Suddenly becoming one of the more talked-about parts of the city, Toronto's Yonge and St. Clair neighbourhood is poised to transform in the coming years, with the recent news of a Studio Gang-designed rental project adding to ongoing efforts to revitalize the area. Adding to the refurbished buildings, new mural, and more animated streets, plans to re-make the southeast corner of what was once a more vibrant intersection are taking shape now too.

Aerial view of Yonge and St Clair, image via Slate Asset Management

Last week, an Official Plan Amendment (OPA) was tabled with the City of Toronto to allow for a pair of adjacent high-rises to be constructed on a site spanning between St Clair West and Pleasant Boulevard along Yonge. While the two projects are proceeding separately, the joint OPA has been submitted in order to facilitate a more comprehensive assessment of the block as a whole, allowing the two tower sites to be considered in a shared context.

The 1 St Clair East site (shaded) and the 1421 Yonge site (outline), image via submission to the City of Toronto

South of St Clair, Terracap Management's plans for the site at 1421 Yonge have actually been underway since late 2014, with a rezoning application resubmitted to the City in November of last year. Now planned as a 46-storey mixed-use tower with 379 residential units, 7,200 m² of office space, and 2,500 m² of street-fronting retail, the Wallman Architects-designed project is continuing its way though the planning process, with OMB-led negotiations now underway.

1421 Yonge, image via Terracap

Initially proposed as a 42-storey tower, the Terracap project proved contentious with members of the community and local Councillor Josh Matlow, with the first proposal rejected by the City in late 2015. The project would replace a collection of low-rise but fine-grained street-fronting retail, as well as a five-storey commercial office building, and 13 rental apartments.  

Podium levels, 1421 Yonge, image via Terracap

To the north, another tower is now being planned at the corner. Currently occupied by a 10-storey office tower, the smaller site is part of Slate Asset Management's large portfolio of Yonge and St. Clair properties. Held through Midtown Yonge Properties Inc., the property is likely to prove a marquee component of Slate's plans for the neighbourhood, though the scope of a concrete proposal for the site has yet to be revealed.

Aerial view of the block, image via submission to the City of Toronto

When Slate's plans for the neighbourhood first came to light last June, however, a more modest Gensler-designed retrofit of the podium levels was being touted, similar to the ongoing and planned treatment for the other commercial buildings in Slate's local portfolio.

Slate's previous Genlser-designed concept, image via Slate

According to a planning rationale prepared by Urban Strategies Inc., the proposed OPA—which takes both tower sites into account—would help "provide for the comprehensive redevelopment of the Block, and in a manner that supports tall building development and public realm improvements. The proposed OPA to the Yonge-St. Clair Secondary Plan will allow for the comprehensive redevelopment of the Block in the form of two tall buildings and a coordinated base building condition."

Slate's portfolio of local buildings, image via Slate

More specifically, the new OPA submission seeks for the City to consider the 1421 Yonge submission with regard to a high-rise redevelopment to the north. As it stands, the "proposed [1421 Yonge] tower location would limit the ability to provide adequate tower separation between a future tall building development on the 1 St. Clair Avenue East Site," the planning rationale argues.

According to the submission, the current 1421 Yonge proposal hinders the viability of redeveloping the more prominent corner site immediately north. Given the current layout and massing of the 1421 Yonge proposal, the rationale argues that another tower meeting the City's Tall Buildings Guidelines of a 750 m² floorplate and a 25-metre separation distance from its neighbour would not be possible. 

We will keep you updated as plans for the area continue to take shape, and the planning context evolves. In the meantime, you can learn more about the proposed 1421 Yonge development via our dataBase file, linked below. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a comment on this page, or join the ongoing conversations in our associated Forum threads for 1421 Yonge and 1 St Clair East. 

With Vaughan Metropolitan Centre subway station set to open as the new terminus of the TTC's University subway line in December, new developments are bringing increased density to Vaughan's emerging Downtown. Among the pioneering projects at the heart of this new urban community, PlazaBerkeley's The Met will soon add a 35-storey condominium tower and multiple blocks of townhomes to Jane Street, just north of the new subway station.

Facing northeast across the site of The Met, image by Jack Landau

Construction of the Quadrangle Architects-designed development kicked off in late 2016, with preliminary work conducted by TMG Builders and Michael Bros Excavation. Earlier this year, crews from Anchor Shoring arrived at the site to commence work on the development's shoring. With the bulk of shoring now completed, excavation has begun to dig out the project's three-storey underground parking garage.

Excavation at The Met, image by Jack Landau

The ongoing digging has revealed the pile and lagging shoring system along the southern, eastern, and western frontages of the site. This system utilizes a series of vertical piles and horizontal timber lagging to stabilize the surrounding earth and allow for a safe excavation. At the north end of the site, however, a sloped-earth shoring wall serves in place of the more complex earth retention system used on the more constrained frontages.

Sloped earth wall at The Met, image by Jack Landau

The next big change at The Met site will come once the excavation bottoms out at a depth of three storeys, and a crane base is installed to begin forming of the development's underground levels. 

Excavation at The Met, image by Jack Landau

Upon completion, the Met will add 511 residential units to Vaughan's nascent Downtown, coming in a mix of one- and two-bedroom layouts sized from 510 ft² to 875 ft², as well as 62 townhome units with sizes exceeding 1,250 ft². A number of amenities will be provided on the tower's ground floor, including party rooms with bar, a lounge space with adjacent kitchens and dining areas, a gym and spa, a theatre, a games room, and a tech lounge. 

Additional information and renderings can found in our dataBase file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.

The efforts of some residents in Toronto's Mount Dennis neighbourhood have resulted in a greener Eglinton Crosstown LRT line. Steven Del Duca, Ontario's Minister of Transportation and Laura Albanese, the member of the Provincial parliament for York South-Weston, visited the future site of Mount Dennis Station yesterday to announce what's being called an "innovative energy solution" for powering the future LRT.

The Crosstown LRT route, rendering, Metrolinx

Metrolinx President and CEO, Bruce McCuaig, and Anthony Haines, Toronto Hydro President and CEO, joined the minister and MPP to announce that the Government of Ontario is partnering with Toronto Hydro to build a battery-energy storage system for the transit line. According to the Province, the storage system "will increase the reliability of the line, lower operating costs, and reduce emissions."

The power system, which is equivalent to a large battery, can supply back-up and emergency power to the LRT line for up to four hours in the event of a wide-spread power outage (typically, power outages are significantly shorter than four hours), and replaces plans for a natural-gas facility, previously proposed by Metrolinx's contractor Crosslinx Transit Solutions. The new system would also include a 19-kilowatt solar mirror.

According to the Province, the battery energy-storage system will provide greater environmental and operating cost savings than a natural gas powered facility. It will store energy that is generated overnight and during other off-peak hours, which is cheaper to buy and produce. This energy is then available to supply needs during the day.

The announcement of a gas plant was met with some degree of public outcry, with members of the community alarmed when an open house about plans for the Mount Dennis site in December 2015 revealed that Metrolinx and Crosslinx intended to include a natural gas facility on the site.

Mount Dennis power plant for Crosstown LRT

A Toronto Star article in January quoted a local resident concerned about the plan: "'The community doesn't object to putting a hydro plant on the old Kodak lands, where the light rail vehicle maintenance and storage facility is to be built. It just wants the province to look at greener technology,' said Simon Chamberlain of the Mount Dennis Community Association.'"

The Star also quoted Metrolinx, who explained that the 18-megawatt gas-fired plant would probably only be used a “handful” of times a year as a back-up generator. It would have the capacity to run the entire Crosstown system to avoid peak demand times on the provincial power grid and save about 40 per cent on the price of electricity. It would also generate enough power to run the entire Crosstown system in a power outage, said a spokesman for the agency."

A closer view of the proposed gas-powered facility, rendering, Metrolinx

Residents wrote to local MPP Albanese, who, in turn, asked Del Duca and Environment Minister Glen Murray to review the proposal. According to the York Guardian, by May, Metrolinx was "rethinking" its plans. "'We’re working... to explore alternatives to the proposed natural gas powered backup facility at the Kodak lands that would provide the same functionality,' the Crosstown’s community relations manager Jamie Robinson told the Guardian. 'Based on what we find, we will determine the path forward. Obviously if we find something with the same functionality then we don’t need the backup power facility, but we don’t know that right now.'"

At March 28th's Mount Dennis event, Del Duca announced that "we have listened to your community and are pleased to be able to deliver this alternative energy solution that will respect the concerns of the residents in this area while meeting the needs of the new LRT. This battery energy-storage system will provide environmental cost savings that will improve our quality of life as we keep people moving."

Aerial view of the future Mount Dennis LRT station, bus terminal and maintenance facility, rendering Metrolinx

The Mount Dennis site also includes a storage and maintenance facility for the LRT vehicles. Metrolinx intends to open the line to passengers in 2021. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a comment in the space below this page, or join the ongoing conversation in our associated Forum thread.

As we near the end of our Growth to Watch For series, we finally make it to the epicentre of the city, exploring all of the activity in Toronto's Downtown Core and Financial District. Representing one of the fastest growing areas of the city, the Downtown region is set to welcome thousands of new residents and millions of square feet of new office space over the next few years as the already dense core further densifies. Playing host to some of the tallest proposals and some of the most high-profile projects in the city, there is no shortage of intriguing developments taking place in the heart of Toronto.

The area covered in this story is bounded by Gerrard Street to the north, Victoria Street to the east, the rail corridor to the south, and Simcoe Street/University Avenue to the west. Our route will explore the Yonge, Bay, and University corridors, zigzagging southward through the region along each east-west artery. Along the way, we will summarize every project nearing completion, every development currently under construction, and every proposal or speculative site currently working its way through the design and planning process.

Map outlining the area covered, image via Google Earth.

* * *

Last time, we ended off at Dundas and McCaul streets, so continuing north on McCaul, east on Elm Street, and north on University Avenue, we start our journey at Mount Sinai Hospital, where a multi-year multi-phase renovation is set to continue this year. Beginning back in 2008 with a 6-storey addition to the building, the project is now in Phase 3, which will include the redevelopment of the Critical Care Unit; the expansion and redesign of the Emergency Department, Operating Rooms and Surgical Services; and the redesign of some of the Ambulatory Care areas. The project will also include the redevelopment of a full-service, in-house Medical Devices Reprocessing Department and an increased capacity for the Medical/Surgery Inpatients. Four pre-qualified bidders were selected last summer for the project, and the winner is expected to be announced this spring. Construction is expected to begin shortly after.

View of Mount Sinai Hospital, image via Google Maps.

Heading eastward on Gerrard Street, a surface parking lot at the northeast corner of Elizabeth Street will provide a development site for Toronto General Hospital at some point. Formerly the location of the Residence College Hotel, for which onlookers enjoyed an extended 20-month demolition of the 19-storey Brutalist building back in 2012-13, there was speculation that a low-rise hospital/university lecture hall would be constructed on the property, but to much dismay, no formal proposal ever came forth and the site was paved over for a parking lot. Given the effort needed to take down the tower, it has been speculated that something substantial would be planned to replace it, but in the meantime, we will just have to wait.

Across the street, a revised proposal from KingSett Capital for 700 Bay Street (also known as LuCliff Place) is seeking site plan approval at the City. The project would see a 32-storey rental apartment tower constructed at the west end of the existing building, replacing a two-storey podium at the southeast corner of Gerrard and Elizabeth Streets. Designed by Quadrangle Architects, the new tower would abut against the existing tower, and would also add an additional four storeys atop the existing building, totalling 274 new residential units. The development would also include improvements to the sidewalk and public realm, and expanded retail on the ground floor.

Rendering of 700 Bay Street, image courtesy of KingSett Capital.

Continuing east, GWL Realty's new rental apartment tower at 43 Gerrard West on the southeast corner of Gerrard and Bay is now rising out of the ground, with construction of the concrete structure having reached the fifth floor of the podium. Designed by Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects, the building will rise 43 storeys and will add 594 new rental units to the area. As construction on the podium is now wrapping up, look for the tower to rise into the sky over the course of the year.

View of 43 Gerrard West under construction, image by Forum contributor salsa.

As we approach the intersection of Yonge and Gerrard, a handful of proposals clustered in the four blocks around the intersection has the potential to create the tallest height node in the city, all of which rely on the precedent set by the 78-storey Aura completed in 2014. Several of the towers approach the supertall designation, calling into question whether or not this area can handle this much concentrated density. It will remain to be seen what actually gets built, but nevertheless, Yonge-Gerrard has a very exhilarating, for some even terrifying, future.

We begin with one of the more talked-about proposals in the city adjacent to the aforementioned 43 Gerrard West, with Great Eagle Holdings' redevelopment of the Chelsea Eaton Hotel, now dubbed Chelsea Green. Currently in the planning process, the design has been evolving since it was first announced back in 2015, and now includes three towers of 88, 88, and 49 storeys. Designed by architectsAlliance, the entire development would comprise a whopping total of 2,135 residential units, the majority of which are condos with some rentals included, as well as a 350-suite hotel to replace the existing 1,590-room hotel. The project would also provide retail and office spaces integrated into the podiums of the buildings, and a 2-storey commercial and retail building in the southwest quadrant of the site. Public realm improvements and a new privately-owned public space (POPS) are also included. The proposal is currently making its way through the planning process, so stay tuned for updates as news becomes available.

Rendering of Chelsea Green, image courtesy of Great Eagle Holdings.

Directly south of Chelsea Green, on a site abutting against the aforementioned project, a highly contentious proposal from a subsidiary of The Pemberton Group at 8 Elm Street has a battle brewing against the City as it heads to the OMB. The development would see an 80-storey tower designed by Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects constructed on a tiny 658m2 (7,083 sq. ft.) site - featuring a sky-high floor space index (FSI) of 45.6 - comprising 469 residential units and a modified three-storey heritage facade at its base. First proposed in July of last year, the project has been met with resistance from residents, planners, and Councillors alike, and was emphatically rejected by City Council a mere 3 months after the application was submitted. However, the developer went straight to the OMB and filed an appeal in February, setting up a showdown against the City in the coming months.

Rendering of 8 Elm Street, image courtesy of 8 Elm Park Properties.

On the southeast corner of Yonge and Gerrard, Cresford Developments unveiled plans for the tallest building in Canada last month (second only to the CN Tower) with the 98-storey YSL Residences rising to a height of 343.9 metres (1,128 feet). The proposal replaces a previous two-tower development on the site from KingSett Capital that was revealed back in 2015. Designed by New York-based Kohn Pederson Fox Associates in partnership with architectsAlliance, the tower would house retail in two below-grade levels and the first three floors of the podium, while office uses would be incorporated in the remainder of the podium up to the eighth floor. In the tower portion above, 957 condo units would be housed in a variety of sizes, with outdoor terraces on the podium roof and on the 42nd floor. At the base, the building would retain the facades of two heritage structures at the north and south ends of the site, while replacing the existing low-rise buildings in between. More details of the proposal can be found here.

Rendering of YSL Residences, image courtesy of Cresford Developments.

Continuing east on Gerrard, we come to a project of a much smaller scale with an expansion currently underway to house the new Ryerson Centre for Urban Innovation at 44 Gerrard East. The project involves 3- and 5-storey additions to the existing 3-storey heritage building that fronts onto both Gerrard and the residential McGill Street to the north. Featuring a boxy design from Moriyama & Teshima Architects, construction has already begun, with site clearing and drilling underway in the former parking lot on the north side of the building.

Rendering of the Centre for Urban Innovation, image courtesy of Ryerson University.

We now turn south onto Victoria Street, passing through the Ryerson University campus. A block to the south at Dundas and Victoria streets is another potential development site on the northeast corner. The three-storey building has been abandoned and boarded up since 2014, and has a surface parking lot adjacent to it on the irregularly-shaped site. There have been no proposals put forth for this property, despite its prominent location at the edge of Yonge-Dundas Square.

View of 38-40 Dundas Street East, image via Google Maps.

Continuing to the south side of Dundas, HNR Properties'Velocity at the Square is wrapping up construction, with the finishing touches being applied to the 40-storey tower. Designed by Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects, the new tower adds 245 rental units to the busy Yonge-Dundas area, and also restored the heritage Art Deco towers on the property.

View of Velocity at the Square, image by Marcus Mitanis.

Moving south on Victoria Street, we come to the iconic Massey Hall, where a comprehensive 7-year revitalization is currently ongoing on the heritage concert venue. The revitalization, which kicked off in 2015, includes a 6-storey addition at the rear of the building designed by KPMB Architects, whose below-grade levels were constructed last year. Just today it was announced that The Slaight Family Foundation is donating $5 million to the revitalization.In appreciation, the stage at Massey Hall will be named the Allan Slaight Stage in hour of the Canadian broadcaster, arts and music supported, and philanthropist. 

Following completion of the basement-level concrete structure, the ground level slab is now being used as a staging area for the construction of the neighbouring Massey Tower Condos, highlighted next. Expect construction on the Massey Hall addition to resume once Massey Tower is largely complete. Also as part of the revitalization project, Massey Hall will temporarily shut down for 18-24 months in 2019 in order to restore the historic building, but until then, the venerable concert hall will operate as normal.

Rendering of Massey Hall, image courtesy of MH-RTH Corporation.

Just to the west of Massey Hall, fronting onto Yonge Street, the Massey Tower Condos is now rising out of the ground, as MOD Developments is adding a 60-storey 699-unit condo building along the popular stretch of Yonge between Shuter and Queen Streets. Designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects, the angular forms of the building are now apparent as construction of the concrete floor plates has reached the tower floors, topping off on the 9-storey podium that will contain parking and amenities. The building also preserves the historic bank building fronting on Yonge, which will serve as the building's grand entrance. Look for the tower to pierce the sky by the end of the year.

View of Massey Tower Condos under construction, image by Forum contributor skycandy.

Turning north on Yonge Street, we will skip the Eaton Centre for now, planning to return to it later. North of Dundas on the west side, we come to the Atrium on Bay, the sometimes overlooked mall and office complex. The building's owners, H&R REIT, recently submitted to the City for a minor variance that would allow an expansion of the complex to take place, which would see 5 and 6-storey additions to the existing 14 and 13-storey towers, along with a one-storey addition to the shorter mid-block volume. Featuring a design from Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects, the interior atrium would be cut off from the lower retail levels, while the exterior of the additions would have curved extruding volumes, breaking from the regular bay pattern of the existing structure.

Rendering of the Atrium on Bay expansion, image courtesy of H&R REIT.

Across Yonge Street a vacant plot of land at the southeast corner with Gould Street presents a potentially exciting development opportunity. Located directly across from the much-loved Ryerson Student Learning Centre, the lot has been empty since the former building on the site burned down in 2011. A proposal from the Lalani Group in 2013 speculated on the construction of a 5-storey retail building, either standalone or as a podium for a tower, to gauge interest in the development, but plans were never followed through. The site has since played host to a temporary market while it awaits a more permanent use. Now that HMV is closing immediately to the south, no doubt there will be more speculation as to what form of redevelopment may come to this corner.

View of 335 Yonge Street, image via Google Maps.

Turning west onto Edward Street, to the north of the Atrium, Panda Condominiums is coming to the empty lot at 20 Edward Street, formerly home to the World's Biggest Bookstore. Headed by Lifetime Developments and designed by architectsAlliance, the 30-storey tower will add 572 new condo units to the area, with retail on the concourse, ground, and second floors and office space on the third floor of the podium. The building will also feature a new entrance to Dundas subway station at its base. Having recently been approved at City Council, some details are still to be worked out at the OMB. Marketing has begun, and the building will soon be in sales.

Rendering of Panda Condominiums, image courtesy of Lifetime Developments.

Moving westward on Edward Street, we cross Bay Street and come to one of the few large remaining surface parking lots left in the Downtown Core, where the Conservatory Group is proposing to build a pair of condo towers which, for convenience, we have dubbed Bay and Edward Condos. Designed by Richmond Architects, the two towers would rise 22 and 19 storeys on the L-shaped site—limited in height by the nearby hospital helicopter's flight path—and would contain a total of 527 condo units. The project is currently seeking rezoning at the City.

Rendering of Bay and Edward Condos, image courtesy of the Conservatory Group.

Continuing two short blocks west on Edward Street, a redevelopment proposal by Davpart for the whole of the block bounded by Edward, Centre, Dundas and University is currently on hold. No activity has taken place on 481 University Avenue since being approved by City Council in 2014. The development is designed by B+H Architects and would see a 55-storey tower constructed on the site while maintaining the existing heritage facades at its base, comprising a total of 748 condo units with office space maintained in the podium. We will keep you updated if any news surfaces on this development. 

Rendering of 481 University Avenue, image courtesy of Davpart.

Across University Avenue from 481 is one of the more fascinating projects in the City, one which has been followed quite closely on our Forum. Amexon's The Residences of 488 University Avenue is currently under construction at the northwest corner of University and Dundas Street, where the former Brutalist Global House was stripped of its precast concrete cladding and replaced with steel cross-bracing and glazing in preparation for a 37-storey addition on top. The renovation and addition is designed by Core Architects and, once complete, will rise a total of 55 storeys with 453 new condo units while maintaing the office use on the original 18 floors of the building. The recladding of the existing building is mostly complete, with preparation for construction of the new tower addition currently underway.

View of The Residences of 488 University Avenue under construction, image by Forum contributor G.L.17.

Further south, and just to the east of University Avenue, a surface parking lot bordered by Centre, Armoury, and Chestnut Streets is slated to be the site of a New Toronto Courthouse complex. Overseen by Infrastructure Ontario, the unique vertical courthouse building will consolidate most of the city's courtrooms in one building, and will represent a landmark addition to what is being called the Civic Precinct, with the site located directly northwest of City Hall. Currently, two teams are in the running for the design-build project, with a winner expected to be selected late summer or fall 2017. Construction will get underway shortly after, with a projected completion date in 2021. At the moment, the archaeological dig concluded last year, with minor excavation works being carried out to the clear the site of obstructions in preparation for the new building.

View of the New Toronto Courthouse site in May 2016, image by Edward Skira.

Continuing south and turning east on Queen Street, we come to Nathan Phillips Square, where a revitalization project of the important civic space was carried out by Perkins + Will with Plant Architect. Despite being declared as complete last year, we have included the revitalization in our Growth to Watch For because of the notable items that were omitted from the project due to budget overruns. These include the rehabilitation of the elevated walkways; demolition of the Sheraton bridge; a revamp of the ramp leading to the green roof; a redesign and re-connection of the eastern edge along Bay Street; and a new use for the empty gravel patch at the west end of the square, which was previously earmarked for a now-cancelled restaurant. Some of these items were simply postponed until funds become available, while others were scratched off the list altogether. An in-depth look of what is complete and still to come at Nathan Phillips Square can be found here.

Rendering of the Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization Project, image courtesy of the City of Toronto.

Just kitty corner to Nathan Phillips Square, at the southeast corner of Bay and Queen Streets, the recladding of The Simpson's Tower at 401 Bay is currently underway. Headed by Cadillac Fairview and designed by Pellow Architects and WZMH Architects, the Modernist office tower's precast concrete exterior is giving way to glazed spandrels of a brighter hue, giving the building a completely new aesthetic. Recladding has begun on the west facade of the tower portion, and is now roughly halfway up the building, so look for the project to progress over the course of the year.

View of the recladding of 401 Bay underway, image by Forum contributor G.L.17.

Across the street from Massey Tower Condos is the Toronto Eaton Centre, whose multi-year makeover by Cadillac Fairview is nearing completion. 2016 was a big year for the mall, which saw the grand opening of flagship retailers Nordstrom, Uniqlo, and Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as the unveiling of H&M's bright new light facade. A couple big changes are still to come to the busy mall, including the rebuild of the pedestrian link across Queen Street designed by Wilkinson Eyre—being done in conjunction with the TTC's temporary removal of streetcars from Queen this summer—as well as the occupation of the final retail space in the former Sears location on the ground floor at Yonge and Dundas, which has yet to have a major tenant announced for it. Stay tuned as these exciting projects further along the mall's extensive remake.

Rendering of the new pedestrian bridge at the CF Toronto Eaton Centre, image courtesy of Cadillac Fairview.

Continuing east on Queen Street, we come to 2 Queen West at the northwest corner of Queen and Yonge, where a revised proposal was submitted last year by Cadillac Fairview for a restoration and addition to the existing heritage building. Scrapping previous plans for a 65-storey rental tower, the proposal from Zeidler Partnership Architects and ERA Architects would remove the 1980s cladding from the heritage building and restore the exterior, while adding three glass-clad floors atop the structure. The basement, main, and second floors would house retail, while floors three through six would house office space, finishing with a restaurant on the stepped-back seventh floor. The project, with new documents submitted last month, is currently seeking Site Plan Approval at the City.

Rendering of 2 Queen West, image courtesy of Cadillac Fairview.

A block further east on Queen, the expansion of St. Michael's Hospital at the corner of Queen and Victoria Streets is progressing towards completion, with the majority of the exterior cladding now installed on the new 17-storey tower. Designed by NORR Architects and Diamond Schmitt Architects, the expansion will add 250,000 square feet of new space for the hospital, and is scheduled for completion late this year. A following phase will begin sometime in 2018 to build a new emergency department at the southwest corner of Shuter and Bond streets.

View of the expansion of St. Michael's Hospital under construction, image by Forum contributor salsa.

Turning south on Victoria Street, we come to the site of Great Gulf's Yonge & Rich Condominiums, a 45-storey L-shaped tower planned for the southwest corner of Victoria and Richmond Streets. Designed by architectsAlliance, the tower will comprise a total of 669 new condo units with retail at grade level, featuring a design with massing broken down to read as two distinct towers. Excavation and shoring is now ongoing on the site, so look for construction of the below-grade levels to begin before the end of the year.

Rendering of Yonge & Rich Condominiums, image courtesy of Great Gulf.

Following Richmond Street westward, we cross Yonge Street and come to the site of a potential Phase 3 for the Bay-Adelaide Centre. On the south side of Richmond, it would be the North Tower at the complex. It has already been approved as part of the tower cluster from Brookfield, to be located to the west of the Cloud Gardens, would rise 32 storeys, and be more rectangular in volume than its sister towers. However, the tower is awaiting a major tenant before proceeding, so it is unknown when we will see any activity happening with this development.

At Bay we turn south, then follow Adelaide westbound. Just past Sheppard Street, Oxford Properties' EY Tower is inching closer to completion with an expected opening later this year. Designed by Kohn Pederson Fox Associates with WZMH Architects, the 40-storey office tower features some dramatic angles piercing the skyline, and also features the restored facade of the Art Deco Concourse Building at its base. 

View of the EY Tower, image by Marcus Mitanis.

The EY Tower is part of the Richmond Adelaide Centre, the quintet of towers occupying the block, another two of which are being proposed for a comprehensive makeover. To the immediate west of EY is where plans were recently announced by Oxford Properties to reclad the 26 and 33-storey towers at 120 and 130 Adelaide Street West. Built in the mid-1960s to late-1970s, the pair of Modernist towers will be stripped of their grey and black cladding and refinished with a new glazed curtain wall system designed by WZMH Architects. The re-skinning of buildings is a recent trend that is picking up steam as, following in the footsteps of First Canadian Place and 401 Bay, Downtown Toronto is increasingly shedding its mid-century aesthetic for a contemporary blue-tinted look.

Rendering of the reclad Richmond Adelaide Centre, image courtesy of Oxford Properties.

We continue west on Adelaide until we come to 100 Simcoe, on the southwest corner in the busy district. Proposed here by Sun Life is a 59-storey, mixed-use tower with 524 residential suites above a half-dozen floors of offices. The building is designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and would replace the existing historic structure on the site, which was recently listed on the heritage register by the City.

Preliminary massing for 100 Simcoe Street, image via submission to the City of Toronto.

Two notes:

• George Baird, an éminence grise of Canada's architectural community, recently spoke at a public consultation regarding the 100 Simcoe proposal, illustrating how the 1910-built structure has been significantly altered multiple times over the years, including changes recently approved by the City and carried out just last year. Owing to the alterations over time, Baird disputed claims of the building's enduring heritage value. No members of the audience raised any concerns regarding the structure's potential loss. No representatives of Preservation Services were present at the meeting.
• Located on the block bordered by Simcoe, Pearl, Duncan, and Adelaide Streets, this relatively compact slice of the city has a remarkable four active tower proposals located within its boundaries, two of which are currently at the OMB, and all of which range from 56-59 storeys in height. The three other developments were covered in our Growth to Watch For 2017: Entertainment District story. Stay tuned for updates as they become available to see how the planning saga plays out for 100 Simcoe and its three neighbours.

Heading south on Simcoe down to Front Street, another office tower is awaiting a major tenant. Cadillac Fairview's 160 Front West is located at the northeast corner of Simcoe and Front streets, and has been dormant for a while since receiving rezoning approval in 2014, but resurfaced last summer with a slight revision to the design now being reviewed for Site Plan Approval at the City. Featuring a curved profile from AS + GG Architecture with B+H Architects, the tower was shrunk down from 54 to 46 storeys, and now has a slightly squatter profile than its slimmer predecessor. The tower would preserve the heritage facade at its base, while replacing the other buildings currently on the site.

Rendering of 160 Front West, image courtesy of Cadillac Fairview.

Across the street to the south, another office proposal is still in the works with Allied's Union Centre, a 48-storey tower designed by Sweeny &Co Architects and located at the corner of Lower Simcoe and Station Streets. Much like its neighbour at 160 Front West, the Union Centre was approved for rezoning in 2014 and had been dormant since, until new renderings surfaced on the architect's website in 2015, and last year Allied alluded to being in talks with several major tenants for the new building. While it is still seeking site plan approval, there is a possibility that this development may still move forward in the near future.

Rendering of Union Centre, image courtesy of Allied.

Heading eastbound on Front Street, we pass by the landmark Union Station, whose ongoing multi-year multi-phase Revitalization Project is in full swing. Despite delays and budget overruns, progress is being made on the restoration and rehabilitation of the main station building, overseen by NORR Architects and EVOQ Architecture (formerly FGMDA Architects). Work in the Bay Concourse is progressing with the dig down having been completed, while restoration work is continuing in both the Great Hall and VIA Concourse, as well as on the exterior limestone facades. Meanwhile, Osmington is moving to add much-needed retail spaces in the York Concourse, Front Street Promenade, West Wing, and Great Hall, with Dialog Architects and PARTISANS as lead designers and architects of the retail units. Keep checking back for updates on Union Station as the busiest train station in Canada continues its transformation.

Work at the Bay Concourse connection at Union Station, image by Craig White

Continuing east on Front, we scoot one block north on Yonge to Wellington Street, and turn east to 88 Scott, a 58-storey 525-unit condo tower from Concert Properties that has now taken its place in the Toronto skyline. Designed by Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects, the building is now topped off, with cladding installation nearing the full height of the tower. The building will add retail and office use behind the retained heritage facade of its podium, and will make significant progress toward occupation through the year.

View of 88 Scott Street under construction, image by Forum contributor G.L.17.

Kitty corner from 88 Scott, the revitalization of Berczy Park is nearly complete, with the hardscapes finished late last year and opened to public access. The finishing touches of Claude Cormier + Associés' design are being applied throughout the park, with the last few pieces of furniture and the few remaining dog statues still waiting to be installed before the fountain is turned on. Look for the last of the fencing to come down and the ribbon to be cut in the spring or summer as the new Berczy Park officially opens to the public this year.

View of the nearly-complete Berczy Park Revitalization, image by Forum contributor Benito.

Heading south on Scott Street to The Esplanade, we turn west toward Yonge and come to Backstage On The Esplanade, a 36-storey 284-unit condo tower from Cityzen, Fernbrook Homes, and Castlepoint Numa. Designed by Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects, the finishing touches are being applied as the majority of the occupants have now moved in, so look for construction crews to clear the site in the coming months.

View from September 2016 of Backstage, from the Union Station GO Bus Terminal, image by Greg Lipinski

View of Backstage (left) and LTower (right), image by Forum contributor ADRM.

Across the street, Toronto's perennial candidate for longest construction project, Daniel Libeskind's L Tower makes yet another appearance in our annual Growth to Watch For series, we hope its last. Headed by Cityzen, Fernbrook Homes, and Castlepoint Numa, the finishing touches are still being applied to the base of the tower, while the small derrick on the roof awaits the building maintenance unit before being disassembled. Despite occupation of the building, and the recent opening of the exterior plaza, some work still needs to be done before declaring the L-Tower complete.

The L Tower amongst its neighbours, image by UT Forum contributor TheKingEast

* * *

Next up, our final Growth to Watch For story of 2017 will head south under the rail corridor and explore all of the development happening on Toronto's Central Waterfront. In the meantime, make sure to check out the dataBase files and associated Forum threads for each of the projects mentioned above for more information. You can tell us what you think of all the developments happening in the city by joining the discussions in the threads, or by leaving a comment in the space provided on this page!

Today's Photo of the Day features a skyline view of Toronto, captured from a high-rise in Etobicoke's Humber Bay Shores community. Submitted to the Sun Life Financial Tower & Harbour Plaza Residences Forum thread by contributor Keyz, this view shows the impact of the 67- and 63-storey Harbour Plaza Residences condominium towers.

Skyline viewed from a high-rise in Etobicoke's Humber Bay Shores area, image by Forum contributor Keyz

Want to see your work featured as Photo of the Day? Head over to the City Photos & Videos section of the Forum, or submit your images to our Instagram or UrbanToronto Flickr Pool for your chance to be featured on our Front Page! 

The TTC wants you to take a stand on its escalators; Toronto council approves new bylaw to protect tenants; City looking for public feedback on short-term rentals; and more news:

The TTC wants you to take a stand on its escalators (Toronto Star)

Growing an interest in urban forestry for Toronto women (Metro News)

Pressure Builds on Ontario Liberals for Urgently-Needed Rent Controls (Torontoist)

Toronto council approves new bylaw to protect tenants (Toronto Star)

City looking for public feedback on short-term rentals (Metro News)

Toronto City Council Votes Down Facts on Scarborough Transit (Torontoist)

Will Toronto's house prices crash like they did in the '90s? (CBC News)

Global news from our sister site, SkyriseCities.com:

Louvers as an Architectural Statement (Global)

New Video Tour Takes Us Inside the NorQuest Singhmar Centre for Learning (Edmonton)

Plans for Israel's Tallest Building Approved (Tel Aviv)

Bjarke Ingels Group Designs Panda Enclosure for Copenhagen Zoo (Copenhagen)

This week's Throwback Thursday highlights a recent major change on the block bounded by Jarvis, Isabella, and Huntley Streets, just south of the Bloor and Ted Rogers Way intersection. Restoration of the 1875-built William R. Johnston House fronting Jarvis Street (the back of which can be seen behind the scaffold on the right in the image below) began in 2014, for its incorporation into a new home for the Casey House HIV/AIDS care facility. Spring 2015 was a busy time in the project's earliest phases, with demolition of a former coach house at the rear of the property, the start of shoring activity, and a ceremonial ground breaking to mark the start of construction. Below, a view of the site from April 2015 faces southwest from the corner of Huntley and Isabella Streets, with a shoring rig and an excavator visible on site.

Casey House site viewed from the northeast, April 2015, image by Forum contributor Tuscani01

Fast forward to early-2017, and the four-storey, Hariri Pontarini Architects-designed facility is now having its finishing touches installed in advance of opening. The warm tones of the new building establish a relationship with the Victorian brickwork and masonry of the restored William R. Johnston House. A recent post in our Forum thread for the project reveals a closer look at the newly pristine mansion, as well as highlighting the various exterior finishing materials utilized for the modern addition's exterior.

Casey House site viewed from the northeast, March 2017, image by Alexander Vu

We will return next week with another look at the changing face of Toronto!

Toronto's suburban satellite cities have—for years now—been aiming to build new downtowns for themselves, adding a high-rise skyline to our wide-open 905 landscapes. While Mississauga's skyline now even fools some visitors to Pearson into thinking that they're seeing Downtown Toronto on the horizon, other places like Markham are earlier in the game. With a new subway station opening at the end of the year, developers in Vaughan have started on a Downtown for that city too, or what they call the "Vaughan Metropolitan Centre".

That's not the only area of Vaughan getting new high-rise density, though. A few kilometres north, two multi-tower developments are aiming to reshape the blocks south of the Jane Street and Rutherford Road intersection. Together, these projects will bring a minimum of five high-rise condominium towers to the area (pending future phases), replacing former greenfield sites with a major infusion of density.

Park Avenue Place (L) and Charisma Condos (R), images retrieved from Solmar/Greenpark

Just south of the Jane and Rutherford intersection, a large site on the east side of Jane Street is surrounded by hoarding bearing branding for Solmar Development Corporation's Park Avenue Place. The community's  three towers will all reach heights of 22 storeys, and feature a Postmodern-neo-Railway-Hotel influenced design by Graziani + Corazza Architects. Sales are well underway for the first two phases of this community—a nearby presentation centre is open north of Rutherford Road—while the early stages of excavation appear to be underway at the project site to the south.

View of the Park Avenue Place site in Vaughan, image by Jack Landau

Kitty corner from the Park Avenue Place site, the future site of Greenpark Homes' Charisma Condominiums sits waiting for future construction, fenced off with colourful hoarding advertising the 26- and 24-storey Kirkor Architects Planners-designed condominium towers. The once grassy expanse which separates Jane Street from the huge Vaughan Mills shopping centre has been cleared and graded in anticipation of its high-rise development.

View of the Charisma Condominiums site in Vaughan, image by Jack Landau

On the south side of the site, a single-storey presentation centre is now nearly complete, as registration for the project continues. 

Presentation centre for Charisma Condominiums, image by Jack Landau

As activity heats up in this part of Vaughan, the area immediately surrounding the future subway terminus to the south is witnessing a number of intensification projects. Just north of the Highway 7 and Jane Street intersection, excavation is well underway at the site of Plaza and Berkeley's The Met, a 35-storey, Quadrangle Architects-designed condominium development.

Excavation at the site of The Met, image by Jack Landau

Southeast of The Met, Cortel Group's completed Expo City 1 & 2 led the early charge to develop Vaughan's Downtown, standing as the first condominium towers to be built near the new transit hub. The two AJ Tregebov Architect-designed 37-storey towers will soon be joined by third phase of Expo City: Nord East. This development will bring two additional towers to the community, featuring a simplified design that mirrors the massing of the first two phases.

Expo City: Nord East, image via Cortel

Moving west away from Jane Street, the Gupta Group's Icona Condos will bring a pair of towers in the fifty-storey range to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. Further on, a major development is nearing structural completion on Highway 7 at Weston Road, just west of Highway 400. Liberty Development's Centro Square Condos & Shops is adding 30 and 33-storey condominium towers to the landscape, as well as a 10-storey office component. The Kirkor-designed development will be anchored to the Weston and Highway 7 intersection with ground floor retail frontages, helping to create a walkable street environment on a site previously occupied by a car dealership.

Centro Square Condos & Shops nearing structural completion, image by Jack Landau

Additional information and renderings for both projects mentioned in this article can be found in the project dataBase files linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment using the field provided at the bottom of this page.

A few months after construction hoarding was removed from the base of Neudorfer Corporation's Fuse2 Condos, the installation of exterior finishes is wrapping up for the second tower of the new community in Toronto's Emerson Wallace neighbourhood. Joining the recently completed 27-storey 'Fuse,' the second phase Fuse2 rises 23 storeys, and will soon add 286 new homes to the first phase's 290 completed units.

Fuse (L) and Fuse2 (R) viewed from the east on Lansdowne, image by Stefan Novakovic

When we last checked in on construction of the Barrett Architect-designed development's second phase back in January, hoarding had just been removed from the base of the second phase, while the installation of balcony glazing was just wrapping up. In the months since our last update, the exterior hoist used to move construction workers and materials has been disassembled and removed from the east face of the building, allowing the final elements of the envelope to be put in place.

Cladding installed on the east facade, where a construction hoist was recently in place, image by Stefan Novakovic

With the bulk of exterior finishes now completed, much of the construction at Fuse2 has shifted to the interiors. In anticipation of move-ins, the building's interior fit-out involves a number of trades working on various elements such as drywall, plumbing, electrical, and appliance installation.

Fuse2 viewed from the south, image by Stefan Novakovic

The almost 600 new homes contained within Fuse's two towers will be anchored to the street by a major retail and commercial component. Housed behind restored warehouse facades with frontages on both Dupont and Lansdowne, the 4,885 m² commercial/retail space will include a Metro grocery store and a Shoppers Drug Mart. 

Future retail frontage along Dupont Street, image by Stefan Novakovic

You can find additional information and renderings in our dataBase file for Fuse and Fuse2, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.

For thousands of Torontonians, being a tenant will soon be different. Passed yesterday by City Council, a new By-Law will give new protections to many Toronto tenants, with any building of three or more storeys and at least 10 units required to be operated by a licensed and registered landlord. Meanwhile, Council also voted to support Provincial legislation that would extend rent control to residences completed after 1991. 

The new regulations mean that landlords will have greater—and more transparent—legal responsibilities towards their tenants. Spelling out a clearer regulatory framework of landlord obligations, the new "By-Law for Apartment Buildings" sets out concrete guidelines covering a range of issues, including maintenance, security, waste management, general cleanliness, essential repairs, and pest control. 

Landlords will also be required to keep detailed records of repairs, services, and tenant requests, with the 24-month logs used to ensure adherence to the new regulations. Bringing greater oversight to landlord activity, the City will also be able to "conduct inspections, issue orders for compliance, take remedial action and take any other enforcement activities," the legislation notes.

Apartment towers in Toronto's densely populated St. James Town, image by UT Flickr contributor AshtonPal

In an effort to ensure effective long-term maintenance, landlords will also be required to have a state of good repair and capital plan, made available to the Municipal Standards and Licensing Committee. The MSLC will also be tasked with "conducting routine site visits and pre-audits of all buildings to determine whether the buildings are in compliance with this and all other City by-laws."

Coming into effect on July 1st, the By-Law was near-unanimously supported by Council, with a commanding vote of 40-1 carrying the resolution. The sole voice of dissent was Ward 7's Giorgio Mammoliti, who argued that the additional resources necessary for landlords to meet the new standards would inevitably be passed on as increased costs to tenants. By contrast, the majority of Councillors celebrated a By-Law that seeks to improve living conditions city-wide and bring oversight to negligent landlords.

Alongside the new By-Law for Apartment Buildings, Council voted to support a private member's bill coming before Provincial parliament. Tabled by NDP MPP Peter Tabuns, the proposed bill would expand Ontario's rent control legislation to include units completed after 1991.

As it stands, the so-called '1991 loophole' means that annual rent increases for more recently constructed units are not capped. Rental apartments that were first occupied before 1991 are subject to strictly regulated maximum annual rent increases. For 2017, the annual increase is capped at 1.5%, with each year's maximum based on the Consumer Price Index. While a new rate can be set after a tenant moves out—since rent controls are tied to leases, not units—ongoing occupants are protected from steep year-to-year rent increases.

Brought into effect under Progressive Conservative Premier Mike Harris, the dissolution of rent controls for units built after November of 1991 was meant to spur greater development. In making rental development more profitable in the long-term—since property managers can continue to increase prices—the removal of rent controls was intended to ease supply constraints, and thereby promote overall affordability. The basic rationale behind the legislation was that a greater infusion of supply would temper demand pressure, meaning that overall rents would rise at a slower rate. 

While greater infusions of supply can help provide an easier foothold into the market for new renters, the lack of rent control has very obvious—and often severe—drawbacks for existing tenants. If the market rises sharply year-to-year, then current tenants can often find themselves priced out of the units they already occupy. This is the case in Toronto, where record price growth has put significant pressure on the market, creating precarious affordability problems for renters of newer units, which include the growing number of privately leased condos on the secondary rental market.

Condo units form an increasing proportion of the rental market, image by UT Flickr contributor Brady Baker

Carried by a vote of 32-11, the motion to support the Provincial legislation proved somewhat more contentious than the new By-Law for Apartment Buildings. This time, Mammoliti was joined by a larger contingent of right-leaning Councillors, including Mike Ford and Denzin Minnan-Wong, as well as Mayor John Tory. 

While the Council vote has no legal weight in terms of influencing Provincial policy, the vote was intended to send a message to the Provincial Parliament, underlining the City's crisis of housing affordability. Nonetheless, a similar motion to pressure the Provincial Government to extend rent controls passed near-unanimously at City Council in 2013, yielding little tangible result. 

According to Ontario Housing Minister Chris Ballard, however, the Province now aims to implement updated rent control guidelines for newer units, addressing the approximately 110,000 Ontarians who currently live in units without rent controls of any kind. Since the pending legislation has not yet been tabled, however, the extent to which these issues will be addressed remains unclear. 

We will keep you updated as more information becomes available, and the Municipal and Provincial policies continue to take shape. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a comment in the space below this page, or add your voice to the ongoing conversation in our Forum. 

As residents continue moving in to Plaza's Musée Condos, public realm improvements are adding to the street-level environment surrounding the 17-storey Quadrangle Architects-designed condominium. Along the Adelaide Street West frontage of the building's seven-storey podium, two retail spaces are currently for lease, and will eventually add a commercial presence to the street level.

Base of Musée Condos, image by Jack Landau

Towards the east end of the building's podium, a sheltered galleria will connect pedestrians and cyclists on Adelaide with a new 8,000 ft² landscaped public park to the south. In the past few weeks, a protective tarpaulin covering the galleria's Adelaide Street entrance was removed, revealing a view down the barrel of this illuminated space.

Musée Condos' ground level galleria, image by Jack Landau

A combination of copper-hued metal cladding and alternating strips of lighting take on an undulating form, punctuated by a series of sculptural columns. The space is currently lined by two rows of windows, with the west row allowing views into and from both the lobby and party room spaces. The east windows will eventually feature artworks, adding more visual interest to an already striking public space.

Musée Condos' ground level galleria, image by Jack Landau

A brief video of the galleria and surrounding streetscape in their current states helps to provide a better illustration of the both the galleria's undulating effect as well as its surrounding context.

At the galleria's south end, the site of the future public park is in a state of flux. Crews recently tore up the paved surface, which was used as a staging area during the project's construction. With the tower now practically complete aside for some remaining interior finishes, the bulk of exterior construction activity has now shifted to preparing the park space. The image below shows the current state of construction, with the galleria passage in the background. Fronting a short north-south roadway known as Adelaide Place, the park's somewhat cloistered location will be complemented by a conspicuous connection to Adelaide Street, hopefully bringing greater activity to the site.

Future park at the rear of Musée Condos, image by Jack Landau

Additional information and renderings can be found in the project's dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment using the field provided at the bottom of this page.

Today's Photo of the Day features a view of two new condominium towers under construction in Toronto's South Core area. Submitted to our Flickr Pool by Lori Whelan, this view of Menkes Developments'Harbour Plaza Residences highlights the architectsAlliance-designed condominium development's striking balcony arrangements.

Harbour Plaza Residences, image by Lori Whelan via Flickr

Want to see your work featured as Photo of the Day? Head over to the City Photos & Videos section of the Forum, or submit your images to our Instagram or UrbanToronto Flickr Pool for your chance to be featured on our Front Page! 

Rental bikes rolling into Toronto's Beaches; Canadian court approves bid for Trump tower in Toronto; Toronto City Council approves next steps for "Scarborough Subway"; and more news:

Rental bikes rolling into Toronto's Beaches (Metro News)

TTC installing new elevator at St Patrick Station, starting April 1 (Transit Toronto)

Canadian court approves bid for Trump tower in Toronto (Metro News)

Toronto’s New Apartment Bylaw Aims to Protect Tenants and Crack Down On Bad Landlords (Torontoist)

How a family bid $150K under the top offer on an Oakville home — and got the sale (Metro News)

Toronto City Council approves next steps for "Scarborough Subway"(Transit Toronto)

Politics Should Be Removed from Transit Planning (Torontoist)

Global news from our sister site, SkyriseCities.com:

Doha's Explosive Growth in the Past Decade (Doha)

Dundee's Kengo Kuma-Designed Museum Resembles the Cliffs of Scotland (Dundee)

Target Sets its Sights on Hell's Kitchen (New York)

In the two months since our last update on the construction of Allied Properties REIT and RioCan's King Portland Centre, the mixed-use Hariri Pontarini Architects-designed project on King Street West has progressed significantly. Crews have begun forming the south end of the building's ground floor, with the project now set to begin making an impact above grade. 

The development will contribute a mix of commercial and residential space; the north end of the site will feature 15 storeys of residential space, while 13 storeys of office commercial will rise on the south half of the site. The lower ceilings of residential floors compared to commercial levels mean that the 13- and 15-storey volumes will reach similar heights.  

 Ground floor being poured for the King Portland Centre, image by Jack Landau

This week, a procession of concrete trucks idled along the site's King Street frontage, feeding concrete into crane-mounted buckets and pouring them onto a waiting rebar cage that will reinforce the floor slab. Vertically-protruding bundles of rebar mark the sites where supporting columns will continue to rise through the levels to come.

A bucket of concrete in motion at the King Portland Centre site, image by Jack Landau

Seen below, the north side of the site still has some distance to go before catching up with the at-grade southern portion, where work is still in full swing on the three-level underground parking garage. It will provide the building with 185 parking spaces and 235 bicycle parking spaces. 

North end of the King Portland Centre site, image by Jack Landau

Above the parking levels, the building will include a major contribution of 255,565 ft² of office space to the supply in the King West area—with Shopify set to anchor with 112,000 ft² of space—while 13,035 ft² of new retail space will front onto King and new mid-block walkways.

Facing southeast across the King Portland Centre site, image by Jack Landau

With the first portion of the site's footprint now at street level, the next major element in the project's construction will be the forming of the King Portland Centre's five-storey base. Clad in red brick, these podium levels will establish a dialogue with the surrounding historic warehouse structures. Above, the set-back tower levels of the office component will feature a reflective, curved curtain wall glazing system. To the north, the residential component fronting onto Adelaide Street West will be framed in a solid white cladding material, punctuated by vertical piers.

King Portland Centre, image courtesy of Allied REIT/RioCan

The King Portland Centre is currently scheduled for an early 2019 completion. In the meantime, additional information can be found in our dataBase file for the King Portland Centre, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.

Arriving at Etobicoke's Williwbrook GO yard by train, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne chose a purposeful location to announce funding for transit in the Greater Toronto Area, with a Federal investment of slightly over $1.8 billion earmarked towards GO Transit's Regional Express Rail.

The Prime Minister and Premier arrive, image via pm.gc.ca

Drawing from the New Building Canada Fund established in 2014, the contribution to GO RER represents the "the single largest transit project in which the federal government has ever invested‎,"according to the PMO. The new Federal funding contributes to what the Province cites as a "$21.3 billion transformation of the GO network."

Alongside $7.8 billion worth of improvements to the existing network and extensions of regular train service to Niagara and Bowmanville, the lion's share of the ongoing GO network investment—totalling some $13.5 billion—will go towards the implementation of GO RER.

The new Federal funding specifically targets the GO RER project, with the investment set to be geared to help "build new track, upgrade stations and create grade separations along the Kitchener, Barrie and Lakeshore corridors," according to the Province. 

The GO RER electrification plan, image via Metrolinx

In total, the GO RER project will add 12 new stations and all-day express service to parts of the regional network, with five lines set to be electrified and served by new electric multiple unit (EMU) train sets. Targeting core areas of the regional network, the GO RER electrification will bring two-way, all-day 15-minute service to much of the Lakeshore West, Lakeshore East, Kitchener, Barrie, and Stouffville lines. 

An overview of GO RER benefits, image via Metrolinx

According to Trudeau, the new transportation infrastructure will be a key element in shaping the growing region's sustainable development. "More families are choosing to settle in communities like Etobicoke – communities that allow parents to work in the big city, and allow kids to ride their bikes on the street. These communities are growing at a rapid rate, and investment in public transit needs to keep pace. That is why we’re investing in the GO rail network and over 300 additional projects in Ontario to reduce commute times, decrease air pollution, and improve the lives of millions of Ontarians.”

The 312 additional initiatives cited by the Prime Minister are made up of much smaller transportation project throughout the Province, with the Federal government pleading some $200 million to fund 50% of costs. 

We will keep you updated as more information becomes available, and the implementation of GO RER continues to take shape. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a comment in the space on this page, or add your voice to the ongoing conversation in our GO Electrification Forum thread. 

As part of its efforts to meet the Province's Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act of 2005, the TTC's Easier Access Plan is in the process of improving accessibility across Toronto's buses, streetcars, and rapid transit hubs. With a number of these projects already underway, work will start this weekend on adding new elevators to St Patrick Station on the University line.

St Patrick Station, image by Howard Yang Photography via Flickr

Two elevators are being installed to serve the Downtown station; one leading down to the station concourse from street level (this one will be inside the Residences of 488 University Avenue, now under construction at the northeast corner of University and Dundas), and a second elevator connecting the concourse with platform level below.

A simple breakdown of the project's components, image via the TTC

While the northwest entrance’s elevator within the new development will provide minimal disruption to street traffic, the concourse-to-platform elevator will require the use of University Avenue’s centre median as a staging and work site, and will cause some disruptions.

Centre median with 488 University site in the background, image by Forum contributor steveve

To facilitate the construction, the pedestrian crossing on the north side of Dundas at University is temporarily closing, and median lanes on University will be closed to traffic. The intersection's north traffic island on University Avenue will remain closed for the duration of construction, and pedestrian traffic to and from the station will be assisted by TTC customer service ambassadors: some people may want to cross University by walking through the station, while all others will have to cross on the south side of the intersection.

Construction plan for St Patrick Station, image courtesy of the TTC

In addition to improving accessibility within the station, the project will enhance St Patrick Station with new wayfinding, security, and public art.

A video featuring TTC CEO Andy Byford and Executive Director of Corporate Communications Brad Ross has also been released, explaining the specifics of the station's upgrades and how they will affect movement at street level.

A schedule posted by the TTC outlines the planned dates of upcoming Easier Access upgrades between 2017 and 2025. The 31 station retrofits are required to meet the Province's Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act of 2005, which mandates improved accessibility for all public establishments, including public transportation systems. The St. Patrick accessibility project targets a 2018 completion. 

You can follow along with the various transportation and infrastructure upgrades around the Greater Toronto Area by visiting our dedicated Forum section. Have an opinion about the accessibility upgrades for St Patrick Station? Share your opinion using the comments section provided at the bottom of this page.

A new mid-rise will soon rise above Robertson Davies Park, in between Toronto's Summerhill and Yorkville neighbourhoods. Over 70% of the 36 luxury condominium units offered at Brandy Lane Homes'The Davies have now been spoken for, with construction set to begin this year for the 9-storey, SMV Architects-designed condo on Avenue Road just north of Dupont.

The Davies, image courtesy of Brandy Lane Homes

With the majority of the building's units sold and only a limited selection of suites remaining, construction is slated to commence in mid-2017. Prior to construction, the project's presentation centre, which currently occupies the future footprint of the mid-rise building, will be removed. The next step will be the start of shoring, where an earth retention system will be installed around the perimeter of the site, allowing for a safe excavation of the building's three-level underground parking garage, which is set to contain 85 parking spaces.

The Davies sales centre as seen in 2016, image by Jack Landau

The project's remaining suites range in size between 1,163 ft² and 2,900 ft², and include features like private elevator entries and generously-sized living spaces designed to accommodate 10-person dining tables. Suites at The Davies will feature interiors appointed by Lukas Design, offering custom kitchens with 30" appliances, as well as 10' and 11' ceiling heights throughout principal living spaces. 

Kitchen at The Davies, image courtesy of Brandy Lane Homes

Residents at The Davies will have access to amenities including a 24-hour concierge, a fitness centre, a party room, a conference room, a dog-wash station, and a guest suite. A significant outdoor amenity area will be located atop the 9th floor roof, featuring landscaping by NAK Design Group. This terrace will feature outdoor seating, a fully stocked bar, a private sun-bathing and reading area, and a social lounge space.

Rooftop amenity at The Davies, image courtesy of Brandy Lane Homes

For more information, including project facts and renderings, make sure to take a look at our dataBase file, linked below. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page, or join in the discussion in our associated Forum threads.

A new eastern bookend to Toronto's popular Queen West shopping district is now rising above its neighbours on the south side of the street, just west of Osgoode Station. Construction of Urban Capital and Malibu Investments' Smart House commenced back back in Spring 2015, with the shoring and excavation phases preparing the site for the forming of the 25-storey building's underground parking garage. By mid-October 2016, the parking levels had been fully formed, with the project then sitting at grade. In the months since, the architectsAlliance-designed development has begun to make a more conspicuous impact on Queen Street West.

Smart House viewed from the east on Queen Street, image by Edward Skira

Following the completion of the podium's fourth level earlier this year, work has moved on to the tower floors. A thick transfer slab visible at the top of the podium will serve as a tabletop for the residential floors above. With repeating floorplates on the tower levels, workers will be able to develop a rhythm of forming and pouring floors at a comparatively faster pace than the unique lower levels, meaning we can expect plenty of progress in the coming months. Currently, the building stands six storeys over Queen Street West, with work underway on the second level of the tower.

Smart House rising above Queen Street, image by Edward Skira

With a wealth of amenities both in the building and the surrounding neighbourhood, residents of Smart House's micro-condominium suites will have no trouble finding leisure spaces with plenty of social vitality. While the units themselves are very compact—some as small as 276 ft²—the Swiss Army knife-inspired built-in furnishings are designed to maximize floor area. 

Looking south towards Smart House in its urban context, image courtesy of Urban Capital

The residential levels will be anchored to Queen West by the four-level podium, which will contain retailers on levels 1 and 2, and 16,000 ft² of Class A office space on levels 3 and 4. Level 4 will also house the building's residential amenities, which will include an outdoor terrace, a fitness centre, and a lounge with show kitchen.

Amenities at Smart House, image courtesy of Urban Capital

Want to know more about Smart House? UrbanToronto's dataBase file, linked below, includes plenty of renderings and additional information. Want to talk about the project? You can leave a comment in the field provided on this page, or join in on the conversation in our associated Forum threads.

This is it! After three months worth of our Growth To Watch For 2017stories, we have arrived at the twenty-first and final instalment in the series. Having finished up in the Downtown Core at the L Tower in our most recent instalment, we're now going to head south and cover Toronto's Waterfront to finish up our city-wide tour. We will start by moving west from the Union Station area along Bremner and Fort York boulevards, then turn and head east again along Queens Quay and Harbour Street, eventually following Cherry Street into the Port Lands. Let's begin!

The boundary of the Central Waterfront Map, image via Apple Maps

Across Yonge Street from the L Tower is the Union Station GO Bus Terminal. Its north side is defined by the Dominion Public Building, a Beaux Arts structure that was recently sold by the federal government to Larco Investments of Vancouver for $275 million, so there will be some proposal to consider for that site in the future, but we already know what's planned for the bus terminal itself… we're just not sure when it's happening.

UrbanToronto readers have been anxiously waiting to hear when Hines and Ivanhoe Cambridge plan to begin construction on Bay Park Centre. Set in two phases and designed by Wilkinson Eyre and Adamson Associates Architects, the first phase is actually on Bay south of the rail corridor. Replacing the surface parking lot directly east of the Air Canada Centre (ACC), it will feature a 49-storey office tower, a landscaped bridge over the rail corridor, and a new GO Bus Terminal for Metrolinx. The second phase can go ahead once the bus terminal has moved. It will include an office tower rising 54 storeys, and will enlarge the park bridge over the rail corridor. Both phases will connect to the growing PATH system, extending it east of Union Station. We await an announcement on the start of the first tower.

Rendering of Bay Park Centre, image courtesy of Ivanhoe Cambridge

Across Bay Street from the Bay Park Centre site, we pass through the Air Canada Centre atrium, where on the north side, work will continue through the year and into 2018 to create the new PATH connections to Union Station and beyond. Emerging onto Bremner Boulevard to the west of the ACC, we continue to York Street where on the southwest corner is one more surface parking lot waiting for an office tower. For this one, however, things are just about to get underway. 

It was announced just a couple weeks ago that Cadillac Fairview is foregoing first signing a lead tenant, and instead building 16 York on spec. Given Toronto's red hot office market, CF is confident that the office tower, given its prime location, will not struggle to find tenants. Construction on the architectsAlliance and B+H Architects-designed office tower is set to begin in the first week of July. Once complete, the 32-storey, almost 900,000 square foot tower will fill in the last parcel of land in the heart of Toronto's burgeoning South Core. The team is aiming LEED Platinum classification here. 

Updated rendering of 16 York, image courtesy of Cadillac Fairview

Part of the 16 York plan is an extension of the PATH system, connecting the mixed-use Maple Leaf Square development (and the wider system) with Ïce Condominiums and Infinity via the new office tower. Digging the tunnel for the PATH is expected to close York Street south of Bremner for some months. This should occur during the same period that the City is having the York-Bay-Yonge off-ramps from the Gardiner eastbound demolished, taking advantage of the diverted traffic patterns to limit the additional closure's impact. Traffic in the South Core area this Summer construction season will, nevertheless, be pretty crazy.

While all of the above is taking place, the final touches are being applied at Ïce Condominiums. Also designed by architectsAlliance, the majority of work remains on the outdoor courtyard that fronts onto Grand Trunk Crescent, while the retail build-out of the Lanterra Developments' project seems to be waiting for the PATH connection too. 

Ïce Condominiums, image by Jack Landau

Moving west along Bremner, we arrive at Ripley's Aquarium of Canada. Since its opening back in 2014, the aquarium has been a big hit in the already entertainment-fuelled area, and rumours persist of an expansion. Designed by B+H Architects, Ripley's Aquarium is one of the largest ten in North America, and an expansion would move it up the list. Given the tightness of the land available for expansion, it is speculated that expansion would take place on the north side and incorporate the west end of the Skywalk. Another expansion option would be to coordinate new space with a rebuild of portions of Oxford's Metro Toronto Convention Centre, adjacent to the east, or possibly over the the rail corridor to the north.

Rendering of Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, image courtesy of Ripley Entertainment

To the north of the Aquarium, the CN Tower has something up its sleeves. While some construction is underway at the Tower currently, the company is only willing to say that it involves "upgrades to our observation level that will provide improved accessibility and an exciting new perspective on the view – coming June 2017."

Across the plaza from the Aquarium, the Rogers Centre, constructed between 1986 and 1989, is undergoing some concrete rehabilitation and waterproofing this year, but we expect to hear about much more to come in the next few years. The Rod Robbie-designed complex, innovative at the time of its construction, and especially for its signature telescoping roof, has been criticized in recent years for its increasingly out-of-date facilities, and lack of a ballpark feel. Mark Shapiro, President and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays, stated in December 2016 that there would be renovation plans announced sometime this Spring, which fans are now eagerly anticipating.

Concrete rehabilitation underway at the Rogers Centre, image by Greg Lipinski

Directly across the street, two adjacent buildings are changing. The John Street Roundhouse, heritage railway infrastructure which has been home to the Steam Whistle Brewery and the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre for several years now, will be getting a new tenant in place of the Leon's furniture store which closed in 2016. Cineplex is opening an entertainment facility this summer named The Rec Room, which, as it is going into an historic structure, will be treading lightly upon the building, adding nothing that cannot be removed without leaving the timbers intact. Immediately next door though, Toronto Hydro is closing in on completion of their new Downtown Toronto substation to be known as the Clare R. Copeland Transformer Station. The new facility will alleviate the strain on the current Windsor substation at Wellington and John streets, and allow Hydro to cope with the new residential growth. Designed by the IBI Group, completion of the station is slated for 2018, two years after its original completion target. 

Copeland Transformer Station under construction in February 2017, image by Craig White

Continuing west on Bremner we enter the Concord CityPlace area, and we soon arrive at Spadina, where on the northeast corner, Concord Adex is planning to replace their presentation centre with a high-rise development. Known as Block 22, a settlement between the City and developers was reached last year. The Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects-designed towers were initially proposed at heights of 79 and 68 storeys, though negotiations resulted in a decrease to 59 for east building, and an increase to 69 storeys high for the west. The two towers—which Concord Alex has not begun to market yet—will sit on a shared 10-storey podium, adding over 1,360 residential units to the centre of the CityPlace neighbourhood. 

2014 Rendering of Block 22, image courtesy of Concord Adex

Continuing west, Bremner become Fort York Boulevard, and we find ourselves at the southwest corner with Brunel Court. While Block 22 will be the final residential development at CityPlace, Block 31 is also yet to be developed, but its start date is approaching. The site will be the future home to Public elementary and Catholic elementary schools, each benefitting from the facilities of a conjoined community centre also to be built on the site, all designed by ZAS Architects and The Planning Partnership. The building's roof will be used for programming, blending in spots into the landscape, including into Canoe Landing Park to the immediate west. Work is expected to begin shortly, with the Fall 2018 school year targeted for opening. Once Blocks 22 and 31 are complete, the entire site of CityPlace will be built out, about two decades after construction first began. 

Rendering of Block 32, image courtesy of the City of Toronto

Back on Fort York Boulevard, we're continuing further west. On the south side past Queens Wharf Road a trio of condos are under construction. All designed by Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects, we first see Exchange Condos. This eight-storey building topped off last year, and cladding is now underway. Expected to open later this year, Exchange will house 84 residential units. 

Exchange Condos under construction in February 2017, image by Forum contributor PMT

To the south of Exchange, Forward Condos is rising closer to its final height of 30 storeys just north of the Gardiner. Once complete, it will house 352 condominium units. At the west end of the block is Newton. This building has now topped-off at 18 storeys, and the 189-unit condo is expected to begin occupancy in late 2017. Cladding is rising up both towers.

Forward (middle background) and Newton (right) under construction in February, image by Forum contributor NGBTect

Across Fort York Boulevard to the north is Toronto' 99th public library. North of it, landscape architects Public Work have designed a community green space to be named Mouth of the Creek Park, recalling the site being the former location of Garrison Creek's entry into Lake Ontario. No news has surfaced in over a year regarding the status, but if construction were to begin this year, it would coincide with the Garrison Crossing bridge construction to the west of Fort York. Completing this park as well would close a gap in pedestrian and cycle path connections between parks to the west and CityPlace's North Linear Park. Given Mouth of the Creek Park's adjacency to the proposed Rail Deck Park, it will be interesting to see how the two parks interface in the future. 

Mouth of the Creek Park on the left, Block 36N on the right, image from Zeidler and Public Work

To the east of the proposed park, Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) has plans for a building with 80 affordable rental homes on what is known as Block 36 North. Last year Dominus Capital won the contract to build the Zeidler Partnership Architects-designed building, which is anticipated to begin construction later this year.

Following Fort York Boulevard further west, we come to where it crosses under the Gardiner Expressway. It was near the end of 2015 when a proposal to activate the land under the Gardiner here—turning it into a unique urban park—was made public. In the time since, planning for The Bentway has progressed, and construction work is slated to begin on April 6th. The much anticipated project will reclaim 1.75 kilometres of space beneath the elevated highway, spanning from Strachan Avenue initially to Bathurst. A collaboration of the City of Toronto, Waterfront Toronto, and with $25 million seed money from philanthropists Judy & Wil Matthews, the space is being designed by Public Work and Greenberg Consultants. The intention is to have the first phase of it open on June 5th, 2018. 

Rendering of The Bentway, image courtesy of Waterfront Toronto

Moving north across the historic grounds at Fort York and Garrison Common, we come to where phase two is set to begin in a few days on Garrison Crossing. Construction here will run through July, and will include installation of bridge structures, steel assembly, and pouring of the bridge deck. Phase three will run from August to September, completing South Stanley Park, as well as the trail systems. Teams involved in the project include engineering firms Pedelta and AECOM, while DTAH are the landscape architects. Once open, the new trails will connect from Wellington Street south across two sets of tracks and through parks to Fort York Boulevard, and on to the Waterfront Trail.

Rendering of Garrison Crossing, image courtesy of the City of Toronto

Just south of the Gardiner here, sales are underway for the IBI Group-designed Fortune at Fort York. The Onni Group and the City reached a settlement for a 24-storey condo here at the OMB, reduced eight storeys from the initial ask of 32. Once complete, the 459 residential units here will be the last to join the Fort York neighbourhood west of Bathurst.

Rendering of Fortune at Fort York, image courtesy of the Onni Group

A block to the east across Bathurst Street, excavation is nearing completion for West Block Est. 1928, a mixed-use development of retail and offices with a pari of condominium towers dubbed The Lakeshore, and The Lakefront. Being built by a partnership of Loblaws, Choice Properties REIT, Whittington Properties Limited, and Concord Adex, the project will include the reconstruction of the 1928 Loblaws Building walls, while adding three storeys to the top, space intended as a headquarters for Joe Fresh. On the first two levels of the building will be a 50,000 square foot Loblaws grocery store, and addition retail. The residential towers by Concord will reach 37 and 41 storeys with a total of 840 residential units. Construction will be ongoing throughout 2017 and 2018, with an expected completion in 2019 for the Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects, architectsAlliance and ERA Architects-designed project. 

Rendering of West Block Est. 1928, image courtesy of Concord Adex/Choice Property REIT

From here we head south on Bathurst, cross Lake Shore Boulevard, and turn east at Queens Quay. If Toronto's Waterfront Trail cyclists are lucky, this will be the year that the end of the Portland Slip will be rebuilt to provide both a full-width Waterfront Trail and pedestrian walkway through an area which is currently a pinch point on the popular trail.

Further east, it's east of Spadina where we run into our next development. Retirement Concepts'The Quay, Tower Three is currently at the OMB arguing for a 29-storey Quadrangle Architects-designed rental tower between the existing east and west 21-storey towers. The City believes the proposal is "too-big, too-tall," and that it will block some important views to the 553 metre CN Tower. Plans for The Quay also include an improvement to the ground realm and the water's edge here.

Rendering of The Quay, Tower Three, image courtesy of Retirement Concepts

Continuing our trip east, we move one block north to Lake Shore Blvd, where pillars for the new Lower Simcoe ramp have been under construction since July 2016. Part of a larger undertaking, the full job includes the removal of the York/Bay/Yonge off ramps from the Gardiner, and their replacement with a new shorter ramp. Closure of the ramps will begin on April 17th. Through July and August, the bulk of the replacement ramp will be set up. A new park where the spiral ramp is currently to the southeast of Harbour and York Streets, will begin construction in the beginning of 2018. Along with the shorter ramp, Harbour Street will be rebuilt to accommodate more traffic, including bicycle traffic is separated lanes. This project will cap off the urban renewal transformation within the SouthCore neighbourhood.

Rendering of Harbour and York with the ramp removed, image courtesy of the City of Toronto

Situated kitty corner from the new park, Tridel's Ten York is making an ever-greater impact on the SouthCore skyline. Designed by Wallman Architects, the building is about three quarters of the way to its final height, with the installation of a combination of curtain wall, aluminum panel, and window wall sections trailing behind by a dozen floors. Targeted for completion in 2018, the development will add 725 residential units to the burgeoning SouthCore, while reaching 65 storeys and 224 metres (735 feet), similar in height to its neighbours to the north and east.

Ten York under construction in March 2017, image by Marcus Mitanis

Directly across York Street is the Sun Life Financial Tower & Harbour Plaza Residences from Menkes and HOOPP. Office tenants have been filing the recently completed Sweeny &Co-designed office tower, while construction is still ongoing for the retail podium, and for the architectsAlliance-designed residential towers. Having been topped-out for a few months now, cladding of the buildings' envelopes has reached completion, while only a few levels of the white perforated aluminum balcony guards remain to the installed. The staggered balconies have been a particular favourite of UrbanToronto photographers and readers over the last year. With completion targeted for late 2017, the project will add 1,313 residential units to the area. Announcements regarding the retail are promised in the next few months. It is known that a food hall and a gym will be going into much of the space that was originally intended for a Target store.

Sun Life Financial & Harbour Plaza Residences under construction in March 2017, image by Greg Lipinski

Immediately east of Harbour Plaza, Oxford Properties has plans for a 45-storey office tower at 30 Bay Street. While only an early concept rendering was ever been released of a Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates designed tower, a 2016 report stated that Oxford is studying the capital required to construct the office tower. Just to the northeast across the Gardiner, the south tower at the Bay Park Centre did not require rezoning, suggesting that only a Site Plan application may be necessary here too, but the key will be securing tenants: 30 Bay is among several towers poised to rise into the skyline once tenants are found. Any development here will have to take into account the heritage Toronto Harbour Commission Building on the southwest corner of the site, home to Ports Toronto. The six-storey building is celebrating its centennial this year.

Early rendering of 30 Bay Street, image courtesy of Oxford Properties

To the south of the Bay Street terminus, Waterfront Toronto is currently looking for funding options while the design for the new Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park continues to evolve through planning. Current funding will allow the first stage of upgrades to the walkway from Queens Quay to the ferry terminal to be constructed this year.

Winning entry for the new Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, image courtesy of Waterfront Toronto

Immediately north of the ferry terminal, the site of the Westin Harbour Castle was put on the market last Summer at a price in the $350-400 million range. The sale includes the attached convention centre on the north side of Queens Quay. There has been much speculation as to how the sites might be redeveloped should the sale go through.

A block to the east, we arrive at the Toronto Star office building. The property, famously at 1 Yonge Street, was bought several years ago by Pinnacle International, and they have been negotiating with the City since to come to a final plan for the site. A settlement hearing with the OMB was scheduled for yesterday, March 30th, so we expect to be reporting on a positive outcome shortly, all "t"s crossed and "i"s dotted. Planned here is a mixed-use community, with five new towers designed by Hairiri Pontarini Architects and ranging in height from 39 storeys to a supertall 96-storey "signature tower." The project includes a wide range of uses including office space, hotel, retail, affordable rentals, condominiums, and new community centre. The new public facilities are coming, as thousands of new residents will call this area home in a decade's time: 2,171 residential units are proposed for the site, with more close by. Harbour Street will extended to the east through the site.

Revised rendering of 1 - 7 Yonge, image courtesy of Hariri Pontarini Architects

Just across Queens Quay to the south, excavation has begun at Fernbrook Homes and Cityzen Development Group's Tower at Pier 27. The second phase of the architectsAlliance-designed Pier 27 development, construction will continue throughout the next two years. Once complete, the 35-storey condo with markedly angled balconies will feature retail at grade, while 336 residential units will be placed above. Completing this tower will allow the City to then complete the park along the east side of the Yonge Street Slip, adding to Toronto's growing network of waterfront green spaces. 

Rendering of Tower at Pier 27, image courtesy of Cityzen Development/Fernbrook Homes

Just to the northeast are the 7.5 acre LCBO lands. Purchased from the Ontario Government in May 2016, Menkes has filed for Zoning Bylaw Amendments for the whole site, and Site Plan Approval for two of the four blocks, being the northeast quadrant at 95 Lake Shore Boulevard East with 79 and 80-storey residential towers, and the southeast quadrant at 100 Queens Quay East with a 24-storey office tower which will serve as the new headquarters of the LCBO. Both blocks will have retail at ground level, including a flagship LCBO store, and be connected to the PATH system. B+H Architects is the designer of the LCBO Tower, while architectsAlliance is designing the rest of the buildings on the site. The LCBO Tower will be the first building to be constructed, as its completion will allow the existing buildings on the west side of the site to be vacated, then variously demolished or modified for redevelopment of the following phases.

Rendering of the LCBO office tower, image courtesy of B+H Architects

Concept rendering of 95 Lake Shore Boulevard East, courtesy of architectsAlliance

The following phases on the west side include three towers proposed on the northwest block—two of them 89-storey supertalls along with a 75-storey condo, and a new public park taking up most of the southwest block, its north side lined with a low-rise retail building, aiming to put patios along the park edge. In the podium levels of the northwest block, a new public school is proposed, in addition to retail and a fitness facility. The whole of the development would be connected to the PATH system, while the extension of Harbour Street through the Pinnacle lands to the west would continue through the entirety of this site.

The next property to the east is the Queens Quay Loblaws. It will very likely remain in place for several more years, but is anticipated to eventually be redeveloped as well.

Located across Lower Jarvis Street from Loblaws is the Daniels Waterfront - City of the Arts site, now well into construction. A mixed-use complex consisting of retail, office, residential, and institutional space for George Brown College (OCAD U is also expected to finalize plans here shortly), The Daniels Corporation is transforming the former site of the Guvernment and Kool Haus dance clubs. Divided by a pedestrian retail mews, construction has reached the eighth level of the south phase, a commercial office and institutional block which will rise to 14 storeys on the west and 11 storeys on the east. Installation of red brick panel cladding has begun on the lower levels. The phase north of the pedestrian retail mews is to be a pair residential towers of 48 and 36 storeys and 867 suites, rising from a podium with more institutional uses. This side is currently being excavated. Architects working on the project include RAW Design, Giannone Petricone Associates, and Rafael + Bigauskas. 

Phase 1 of Daniels at the Waterfront - City of the Arts under construction in March, image by Forum contributor skycandy

Across Queens Quay to the south, Menkes won a Waterfront Toronto (WT) competition to develop the an office complex aimed at attracting high tech firms. To be knows as the Waterfront Innovation Centre, it will replace the parking lot between Queens Quay and the Corus Quay office building to the south. An initial design was unveiled just over two years ago, though it underwent a drastic redesign after being deemed too similar to Ryerson's Student Learning Centre by the WT Design Review Panel. Subsequently, Sweeny &Co Architects have presented a simplified design for the 350,000 square foot facility, proposing to split in two buildings joined by an overhead walkway, with retail situated at street level. The new design is up for further revision and is looking for tenants.

Updated rendering of the Waterfront Innovation Centre, image courtesy of Menkes Developments

East of the Daniels Waterfront site, and north of the Waterfront Innovation Centre site is the block bounded by Richardson Street, Queens Quay, Lower Sherbourne Street, and Lake Shore Boulevard East. The northern two-thirds of the block is currently a FedEx facility, and FedEx are preparing to move east in Toronto's Port Lands later this year. Major Chinese developer the Greenland Group has purchased the FedEx site for just over $166 million. Given the price, it is likely we will see a mixed-use residential development proposed—similar in scope to the adjacent Daniels project—later this year. The three properties of the southern third of the block fronting Queens Quay remain quiet for the time being.

East of Lower Sherbourne Street, things are hopping.

Bordering Sherbourne Common on the north side is Monde, by Great Gulf Homes, on its way to 44 storeys, and set to be home to 552 residential units, with retail at grade. Construction on the mixed-use condo designed by Moshe Safdie and Quadrangle Architects has recently progressed beyond the nine-storey podium to the tower floor plates, while the first pieces of precast cladding have also recently appeared on the lower levels. This project is targeted to open in 2018. 

Monde under construction in March 2017, image by Forum contributor skycandy

To the south of Queens Quay is a trio of developments by Tridel and Hines that are making an impact at the water's edge. First up, cladding has reached substantial completion on Aqualina at Bayside, immediately south of Monde. Designed by Arquitectonica and Kirkor Architects, the 13-storey condo will bring 363 residential units to the area, with retail at grade, and a opening through the building linking Sherbourne Common with the new Bayside neighbourhood to the east. 

Aqualina at Bayside under construction in February, image by Forum contributor Razz

Right beside Aqualina, Aquavista at Bayside is another 13-storey building by the same team as the first phase. Aquavista has just begun to rise above ground level, concrete columns now visible along the west side of the site, while workers are are busy getting the east side ready to rise into the sky. Retail will be found at grade level along the waterfront promenade, while 228 market residential condos will be found above. The building will also be home to 80 affordable rental units. The project is seeking LEED Platinum certification, anticipating a 2018 completion.

Rendering of Aquavista at Bayside, image courtesy of Tridel/Hines

Separating the third phase of the Bayside development from the second is Aitken Place Park. The subject of a design competition, the winning team of landscape architects were Scott Torrance of Toronto and Thomas Balsley Associates of New York have created a programmed space for neighbourhood use. In December 2016, a large scale LED lighting display by Caitlind Brown, North Studio, and Wayne Garrett was also announced for the park. The project is anticipated to begin construction later this year, and open in time for Spring 2018.

Rendering of Aitken Park Place with the public art feature, image courtesy of Waterfront Toronto

The third phase of Tridel and Hines' projects along the East Bayfront Waterfront has been dubbed AQUABELLA at Bayside. Designed by Copenhagen-based architects 3XN, the 14-storey condo will feature 173 residential units, and retail at grade. Currently in sales and beginning construction this year, the development is anticipating completion in 2020. 

Rendering of AQUABELLA at Bayside, image courtesy of Tridel/Hines

Proposed just north of these buildings between Edgewater Dr and Queen's Quay is Hines'Queens Quay Place at Bayside. Here, two nine-storey office buildings are seeking tenants. Designed by Pelli Clark Pelli Architects with Adamson Associates Architects, the office buildings will provide 430,000 square feet of space, lined with active retail at ground level. No announcement has been made on when construction might begin for the complex, which is designed to meet LEED Gold status.Rendering of Queens Quay Place at Bayside, image courtesy of Hines

Continuing east past Parliament Street to 351 Lake Shore Boulevard East, Great Gulf and Dream have partnered to redevelop the site of the former Victory Soya Mills silos. While no formal plan has been submitted to the City yet, the project anticipates to incorporate the silo into the new development as an architectural feature. A concept rendering is included below of a previous proposal from when the land was own by Castlepoint Numa; it does not represent Great Gulf and Dream's plans for the site.

Conceptual rendering of 351 Lakeshore Blvd E, image courtesy of SvN Architects + Planners

Immediately to the east, a massive redevelopment is currently in the works for another industrial brownfield site. The project, with the working title 3C Waterfront, is from a partnership of Castlepoint Numa, Continental Ventures Realty, and Cityzen Development Group, the three of them forming 3C Lakeshore Inc. The site will include an extension of Queens Quay East past the Parliament Street Slip, necessitating the infilling of some of the Parliament Street Slip. A plan of subdivision to create a new network of streets and pedestrian paths was submitted to the City in December. About 2.4 million square feet of residential, retail, and office space is proposed to be developed here, along with new public space. Architects involved on the project include London's world-renowned Foster + Partners, with Toronto's KPMB Architects and architectsAlliance, and Montréal's Claude Cormier + Associés. A very high quality public realm is promised. A public consultation will likely be scheduled for later this year.

Site Plan of 3C Waterfront, image courtesy of Claude Cormier Associés

At Cherry Street we turn south and head into Toronto's vast Port Lands. A huge industrial area now under the auspices of Waterfront Toronto, much of the area is in the flood plain of the Don River, and redevelopment cannot take place here until measures have been taken to prevent flooding and remediate any contaminated soils.

Developer Castlepoint Numa submitted an application in 2016 to redevelop 309 Cherry at Commissioners Street. Designed by SvN Architects + Planners, the proposal seeks 11 and 52-storey condo towers with 1,013 residential units and retail at the base. The City's preliminary report states that they consider the proposal premature, and not in line with what is foreseen by the Port Lands Planning Framework study, the Villiers Island Precinct Plan, and the Lower Don Lands EA. Beyond concerns over massing and density, the City does not believe that detailed planning should proceed here until the flood plain issue is dealt with by Waterfront Toronto,Rendering of 309 Cherry Street, image courtesy of SvN Architects + Planners

To the east and beyond the flood plain, lower scale industrial is still the order of the day. First up, one of the busiest sites in recent years in this area is Pinewood Studios Toronto, formerly known as Filmport. Now with several stages to shoot films and series, Pinewood is expanding again with a 6,700 square metre production support facility designed by HOK.

Pinewood Production Support Facility, image via submission to the City of Toronto

On the north side of the street, a five-storey self storage building is proposed at 300 Commissioners. Designed by Quadrangle Architects, an SPA was submitted to the City in 2015, with a resubmission posted in early March 2017. Brightly coloured windows are proposed to be cut into the building's skin.

Storage facility at 300 Commissioners Street, image via submission to the City of Toronto

Finally, further east, at 475 Commissioners Street, construction is wrapping up on the new facility for FedEx that was mentioned earlier in this article. 

The new FedEx facility nearing completion in mid-March, image by Forum contributor innsertnamehere

While those three projects bolster employment on the east side of the Port Lands, Waterfront Toronto is continuing to work towards making the bulk of the area viable for redevelopment. The plans are complex, and beyond the ability of a Growth To Watch For article to encapsulate sufficiently, so UrbanToronto will delve more deeply into them in the near future. Suffice it to say that Toronto will have a lot more space by the lake to grow into starting in the 2020s.

Huge amounts of development in Toronto's Port Lands will take decades to develop, image courtesy of Waterfront Toronto

***

And that brings us to the end of our Growth To Watch For series for 2017. After reporting on hundreds of projects across the City, our 2018 edition is just a mere nine months away, just around the corner. During the year, it will be fun to see how all the plans play out, and especially fun when we're surprised by something new. All that said and done, additional information and renderings can be found in our associated dataBases, linked below. Want to share your thoughts on the projects discussed in this instalment? Feel free to leave a comment in the space provided below, or join in the ongoing conversations in the associated Forum threads.

Today's Photo of the Day features a view of a landmark in Toronto's Financial District. Submitted to our Flickr Pool by Lori Whelan, this photo of One King West highlights the slim profile of the 51-storey, Stanford Downey Architects-designed condominium and hotel tower at the intersection of Yonge and King.

One King West, image by Lori Whelan via Flickr

Want to see your work featured as Photo of the Day? Head over to the City Photos & Videos section of the Forum, or submit your images to our Instagram or UrbanToronto Flickr Pool for your chance to be featured on our Front Page!