5,000 in Kensington-Chinatown were above the Toronto rate in 2025.
- Streetcar 506 stop 162 m away; the nearest subway is 1.1 km.
- The nearest elementary school is Kensington Community School School Junior, 270 m away.
- Nothing is on record for the building itself: no permits, orders or heritage listing.
01What’s planned near 281 Augusta Ave
4 planning proposals within 250 m (about a 3‑minute walk): four 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
- 1Minor variance230 Augusta Ave · 95 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 A0508/25TEY · submitted Jun 30, 2025 - 2Rezoning309 Augusta Ave · 130 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.
Proposed six storey hotel with restaurant components containing 2194sqm of non-residential gross floor area. No parking is proposed.File 26 206718 STE 11 OZ · submitted Jul 22, 2026 · City record and how to comment - 3Site plan502 Spadina Ave and 1 more address · 142 m awaySite plan: City review of the design and layout of a new building
City planners are reviewing it. Residents can comment before a decision is made.
Proposed nine-storey mixed-use building with a residential gross floor area of 8,213 square metres, including 109 affordable rental units, and a non-residential gross floor area of 3,185 square metres.File 22 136133 STE 11 SA · submitted Apr 20, 2022 · City record and how to commentAll 2 addresses
502 Spadina Ave · 508 Spadina Ave
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 281 Augusta Ave
Police recorded 352 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 | Kensington-Chinatownper 100,000 residents, 2025 | Torontoper 100,000 residents, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assaults | 211 | 2,018 | 768Kensington-Chinatown is higher |
| Break-ins | 85 | 443 | 190Kensington-Chinatown is higher |
| Car thefts | 14 | 118 | 225Kensington-Chinatown is lower |
| Robberies | 15 | 193 | 79Kensington-Chinatown is higher |
| Thefts over $5,000 | 27 | 219 | 61Kensington-Chinatown is higher |
Thick bar: Kensington-Chinatown. 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 Kensington-Chinatown
03Getting around from 281 Augusta Ave
The nearest subway station is Queen's Park Station (Line 1), about a 17‑minute walk (1.1 km). Within a 5‑minute walk there are 8 TTC stops served by routes 506, 510 and 511, with about 2,096 departures on a typical weekday. The nearest GO train station is Union Station GO, 2.1 km away, with 354 train stops on a weekday.
Source: TTC · Line 1 · about 17 min walk
Nearest stop: College St at Augusta Ave, plus 1 more stop for this route within 250 m.
Nearest stop: Spadina Ave at College St South Side.
Nearest stop: Bathurst St at Nassau St - Toronto Western Hospital.
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 281 Augusta Ave
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: Westside Montessori Elementary School, Braemar College Private Secondary School, Cornerstone Preparatory School - Main Campus, Ronald Mcdonald House. Source: Ontario Ministry of Education (2026), EQAO results.
Within 500 m (about a 6‑minute walk): five licensed child care centres, two EarlyON centres, no privately owned public spaces and four shelters or respite sites.
91 Bellevue Ave · 34 spaces · toddler, preschool · in the $10-a-day program · fee subsidies
95 Bellevue Ave · 73 spaces · toddler, preschool
401 College St · 99 spaces · infant, toddler, preschool, kindergarten · in the $10-a-day program · fee subsidies
58 Cecil St · free programs for children up to 6 and their caregivers
302 Spadina 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 281 Augusta Ave
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 almost all Toronto addresses.
Houses that rent individual rooms with shared kitchens or bathrooms. The City licenses them to enforce safety standards.
Milk and Cookies (restaurant or bar), The Arch Cafe (sidewalk café), Film Cafe (sidewalk café), and 11 more.
The Scott Mission - Kensington location (334 m), Scott Mission (340 m), COSTI Reception Centre (428 m), and 1 more.
All new business licences nearby (14)
- Milk and Cookies · Restaurant or bar · 283 Augusta Ave · 10 m · licensed Oct 6, 2026
- The Arch Cafe · Sidewalk café · 293 Augusta Ave · 49 m · licensed Oct 19, 2026
- Film Cafe · Sidewalk café · 230 Augusta Ave · 95 m · licensed Oct 29, 2026
- Dolyang Love&Fire Momo · Restaurant or bar · 249 Augusta Ave · 109 m · licensed Sep 2, 2026
- Icue Billiard & Lounge · Amusement (arcade, billiards) · 347 College St · 155 m · licensed Sep 23, 2026
- Tutti Frutti Famous Foods · Take-out or food shop · 221 Augusta Ave · 190 m · licensed Aug 27, 2026
- Tres Piggies · Take-out or food shop · 72 Kensington Ave · 205 m · licensed Oct 17, 2026
- Vintage Depot · Second-hand shop · 70 Kensington Ave · 209 m · licensed Sep 18, 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 281 Augusta 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 M5T, 0 of 85 home tap-water samples (0%) tested above Ontario's limit for lead (10 micrograms per litre). Across Toronto, 2.0% of samples did, so M5T is lower than the city overall. Health Canada recommends a stricter limit of 5 micrograms per litre: 1 samples here (1.2%) 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 · 85 tests, Feb 20, 2014 to Sep 11, 2026
Air Quality Health Index from Environment and Climate Change Canada's Toronto Downtown station, 2.3 km away, measured 3:00 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: Kensington-Chinatown
Kensington-Chinatown had 18,120 residents in 2021. The median household income was $62,000, lower than the typical Toronto neighbourhood ($85,000). 68% of households rent (typical neighbourhood: 46%). 44% of renters spend 30% or more of their income on housing. 24% of workers commuted by transit and 50% walked or cycled (typical neighbourhood: 26% and 5%). The most common first languages other than English and French are Mandarin (12.7%), Cantonese (10.9%) and Spanish (2.2%). 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 Kensington-Chinatown compares with Toronto’s 158 neighbourhoods →Archive photos from near this address: myaddressintoronto.com/address/281-augusta-ave#sec-history
