Earlier this month, a collection of politicians from all 3 levels of government ceremonially broke ground on the new $35 million Confederation GO Station, to be built along the existing CN tracks on Centennial Parkway in Stoney Creek. The station is slated to open in 2019, and will initially be served by an extension of the Lakeshore West line.

The station itself will feature an island platform, heated waiting shelters, platform canopies, a bus loop with heated shelters, a Kiss & Ride, bicycle parking, and approximately 600 parking spaces. It will be built on the west side of Centennial Parkway, with vehicular access off of Goderich Road, though it will have direct pedestrian access to Centennial Parkway.

Rendering of Confederation GO Station, image courtesy of Metrolinx

Confederation GO is just one of a series of projects that will bring GO service into Niagara Region. In addition to this station, GO plans to open stations in Grimsby (at Casablanca Boulevard) by 2021, and in St Catharines and Niagara Falls by 2023. The St Catharines and Niagara Falls stations will be renovated versions of the existing Via stations, while the Casablanca station would be a new build, as the current Via station in Grimsby is unsuitable for GO service, even with renovations.

To support these new stations and new service, Metrolinx recently completed the Lewis Layover facility on Lewis Road in Stoney Creek, and is in the final stages of adding an additional track to the Desjardins Canal Bridge, roughly midway between West Harbour and Aldershot GO stations at the Bayview Junction. UrbanToronto wrote about the Desjardins Canal project last year. Metrolinx is also in the process of negotiating running rights with CN. Given that this is one of CN's main freight lines, working out a schedule that works for both CN and GO is proving to be quite a challenge.

Niagara Extension station location map, image courtesy of Metrolinx

Another logistical challenge is the crossing of the Welland Canal. The current rail bridge must be physically opened (closing it for rail traffic) whenever a ship needs to pass. This can potentially lead to significant train delays. And given that this is a CN-owned corridor, they also get priority when the bridge is open. The Metrolinx Niagara Extension Business Case states that "[u]ntil an agreement is reached setting out an operational solution to the Welland Canal crossing that involves the co-ordination of rail and seaway movements, there is a risk of recurrent delay to the proposed service of up to 20 to 30 minutes or more, 12 to 16 times per month". In 2014, the Niagara Seasonal service experienced an average delay of 18 minutes at the Welland Canal, with 27% of all trips experiencing some delay. This resulted in a 63% on-time performance measure for the 2014 Niagara seasonal trips, compared to a 95% on-time measure for the system as a whole that same year.

For this reason, Metrolinx is looking at two potential service patterns for the Niagara Extension. The first is a direct extension of the Lakeshore West line. While this option would be preferable for Toronto-bound commuters, given the tight timing of Lakeshore West movements during peak periods, any delay on the Niagara segment of the line would cause a cascading series of delays on the current Lakeshore West corridor. And without improvements to the Welland Canal situation, as the Niagara season train stats above illustrated, such delays are almost certain to occur.

The rail bridge over the Welland Canal, image courtesy of Google Streetview

The second option would be to split the line at Confederation GO. Niagara trains would terminate at Confederation GO, where passengers could then transfer to a waiting Lakeshore West train. It was this option that the Business Case recommended.

One caveat with this though is that the Niagara extension service is likely to only be a peak-period service for the foreseeable future. The current plan would be 30-minute peak-direction service out of West Harbour GO in the AM peak, and into West Harbour in the PM peak. Those trips would be extended to Confederation GO once it opens. As a result, we're likely to only see the same level of service on the Confederation-to-Niagara Falls section of the corridor as well.

Rendering of Confederation GO Station, image courtesy of Metrolinx

You can share your thoughts on the Niagara extension and Confederation GO construction by visiting our GO Service or Construction forum threads, or by leaving a comment below.

Oxford Properties has announced plans for a 60-storey office tower to be built at the northwest corner of Harbour and Bay streets in Downtown Toronto's quickly transforming South Core. Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners of London, England, the building, branded The HUB, will offer 1.4 million square feet of space. Few other stats for are yet known about the proposed building at this point, including its height in metres, although that should be public shortly. At 60 storeys—office storeys are now typically higher than in office towers from before the last decade—plus with an atypically tall ground floor, look for this building to be a rival for tallest office tower in Toronto.

The HUB amidst the buildings of Toronto's South Core, image courtesy of Oxford Properties

The tower will be positioned back from the corner allowing the heritage Toronto Harbour Commission Building to be seen from the corner at Bay. The HUB's standard office floors will also start many metres above the roof of the six-storey Harbour Commission Building, cantilevered over it.

Looking northwest to The HUB, Toronto Harbour Commission Building to the left, image courtesy of Oxford Properties

The building has an exoskeleton similar to that of The One, a primarily residential tower now selling at Bloor and Yonge streets in Toronto's Bloor-Yorkville area. Office floors are shown to hang from central piers in the renderings. Mid-tower, the building is proposed to include some multi-level atriums.

Atriums mid-tower at The HUB, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners for Oxford Properties

The top of the building will include a glassed-in winter garden with views of the city and lake, a possible location for an observation level with a restaurant and bar (although no hints of such facilities are shown in the initial renderings).

Top of the tower at The HUB, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners for Oxford Properties

Oxford is responding to an historically tight Toronto market for office space. The building's name 'The HUB' looks to be positioning the building as a draw for tech-related firms which have been quickly absorbing office space in Toronto. A short walk through an expanded PATH system to Union Station, The HUB would also be very close to the country's busiest transit hub as well.

We will be back with more information as it becomes available. In the meantime, you can find more renderings in our database file for the project, linked below. You can get in on the conversation in our associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

One of Toronto’s most active areas for development is downtown west, and the Portland Property Group are a part of this move. ‘Portland Commons’ is the name given to their proposal to build a office complex, with elements varying between 10 and 16 storeys high, at 517 Wellington Street West, the site upon which the heritage Copp Clark Publishing Co. building currently stands. Sweeney & Co Architects and ERA Architects presented the architectural plans in front of the Design Review Panel last week, in which office spaces, ground floor retail, green spaces and more comprise the development, incorporating the Copp Clark heritage building in its entirety. 

Looking southeast to Portland Commons, image via Portland Property Group

The site is tucked in between Portland Street on its west length, Wellington to the north, the backyards of heritage Victorian homes on Draper to the east, and Front Street, separating it from the rail yards to the south. Victoria Memorial Park is across Portland Street where it meets Niagara Street. The proponents noted the importance of maintaining the surrounding area’s distinct elements: Wellington’s heritage; Portland’s sense of community; and Front’s (future) active street scape.

The guiding motive of the project is to create employment uses in King West, with a ‘world class’ architecture that will redefine the workplace environment of the area. Catering to many of the younger, tech-oriented companies and startups of the so called ‘New Economy’, Portland Commons will be composed of large floor plates, lending tenants opportunities to create unique and flexible workspaces. The shape of the building is sculpted so as to provide near constant sunlight onto Victoria Memorial Park, while also providing terraces and overlooks from the office spaces onto the surrounding areas. 

Looking southeast to Portland Commons, image via Portland Property Group

The development proposal is a modern design, consisting of a series of stepped, interconnected blocks, with terraced roofs that include landscaped green space for tenants, juxtaposed against the traditional volumes and brick facades of the area's heritage buildings. Portland Commons is proposed to be composed of separate tower-like elements—between 10 and 16 storeys—offering a total of 538,000 square feet of new workplace and retail spaces. Each of the three designated heritage buildings that comprise the Copp Clark Publishing Co. building would be retained. Currently, the design proposes to lift parts of the new building overtop of the heritage buildings, such that they appear to rise from behind, while offering unique pedestrian mews in between the old and the new architecture.

Looking south below new construction which overhangs the heritage building, image via Portland Property Group

The site’s ground floor design removes vehicular interference, and animates entrances and lobbies throughout the site’s separate blocks. Mid-block connections join the separate blocks together, while locating retail spaces beside over 30,000 square feet of landscaped pedestrianized open space. A consolidated approach to parking and loading is proposed along Portland Street, creating an underground service level with pedestrian access. 

With so much future development in the area—The Well, under construction to the east of the site, is the largest of several projects and will bring 1,800 more dwelling units to the area—the proponents see Portland Commons as a much needed opportunity "to create employment uses in King West". As well as preserving and refurbishing the heritage architecture on site, the proponents plan to use ‘world-class architecture’ to transform and better integrate the property with the community, with new pedestrian-focused spaces that create a porous and active streetscape in and around the site. 

Context: Portland Commons in blue, proposals in purple, UC projects in white, image via Portland Property Group

At its tallest, the development stands at 16 storeys and approximately 75 metres of elevation when you include the building’s mechanical penthouse. Preliminary shadow studies conducted on the development were especially conscious of shadow reaching Victoria Memorial Park northwest of the site. The development’s current design is such that shadows will only be cast on the park for about 20 minutes per day. Some members of the Design Review Panel raised concerns about this, stating that there should be no shadows cast at all over a memorial park, and suggesting that the possibility of lowering the height of the development be considered to address this. In turn, it was recommended that further shadow studies be conducted to assess impingement on Draper Street to the east, its heritage Victorian homes which stand to be surrounded with development on either side. 

Rendering of North East facing tower element, image via Portland Property Group

Additionally, some concern was raised by Design Review Panel members regarding the idea of constructing the building to overhang the heritage Copp Clark Buildings. To some ‘lifting the building' above the heritage elements seemed like it could look "over-articulated", making for a complicated architecture that may not do as effective a job of retaining the heritage building’s facade and importance as intended. Similarly, landscaped spaces within, throughout, and effectively under the development's overhanging elements may not have sufficient sunlight to thrive, and the lack of a wind assessment requires more thought to be given to the design of the public realm at grade. 

Members otherwise noted the importance of providing architecture for new employment in the area, seeing the development as one with huge potential to evolve in an important way for the area’s growing community. Other members suggested that prominence of the future Rail Deck Park, and with Front Street as a future major artery with vibrant street activity, definitely warrants the kind of scale and multiplicity that Portland Commons offers, especially by way of retail installations throughout the site. It was also suggested, however, that the Portland Street elevation may seem out of scale with the built form to the west of the site, and that at the current phase of the development proposal, the varying tower blocks appear to be an awkward collision of scale and design. 

Looking southeast to the site on which Portland Commons will be developed, image via Portland Property Group

As a summary, the Design Review Members suggested that the proposal was a ‘work in progress’, voting 8 to 2 in favour of ‘redesigning’ the development to address their concerns. Of course, while the proposal concerned the proponents’ rezoning application for the site, and not specifically their proposed design, they agreed that they were still in the early phases of this project plan. 

You can find more information on the Portland Commons development in our database file for it, linked below. Join in on the conversation in our associated Forum thread, or you can leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

Today's Photo of the Day comes to us from Forum contributor ScrappyTO, who submitted a skyline view of Toronto's CityPlace and Bathurst-Fort York skyline to our thread for Minto's Westside project. Captured from 60 Bathurst Street, this view faces south over Niagara Street, showing the contrast between the street's classic Toronto character and the modern condominium communities to the south.

Fort York-CityPlace skyline, image by Forum contributor ScrappyTO

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. 

Toronto to sell off almost 800 TCHC-owned buildings; Yonge St. bike lane battle returns to city hall; Metrolinx, Loblaw to pilot grocery-pickup service at GO Transit stations; and more news:

Toronto to sell off almost 800 TCHC-owned buildings (Globe and Mail)

Yonge St. bike lane battle returns to city hall (Toronto Star)

Demolition begins on Etobicoke's infamous House of Lancaster (Inside Toronto)

Metrolinx, Loblaw to pilot grocery-pickup service at GO Transit stations (Globe and Mail)

Etobicoke, York councillors green light Queensway Park development (Inside Toronto)

Oshawa Mayor John Henry calls city a story of 'economic success’ (Toronto Star)

St. Clair subway station debuts mobile phone app to help visually impaired (Inside Toronto)

Metrolinx gives green light to controversial GO stations (Toronto Star)

Global news from our sister site, SkyriseCities.com:

Montreal's New Champlain Bridge to be Open by December (Montreal)

Concord Brentwood to Bring 11 Towers to Burnaby (Vancouver)

Altus Group: Commercial Real Estate Deal Volume Picks Up in 2017 (Calgary)

Grand Opening for Edmonton Public Library's Calder Branch Set for March 1 (Edmonton)

Toronto’s 2016-approved Open Door Affordable Housing Program is jumpstarting the development of a vacant site at 2346 Weston Road. The 2,104 m² site on the west side of Weston Road south of St. Phillips Road, could be redeveloped with a 15-storey rental apartment tower designed by Chamberlain Architect. It would add 157 affordable housing rental units in the community.

Looking west to 2346 Weston Road, image via submission to City of Toronto

The property was purchased in 2017—the site owner is referred to as 2346weston.com in planning documents—with the intention of developing the lands with a purpose-built affordable housing building. A rezoning application from earlier this month replaces a 2001 site-specific zoning amendment granting a 10 storey, 49 unit apartment building. These planning conditions weren’t fulfilled within the allotted two-year timeframe, meaning that a new Site Specific Zoning By-law is required for the proposal.  

Looking south to 2346 Weston Road, image via submission to City of Toronto

Documents included with the rezoning submission offer additional details of the tower's design. The materials legend with the architectural plans shows the tower would be clad in window wall of vision and spandrel glazing, as well as precast concrete with black, beige, white, and brick finishes. Vibrant green address letters on the upper floors of the west facade add a shot of colour to the mix, while giving the building a distinct identity among the surrounding slab-style rental apartment mid-rises.

Looking east to 2346 Weston Road, image via submission to City of Toronto

2346 Weston's proposed 157 affordable housing rental units come in a mix of 15 bachelor units with average sizes of 278 ft², 84 one-bedroom units with average sizes of 414 ft², 43 two-bedroom units with average sizes of 571 ft², and 15 three-bedroom units with average sizes of 719 ft².

The proposal has a by a two-level underground parking garage with 52 spaces. Residents would have access to a collection of indoor and outdoor amenities, including a 125 m² lobby and 41 m² community room on the ground floor, and other spaces like a shared laundry room, personal mobility vehicle (scooter) and bicycle storage area, and landscaped grounds with outdoor seating areas.

Looking north to 2346 Weston Road, image via submission to City of Toronto

Additional information and images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment using the field provided at the bottom of this page.

Maybe you thought that controversy over the Metrolinx process of choosing future station sites meant that construction wouldn't proceed on those stations. Maybe you thought that Toronto Mayor John Tory's SmartTrack proposal for rapid transit services on local GO rail corridors would never succeed. Well, maybe you'll have to think again…

At a luncheon event at the Toronto and District Board of Trade yesterday, Metrolinx chief executive officer Phil Verster announced that his agency was proceeding to the next stage in developing twelve future GO Transit stations on the Stouffville, Lakeshore East, Barrie and Kitchener rail corridors. Those future stations support the the City of Toronto's SmartTrack frequent rapid transit service or the Metrolinx program of regional express rail service on GO lines.

Metrolinx chief executive officer Phil Verster (with the red tie) at the Board of Trade, image, Metrolinx

Verster also told the Board of Trade luncheon group that Metrolinx also intended to proceed with developing an initial business case for a station that it originally left off the list—Park Lawn on the Lakeshore West line.

In 2016, Metrolinx completed the initial business cases for possible stations at 19 sites throughout the Greater Golden Horseshoe area. In June of that year, its board of directors approved proceeding with 12 of those stations, basing its decision on those initial business cases. Six stations are SmartTrack stations—Finch-Kennedy, Lawrence-Kennedy, Gerrard-Carlaw, East Harbour, King-Liberty Village and St. Clair-Old Weston Road. The other six would serve general GO train passengers at Breslau (just east of Kitchener), Innisfil (south of Barrie), Mulock (in Newmarket), Kirby (in Vaughan)--and Bloor-Lansdowne and Spadina-Front in Toronto.

During his speech, Verster pointed to a slide illustrating the new GO stations and highlighted the frequent service that GO and SmartTrack could provide to Toronto. His map shows frequent train service extending northwest along the Kitchener line as far as Bramalea. This outer U of frequent rapid transit, he said, could supply an alternative to the inner U of the TTC Line 1 (Yonge-University) subway.

The new stations appear on this map. Frequent trains could operate in a U between Bramalea and Unionville, image, Metrolinx

The initial business case assumed that all trains on all lines would stop at all stations—and that's where some problems arose, because those new stations would effectively punish passengers "upstream"—travelling to and from areas beyond those stations. Those passengers would suffer longer commutes resulting from extra stops during their trips.

The Toronto Star has previously reported that Ontario's former Transportation Minister Steve Del Duca may have pressured Metrolinx to include two stations that the transit agencies initial business case did not support—Kirby in Del Duca's riding of Vaughan and Lawrence-Kennedy. Verster dismissed these concerns as "conspiracy theories" but also said he could not speak to events that occurred before he was appointed as CEO.

Now that Metrolinx has completed the next phase of analyzing the locations—the Preliminary Design Business Case phase—the regional transit agency is supporting most of the stations even more emphatically. In this phase, independent analysts further weighed each new stops' benefits against their costs.

During this phase, analysts further weighed the benefits and costs of new stations, image, Metrolinx

Verster used a hypothetical model to simplify this process for those who are not experts. If, for example, a train stops for two minutes at each station, while passengers exit from and board coaches, and each train carries 1,000 people, then each new station represents a negative on the balance sheet of 2,000 minutes. On the other had, if each new station saves 100 people five minutes less time commuting, then each site gains 500 minutes on the plus side.

Unlike during the initial business case, Metrolinx also proposed "three key policy, infrastructure and operational advancements" that positively impacted the stations' benefits during this stage of planning.

Those changes include:

• operating express trains—Trains from the outer ends of each line would operate express along the inner parts of the line. For example, on the Stouffville corridor, trains might pick up passengers at all stations between Lincolnville and Unionville, then operate with few stops between Unionville and Union Station. Local trains would serve all stops south of Unionville. This means that building new stations no longer penalizes upstream passengers.
• introducing level boarding—Passengers could board from platforms that are level with the trains. If commuters no longer have to have to step up into or step down out of coaches, then Metrolinx could further reduce the time that trains have to dwell in stations by at least 30 seconds.
•  integrating fares—Metrolinx now assumes that fares for both regional and local transit agencies would be equal and that passengers would not have to pay extra to transfer between systems. This would attract even more passengers to the new stations, especially in Toronto, because TTC and GO fares would usually be the same. (Although Metrolinx may also consider fares by distance or fares by zone.)

With these new criteria in place and other factors, most of the new stations earn greater benefits under this second phase of analysis, although most also would cost more that the initial business cases revealed. All new stations except for Breslau, Innisfil and Mulock would benefit passengers more than the first business cases suggested. All except Gerrard-Carlaw and Mulock would cost more.

The graphic illustrates a preliminary concept for the Gerrard-Carlaw Station, image, City of Toronto

Under the preliminary design business case process, the benefits of all the SmartTrack stations would exceed the costs. According to a Metrolinx staff report, the combined net benefits are $4.59B and while the combined costs are $1.195B. East Harbour and Liberty Village benefit from current or proposed major employment centres nearby. Finch-Kennedy, Gerrard-Carlaw, Lawrence-Kennedy and St. Clair-Old Weston, the report says, would attract riders from nearby residential areas and provide overall transportation user benefits. The positive benefits, Metrolinx explains, generally exceed the impacts because the new stations would attract new off-peak riders.

Mayor John Tory reacted happily to the news that SmartTrack would deliver nearly four dollars in economic and social benefits for every dollar spent on construction costs. Tory said in a press release, "The latest Metrolinx analysis makes it clear the case for SmartTrack is getting stronger. We are getting on with building SmartTrack because it can be done quickly, and will provide relief faster for TTC riders on the Yonge-University-Spadina line."

The future St. Clair-Old Weston station may require a redesign of the local road network, image, City of Toronto

For the six other GO regional express rail stations, the combined benefits also exceed the costs. The net benefits are $2.1B, while the cost is $0.19B. The staff document explains that Spadina-Front station benefits from current and future plans to intensify the Downtown / Central Waterfront area. Bloor-Lansdowne allows passengers to conveniently transfer to frequent subway service on the TTC's Line 2 (Bloor-Danforth) subway. Breslau, Innisfil and Kirby stations provide new access points to the GO system. However, Metrolinx needs to further analyze the benefits of its proposal to install a new station at Mulock.

The initial business cases for new GO stations did not support a stop at Park Lawn due to its location near Mimico GO Station. However, the station could significantly improve transit for the growing Humber Bay Shores area and future employment or residential developments nearby. If this station proceeds, Metrolinx would split Lakeshore West service so that some trains would stop in Mimico only, while others would only serve Park Lawn.

We will continue to update you as these plans progress. What do you think? Join the conversation by leaving your comments in the form below or by participating in our Forum discussion.

Major news broke yesterday when Oxford Properties Group issued a news release announcing details about a long-anticipated office tower at 30 Bay Street in Toronto's South Core, now known as The HUB. The announcement was preceded by an application with the City to rezone the site, and today's publication of hundreds of pages from the supporting documents are now shedding further light on the development.

Facing northwest at The HUB, image via submission to City of Toronto

A 60-storey, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners-designed building , architectural plans for the project show a 280.65-metre height measured to the top of the roof parapet, and reveal the involvement of locally-based Adamson Associates Architects as Architect of Record. If a tower of this height existed in Toronto now, it would stand as Toronto's second tallest building as measured by roof height, and would rank just shy of the top 10 when factoring in other tall proposed and under-construction projects across the city.

Facing south at The HUB, image via submission to City of Toronto

Plans indicate that The HUB will feature a similar structural exoskeleton soon to be employed at Mizrahi Developments' The One. With the bulk of the structural load spread across the tower's exterior, most of the office floor plates would be virtually column-free. Referred to as a "vertical gravity loadbearing structure", the system allows the tower to be cantilevered high above the 1918-built Harbour Commission Building in the southwest corner of the site, while maintaining views to the heritage structure from the east.

Facing north at The HUB, image via submission to City of Toronto

The building will connect on the third level to the city's PATH network via Harbour Plaza to the west, crossing over Lake Shore Boulevard via a bridge which leads to the Air Canada Centre and Union Station.

Additional information and several new images can be 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 field provided at the bottom of this page.

This edition of our Growth to Watch For series continues westward from our recent Central Scarborough instalment, entering into the land of mid-rises in the neighbourhoods east of the Don Valley and south of Danforth Avenue. While spread over a large area, the east end of Toronto is not to be underestimated for its development potential. This region is seeing an explosion of gentle densification, nearly exclusively in the form of mid-rises, mainly concentrated along major arteries such as Danforth Avenue, Kingston Road, Queen Street, and Eastern Avenue. The corridors represent some of the best examples of the City's Avenue development policies, which seek to intensify built form along key transit routes and integrate smaller-scale density into more residential areas.

Our route follows a winding path through the area, beginning in Oakridge and making our way through Birch Cliff, Danforth Village, Upper Beaches, The Beaches, Leslieville, and Riverside, before ending off at the edge of East York on The Danforth. We have compiled below a list of all projects nearing completion, all buildings currently under construction, and all developments proposed and awaiting approvals in this area on the east side of the Don.

Map outlining the area covered, image via Google Earth.

Picking up where we left off last time, we head southwest on Danforth Road from Birchmount, and arrive at Danforth Square, a proposal by Time Development Group at 250 Danforth Road. Designed by Kohn Partnership Architects, the development was resubmitted for rezoning last year that saw a slight reconfiguration of the site from the previous iteration. The proposal now includes a 10-storey 178-unit mid-rise condo building with grade-level retail along Danforth Road, along with a total of 70 three-storey stacked townhouses, 18 three-storey freehold townhouses, and two three-storey semi-detached dwellings containing a total of 4 residential units. The project is still in sales while it seeks the necessary approvals.

Looking northwest to Danforth Square, image courtesy of Time Development Group.

Just down the road, The Hi-Rise Group is gearing up to construct Spice Urban Towns at the corner of Danforth Road and Danforth Avenue. Designed by Kohn Partnership Architects, the project features four blocks of 4-storey stacked townhouses totalling 116 units in a variety of sizes and configurations. The development has received all necessary approvals and is now sold out, so the start of construction is imminent.

Rendering of Spice Urban Towns, image courtesy of The Hi-Rise Group.

Turning west onto Danforth Avenue, a proposal for a 6-storey mid-rise at 3359 Danforth Avenue is currently in the works on the site of the former Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. Featuring an avant garde design by David Peterson Architect Studio, the development was redesigned last year, and now features a reduced 23 residential units, with retail space provided on the ground floor. The project is currently seeking Site Plan Approval at the City.

Rendering of 3359 Danforth Avenue, image courtesy of David Peterson Architect Studio.

Continuing westward, a proposal by Kayra Holdings at 3258 Danforth Avenue for an 8-storey mid-rise on the site of an existing car dealership is currently making its way through the planning process. Designed by Sol-Arch, the building would house 30 units with retail at grade. The project was resubmitted for Site Plan Approval last year.

East elevation of 3258 Danforth Avenue, image courtesy of Kayra Holdings.

Just south of the intersection of Danforth and Dawes Road, construction on The Village at Main Station at 14 Trent Avenue has just topped off, with exterior cladding beginning on the base of the building. Led by Options for Homes and designed by the IBI Group, the mid-rise building is situated just north of the rail corridor, and rises 12 storeys with a total of 276 residential units. Look for construction on the building to be substantially complete by the end of the year.

View of The Village by Main Station in December 2017, image by Forum contributor ChesterCopperpot.

Continuing westward to the southeast corner of Danforth Avenue and Main Street, a pair of high-rises are proposed to join three existing high-rise apartment blocks at Main Square, adding to the density at this transit-oriented intersection. The slow-moving development from Talisker Corporation, first approved for rezoning in 2003 and initially submitted for Site Plan Approval in 2006, was reincarnated with a resubmission for Site Plan Approval (SPA) in 2016. The proposal designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects would see a 15-storey rental tower constructed on the northwest corner of the site, and a 32-storey rental tower constructed on the southeast corner, totalling 512 new rental units on the property. While demolition of some commercial properties got underway last year, there has been no perceived movement on the project's planning application yet, and so it appears that it is staying true to its history by taking things slow.

Rendering of Main Square showing a similar 2014 iteration, image courtesy of Talisker Corporation.

On the west side of Main Street across from Main Square, Tribute Communities and Greybrook Realty are planning more high-rise density for the intersection with a 30-storey condo tower proposed at 286 Main Street. Designed by Turner Fleischer Architects, the building would replace low-rise commercial properties currently on the site while adding 301 residential units, ground-level retail, and second-floor office spaces to the neighbourhood. The development was submitted for Zoning Bylaw Amendments (ZBA) and SPA last year, so stay tuned as it works its way through the planning process.

Rendering of 286 Main Street, image courtesy of Tribute and Greybrook.

Continuing westward on Danforth Avenue, Tawse Realco and Verve Senior Living are proposing to build Verve Danforth, a seniors' residence and small apartment building at 2494 Danforth Avenue. Designed by Sweeny &Co Architects, the project would see a 10-storey, 140-unit seniors' residence with ground-level retail constructed on the corner of Danforth and Chisholm Avenues, while just to the north, a 4-storey 20-unit apartment building would be constructed facing the adjacent residential neighbourhood. The development was just submitted to the City late last year, so check back for updates as it works its way through the planning process.

Rendering of Verve Danforth, image courtesy of Tawse Realco and Verve Senior Living.

Continuing west, Diam Developments' On the Danforth at 2359 Danforth Avenue is beginning construction, having celebrated their ground-breaking last year. The mid-rise condo building is designed by Onespace Unlimited and will be 10 storeys in height, with 139 residential units and grade-level retail included. Excavation and shoring should be underway.

Rendering of On the Danforth, image courtesy of Diam Developments.

Just down the street, another ground-breaking ceremony was celebrated last year as Canvas Condominiums at 2301 Danforth Avenue is beginning construction. Headed by Marlin Spring Developments and designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects, the 8-storey mid-rise will add 170 new residential units, 14 of which will be rental, and grade-level retail to this busy stretch of the Danforth. Shoring and excavation are currently underway, so look for the building to rise out of the ground later this year.

Rendering of Canvas Condominiums, image courtesy of Marlin Spring Developments.

Further west on the Danforth, a proposal to redevelop a narrow empty lot at 2156 Danforth Avenue was resubmitted for SPA last year, and would see a new 5-storey residential building constructed on the site. Located just east of Danforth and Woodbine, the building is designed by Grant Morris Associates and would contain 14 new residential units along with two retail units on the ground floor.

South elevation of 2156 Danforth Avenue, image courtesy of Grant Morris Associates.

Arriving at Coxwell Avenue we turn south. About a kilometre on, we come to a new affordable housing proposal at 355 Coxwell on the corner of Gerrard Street East. Headed by Innstead Co-operative Housing and designed by LGA Architectural Partners, the 6-storey co-op building will add 33 residential units and one grade-level retail unit to the neighbourhood, replacing an existing one-storey strip mall currently occupying the site. The project received approval from City staff last year, and a demolition permit has been filed, so stay tuned as the development exits the planning process and gears up for construction in the coming year.

Rendering of 355 Coxwell, image courtesy of Innstead Co-operative Housing.

Turning eastward on Gerrard, we travel all the way back to Victoria Park Avenue, where the empty former Runnymede Lands at 411 Victoria Park Avenue on the northeast corner of the intersection with Gerrard offer fertile ground for redevelopment. The former quarry and landfill site is divided into two segments, with Build Toronto owning the eastern portion and The Conservatory Group owning the western part. Back in 2011, The Conservatory Group proposed a pair of towers on the western portion of the site, where the lands are zoned for four high-rise residential buildings totalling 1,455 apartment units. This application was put on hold pending resolution of a master plan for the site. Meanwhile, in 2016, City Council approved Build Toronto's master plan for the eastern half of the site that would see retail and commercial development along Victoria Park, with medium-density residential development, mainly in the form of apartments and townhouses, in the interior of the site, which would also include a public park. At this time, there has been no concrete evidence of the advancement of either of these developments, though the potential remains for a proposal to pop up in the near future.

Build Toronto master plan for the eastern portion of the Runnymede Lands, image courtesy of Build Toronto.

Rendering of the Conservatory Group's proposal at 411 Victoria Park, image courtesy of the Conservatory Group.

Just across the street from the Runnymede Lands, the Tree House, an edgy proposal designed by Winnipeg-based 5468796 Architecture for Engine Developments, Symmetry Developments, and Fortress Real Developments will see a former industrial property at 2535 Gerrard East redeveloped with three blocks of 3-storey stacked townhouses. The plans for the 37 units development—a mix of two and three-bedrooms housed in ultramodern structures—had a rocky start, but after a long wait for zoning approval which saw the developers cancel the original sales contracts, zoning is now in place and the homes are for sale again. If sales are robust, construction could proceed this year.

Rendering of The Tree House, image courtesy of Symmetry, Fortress Real, and Engine Developments.

Adjacent to the Runnymede Lands to the east, the Sterling Group is proposing a townhouse development at 168-184 Clonmore Drive, replacing seven existing single detached houses. Designed by KFA Architects, the project comprises seven blocks of 4-storey stacked townhouses that would total 118 residential units, and also includes a one-storey public amenity building at the northeast corner of the site. The project was resubmitted for rezoning and Site Plan Approval last year, so stay tuned as it works its way through the planning process.

Site plan of 168-184 Conmore Drive, image courtesy of the Sterling Group.

Continuing east on Clonmore and Hollis Avenue all the way to Birchmount Road, we turn south and come to Kingston Road, where we turn back west and embark on a journey along the quickly densifying artery. First up is a townhouse proposal from Core Development Group at 1665 Kingston Road, on the southeast corner of Birchcliff Avenue. The 4-storey complex is designed by RAW and would contain 52 residential units in a single U-shaped block, with a courtyard located to the south. The development was submitted to the City for Site Plan Approval last year, and is currently making its way through the planning process.

Rendering of 1665 Kingston Road, image courtesy of Core Development Group.

Further west on Kingston Road, construction is underway on Manorgate Homes' Birch Cliff Village Urban Towns, a 4-storey 12-unit townhouse development designed by Guthrie Muscovitch Architects at 1548 Kingston Road. As of late 2017, the foundations had been poured, so construction will likely wrap up this year with occupancy in late 2018.

Rendering of Birch Cliff Village Urban Towns, image courtesy of Manorgate Homes.

Continuing west, rumours are swirling about an impending development from Core Development Group at 1470-1494 Kingston Road, just east of Warden, where plans are reportedly in the works to redevelop the existing commercial strip into a 120-unit mid-rise condominium building with grade-level retail. An official application has yet to be submitted to the City, and there have been no images released of the project, but tenants have been vacating the site in recent months in apparent preparation of the project. Hopefully news will pop up in the coming year.

View of the development site at 1470-1494 Kingston Road, image via Google Maps.

We now come to a busy stretch of Kingston Road west of Warden Avenue and opposite The Toronto Hunt Club where a slew of new mid-rise developments are set to completely transform the streetscape. Beginning at 1400 Kingston Road, Mutual Development Corporation and Laurier Homes are proposing to build the Upper Beach Club Condos, a 7-storey mid-rise designed by Onespace Unlimited that would add 41 new condo units to the site. Demolition of the existing buildings is already complete, and the project is now in the final stages of the approvals process. If all goes well, look for shovels to get in the ground before the end of the year.

Rendering of Upper Beach Club Condos, image courtesy of Mutual Development Corporation and Laurier Homes.

One block over, a rezoning application has been submitted by Atria Development for 1376 Kingston Road to allow the construction of a 8-storey mid-rise building on the site of existing low-rise commercial structures. Designed by A & Architects, the building will add 50 new condo units to the densifying neighbourhood. Check back for updates as this project works its way through the planning process.

Rendering of 1376 Kingston Road, image courtesy of Atria Development.

Continuing one block westward, Infinity Development's Residences at the Hunt Club at 1346 Kingston Road has now topped off, with cladding installation beginning on the lower levels. Designed by Onespace Unlimited, the development will see a 9-storey mid-rise building comprised of 73 condo units. Look for construction on this building to be complete this year.

View of the Residences at The Hunt Club in November 2017, image by Craig White.

Continuing westward to the next block, another mid-rise is proposed for 1316 Kingston Road, a project headed by Sunrise Gate Homes and featuring architecture from RAW Design. This is the third submission for this particular property dating back to 2014, with the most recent iteration proposing a 7-storey mid-rise building with 30 residential units, replacing three single detached houses currently existing on the site. The project is currently seeking Site Plan Approval at the City, so stay tuned for any news in the coming year.

Rendering of 1316 Kingston Road, image courtesy of Sunrise Gate Homes.

Leaving the Hunt Club area, we continue west to the intersection of Kingston Road and Victoria Park Avenue, where construction on Kingston&Co Condominiums is nearing completion. The project by TAS, Main and Main, and First Capital Realty rises 10 storeys and will add 145 new condo units to the avenue. Featuring a terraced stepped-back design by Teeple Architects, the building is now topped off with installation of the exterior cladding largely complete. Expect occupancy of this building in the coming months as crews continue working away on the interiors.

View of Kingston&Co Condominiums on November 30, 2017, image by Craig White.

Pushing further west on Kingston Road, Mitchell & Associates' Beech House is currently under construction and is now rising above grade. The 6-storey mid-rise at 907 Kingston Road is designed by Richard Zeigler Architect and will add 93 units to the Upper Beaches neighbourhood, as well as a neighbourhood YMCA location. Construction of the concrete structure reached grade in November 2017, so look for the building to top off in the coming months.

View of Beech House under construction in November 2017, image by Craig White.

Just across Beech Avenue to the west, a proposal at 847-853 Kingston Road by Gabriele Homes is currently making its way through the planning process. Designed by architectsAlliance, the 7-storey mid-rise overlooks the Glen Stewart Ravine to the south, and proposes to add 29 new condo units to the area. New documents were submitted to the City last year, so look for updates as this project seeks approval.

Rendering of 847-853 Kingston Road, image courtesy of Gabriele Homes.

Continuing westward, Demirov Fine Homes have submitted a development application for 650 Kingston Road, at the northwest corner of Kingston and Main Street. The proposal would replace the existing low-rise residential and commercial buildings on the site with a 7-storey mid-rise structure containing 68 rental units, 12 of which replace those already existing on site. The building features architecture from RAW Design and includes retail space on the ground floor. The development is currently working its way through the planning process.

Rendering of 650 Kingston Road, image courtesy of Demirov Fine Homes.

Continuing further west through the Upper Beaches neighbourhood, another mid-rise is in the works for 507-511 Kingston Road by Vista Nova Development. Designed by architectsAlliance, the 9-storey condo building would add 57 units to the neighbourhood and replace three single detached houses on the south side of the road. The project is currently working its way through the planning process.

Rendering of 507-511 Kingston Road, image courtesy of Vista Nova Development.

Continuing along Kingston Road, we turn west onto Dundas Street and come to the intersection of Coxwell Avenue, where Bespoke Towns are currently under construction on the northwest corner. Headed by Buena Vista Developments and designed by AUDAX, the project will add 22 townhouse units to the site, and will also see the right turn lane of Dundas Street converted into a new public parkette. Construction on the project should wrap up in 2018.

Rendering of Bespoke Towns, image courtesy of Buena Vista Developments.

Turning north onto Coxwell Avenue and then west onto Gerrard Street, we continue along another east end artery where more mid-rises and townhouses are planned for the popular Leslieville and Riverdale neighbourhoods. Just north of Gerrard on Leslie Street, a laneway townhouse development is planned by Atria Development at 395 Leslie Street featuring a wood-clad design from A & Architects. Initially submitted for rezoning in 2015, the City rejected the original proposal of 18 four-storey townhouse units. The owner then appealed to the OMB, and a revised design was tabled in September of last year with a scaled down proposal for 7 detached four-storey dwellings and 4 four-storey townhouse units. An OMB hearing was held in January, but there has been no word as to the results, and no new renderings of the revised design have surfaced. The image below is a rendering of the original proposal.

Rendering of the original proposal for 395 Leslie Street, image courtesy of Atria Development.

Just to the west of Leslie Street on Gerrard, WoodGreen Community Housing is looking to redevelop their property at 1117 Gerrard East, currently occupied by the former Riverdale United Church. The church will be replaced by a 5-storey apartment building designed by LGA Architectural Partners with 29 alternative housing rental units targeted for seniors and a community centre space at grade. The proposal is currently seeking ZBA and SPA at the City, with the project resubmitted with a slightly modified design in December.

Rendering of 1117 Gerrard East, image courtesy of WoodGreen Community Housing.

South on Jones Avenue between Gerrard and Dundas, One6Nine Jones Townhomes by Lifestyle Custom Homes is under construction on the site of the former St. Clements Anglican Church. The design by Open Architects is seeing the conversion of the former church into 14 residential units, while to the south, a separate stacked townhouse development will add a further 12 units to the site. The new townhouse block will likely be ready for occupancy before the end of the year.

Rendering of the stacked townhouses at One6Nine Jones Townhomes, image courtesy of Lifestyle Custom Homes.

Continuing west on Gerrard and taking a quick detour north on Pape Avenue, another mid-rise is slowly making its way through the planning process at 354 Pape, opposite Gerrard Square. Proposed by Sigma Properties and designed by ATA Architects, the 8-storey building features an edgy design and contains 27 residential units along with commercial spaces on the ground and second levels. The project is located on a site that is potentially set to profit from the future GO/SmartTrack and Relief Line transit stations proposed adjacent to this location. 354 Pape is currently seeking rezoning and Site Plan Approval, with a modified design resubmitted last year.

East elevation of 354 Pape, image courtesy of Sigma Properties.

Walking across the pedestrian bridge over the rail corridor to the north, we arrive at the jog in Pape and come to a redevelopment of a historic mansion at 450 Pape Avenue. The William Harris House was constructed in 1901 and is a designated heritage property, but is perhaps best known as the mansion from the movie adaptation of Stephen King's IT. Plans designed by Coolearth Architecture and Catherine Nasmith Architect are proposing to convert the house into condominiums, which includes construction of an additional two floors atop the annex to the west. The project would include a total of 28 condo units, and is currently seeking SPA at the City.

Rendering of 450 Pape, image courtesy of Coolearth and Catherine Nasmith Architect.

Heading back south to Gerrard and turning west, we come to 794 Gerrard East at the northeast corner of Logan Avenue, where Grid Developments is proposing to replace an existing Beer Store location with a 6-storey mid-rise condo building. Designed by George Popper Architect, the building would add 58 new residential units with retail uses on the ground floor. The project was resubmitted for ZBA and SPA late last year, so stay tuned as it works its way through the planning process.

Rendering of 794 Gerrard East, image courtesy of Grid Developments.

Just to the south of the intersection of Gerrard and Logan, a development by Crown Communities at 485 Logan Avenue is proposed to replace a vacant one-storey commercial building with a 4-storey apartment mid-rise on the western edge of the site, and a 4-storey stacked townhouse block on the east side of the site. Designed by SRN Architects, the complex would total 41 new residential units with an exterior courtyard providing outdoor amenity space. The project was recently redesigned and resubmitted for rezoning and Site Plan Approval late last year, so check back for updates as it works its way through the planning process.

Rendering of 485 Logan Avenue, image courtesy of SRN Architects.

Heading south on Logan Avenue, just before we arrive at Queen Street, plans were recently submitted to the City for a townhouse development at 263 Logan on the corner of Busy Street. Headed by Reserve Properties and designed by Studio JCI, the project would partially replace a surface parking lot with six new 4-storey townhouse units. The Site Plan Approval application was submitted just last month, so stay tuned as it embarks on its long journey through the planning process.

Rendering of 263 Logan, image courtesy of Reserve Properties.

Queen is another east end artery that is seeing a flurry of mid-rise developments. At the southwest corner, Harhay Developments is constructing a new 7-storey 122-unit mid-rise on the former site of the Red Door Shelter. Designed by OFFICEArchitecture, 875 Queen East includes the rebuilt facades of two heritage storefronts at the corner with Logan, and will provide a new home for the Red Door Shelter. Construction is now in full swing, with work being done on the below-grade levels. Look for the building to rise out of the ground in the coming months.

Rendering of 875 Queen East, image courtesy of Harhay Developments.

Heading eastward along Queen, construction is now underway at Logan Residences, in the next block. Led by The Daniels Corporation and designed by Giovanni A. Tassone Architects, the building will rise 6 storeys and contain 69 residential units with grade-level retail along Queen. Construction is progressing on the below-grade levels, with the concrete structure just about to reach ground level. Look for this building to rise out of the ground in the coming months.

Rendering of The Logan, image courtesy of The Daniels Corporation.

At the southwest corner of Pape Avenue, 33 Developments is planning a mid-rise at 1001 Queen East. Designed by Moote Architect, the 6-storey condo building contains 16 units with retail at ground level, and is currently seeking ZBA at the City. Despite not having yet complete the first steps of the planning process, the project is apparently already in sales.

Looking southwest towards The 1001 Queen East, image courtesy of 33 Developments

Further east along Queen, at the northeast corner of Bertmount Avenue, plans for a 4-storey residential building were resubmitted for SPA last year for 1130 Queen East. Designed by Sedun + Kanerva Architects, the building would contain 13 residential units with retail at grade, replacing an existing commercial building.

1130 Queen Street East, image by Sedun + Kanerva Architects

Continuing eastward along Queen, Condoman Developments is proposing to construct Post Lofts, a 6-storey condo building located at 1249 Queen East. Designed by ICON Architects, the building would contain 29 residential units with retail at grade, replacing existing commercial buildings on the property, some of which have already been demolished. The project was resubmitted for ZBA in October last year.

Rendering of Post Lofts, image courtesy of Condoman Developments.

A few properties east, another mid-rise is planned at 1285 Queen East, where the current Beer Store site is to be redeveloped, following a recent trend across the city. Fieldgate Homes is proposing to construct a 6-storey condo building designed by TACT Architecture which would feature 72 units and grade-level retail. The building would have two frontages: one on Queen Street to the north, and the second on Memory Lane to the south, which would face Maple Leaf Forever Park. The project was submitted for ZBA last year and is working its way through the planning process.

Rendering of 1285 Queen East, image courtesy of Fieldgate Homes.

Continuing eastward along Queen, Rockport Group is developing George Condos and Towns at 1331 Queen East, just west of Greenwood Avenue. Designed by RAW, the project will see an 8-storey mid-rise along Queen and a 4-storey townhouse block to the south constructed on the site of existing semi-detached dwellings. The two structures comprise a total of 91 new units, with grade-level retail integrated along Queen. The project has been fairly slow-moving, having survived a hearing at the OMB, but demolition of the existing buildings on site signals that it is still in the works and may materialize soon.

Rendering of George Condos and Towns, image courtesy of the Rockport Group.

Just east of the TTC's Russell Carhouse, Loft 45 Condos is planned for the vacant site at 39 Connaught. Originally proposed by Berkshire Axis Development back in 2010, the property was sold in 2016 and new documents were submitted to the City in 2017 showing a revised design from Guitberg Group. The building is proposed to rise four storeys with 18 new condo units, and is currently seeking SPA.

Rendering of the new proposal for Loft 45 Condos, image obtained via submission to the City of Toronto.

Continuing east into The Beaches, Marlin Spring Developments is preparing to build WestBeach Condominiums, a 6-storey mid-rise at 1630 Queen East, just past the northeast corner of Queen and Coxwell Avenue. Designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects, the building will add 89 units to the neighbourhood with grade-level retail along Queen. Site preparation is now underway, and SPA documents were resubmitted last year, indicating that this project is nearing the start of construction.

Rendering of WestBeach Condominiums, image courtesy of Marlin Spring Developments.

Pushing eastward, another mid-rise is under construction with Two Hundred The Beach at the northwest corner of Queen and Woodbine Avenue. Headed by The Riedel Group and designed by Richard Ziegler Architect, the 6-storey mid-rise will add 30 new condo units to the trendy Beaches neighbourhood. The building has now topped off, with installation of the exterior cladding nearly complete. Look for construction on the building to wrap up this year.

View of Two Hundred The Beach, image by Forum contributor TDotTeen.

Across Woodbine, Fieldgate Homes and Hullmark are planning Heartwood The Beach, a mid-rise slated for the northeast corner of Queen and Woodbine. Designed by Quadrangle, the building will rise 6 storeys and will contain 43 condo units with retail at grade level. The project is currently in sales, with updated SPA documents resubmitted to the City last year.

Rendering of Heartwood The Beach, image courtesy of Fieldgate Homes and Hullmark.

Doubling back west along Queen, we turn south onto Eastern Avenue and begin making our way back west, where a mix of residential, institutional, and commercial development is in the works along Eastern. First up is a small but noteworthy project at 914 Eastern Avenue, where Cecconi Simone are planning to build three luxury townhouses on the site of an existing commercial building. Parts of the existing building will be retained and incorporated into the new residences, which will rise two storeys and feature a distinct contemporary aesthetic. The townhouses are currently working their way through the planning process.

Rendering of 914 Eastern Avenue, image courtesy of Cecconi Simone Architects.

We continue west along Eastern, then take a brief detour south on Leslie Street to Lake Shore Boulevard, where a new commercial development is planned for the big box store complex on the southwest corner of the intersection. Initially proposed as a SportChek, a recent resubmission for Site Plan Approval shows the new retailer will be Farm Boy, a southeastern Ontario grocery chain now expanding into the GTA. Designed by McRobie Architects + Interior Designers with Turner Fleischer Architects, the two-storey building will replace a surface parking lot on the western parcel of the commercial complex.

Rendering of proposed Farm Boy store, image courtesy of Turner Fleischer Architects.

On the northwest corner of Leslie and Lake Shore, an interesting proposal was discovered in 2016 when AUDAX Architecture posted on their website a rendering of a mixed-use project for Craft Developments' existing FreshCo commercial complex at 731 Eastern Avenue. The proposal called for two or three storeys of retail at ground level, and several storeys of residential above in a pedestrian-oriented complex of mid-rises. However, there has been no development application submitted to the City, and the property is designated as Employment Lands (therefore an official plan amendment would also be required), so there is no telling yet whether this is a serious proposal or just a hopeful idea.

Rendering of 731 Eastern Avenue, image courtesy of AUDAX Architecture.

Heading back one more block on Leslie Street, we turn west onto Eastern and come to the proposed future site of the Toronto GM Mobility Campus at 721 Eastern Avenue. Designed by Quadrangle, the 5-storey complex would include an automotive dealership and repair shop for General Motors Canada, along with an office and research wing for the GM Innovation Centre. The building would be located along Lake Shore Boulevard, with the lands to the north along Eastern designated for future mid-rise development with proposed 9 and 11-storey office buildings. The master plan for the site also includes new public spaces and a POPS, with direct connections to the cycling trails along the south edge of the site. The GM Mobility Campus was submitted for SPA last year, and is currently working its way through the planning process.

Rendering of Toronto GM Mobility Campus, image courtesy of General Motors Canada.

Immediately to the west of the GM Mobility Campus, an expansion of Hollywood North is planned at StudioCentre, a mixed-use employment district at 629 Eastern Avenue headed by SmartCentres and designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects that aims to create a new digital media hub anchored by film production studio Revival 629. The district will also host a new hotel, new retail and food services, and a public realm design aimed at creating a neighbourhood feel. The project was approved at City Council back in 2015, but has since gone dormant, with no movement or updates since then. However, it should be noted that the master plan for the GM Mobility Site next door takes into account an eventual east-west road connection between the GM and StudioCentre sites, indicating that perhaps this proposal is not dead.

Rendering of StudioCentre, image courtesy of SmartCentres.

Continuing west on Eastern, the former Weston's Bakery at 462 Eastern Avenue is slated for an extreme makeover, with Graywood Developments and Alterra proposing to redevelop the property into a mixed-use mid-rise building. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, the development would add a 9-storey 307-unit condo building to the site with ground floor retail space, while retaining and restoring a southern portion of the 1920s-built 4-storey bakery. The project has been undergoing minor design tweaks over the past year as it moves through City Planning, but it has now been appealed to the OMB by a previous owner of the site. The OMB hearing is scheduled for July 2018, with the City offering its support to the development.

Rendering of 462 Eastern Avenue, image courtesy of Graywood and Alterra.

Across the street from the bakery, a new self-storage facility is planned for 459 Eastern Avenue on the southeast corner of Eastern and Booth Avenue by All Canadian Self Storage. The 5-storey building is designed by Teeple Architects and features a brown stucco, metal, and glass facade. Site clearing and shoring are already underway on site, so excavation is imminent within the coming months.

Rendering of 459 Eastern Avenue, image courtesy of All Canadian Self Storage.

We now come to the one of the most talked about and buzzworthy projects in Toronto over the past couple years with East Harbour, First Gulf's master plan to transform the former Unilever site, a 60-acre property located on the south side of Eastern Avenue and east of the Don Valley. The master plan, previously designed by renowned Dutch starchitects OMA, is now headed by Urban Strategies alongside Adamson Associates and Janet Rosenberg Studio. The plan calls for a new employment district for some 50,000 people occupying nearly 11 million square feet of office space, alongside roughly 1.7 million square feet of retail, commercial, and cultural space. The most notable aspect of the project, however, is perhaps a new multi-modal transit hub, which would link an expanded GO service, a new Relief Line subway, a new Waterfront LRT, and an extended Broadview streetcar under one roof. The configuration of the master plan was revamped last year and is continuously evolving as it seeks rezoning and an Official Plan Amendment, so at this point in time, it is not possible to nail down specifics of the built form given the constant changes. A summary of what was presented to the Toronto Design Review Panel in November 2017 can be found here, but there have been minor tweaks to this scheme since, so you can stay up to date by checking out the associated Forum thread, or by checking back for updates on our front page.

Rendering of East Harbour from January 2018, image courtesy of First Gulf.

Turning north onto Broadview Avenue, another massive redevelopment of former industrial and commercial properties is underway with Riverside Square to the west side of Broadview and south of Queen Street. Headed by Streetcar Developments, the project encompasses five mixed-use buildings of 20, 14, 14, 14, and 13 storeys totalling 898 new residential units, new grade-level retail spaces, a new park, and car dealerships. To be built out in phases, the first will be the 20-storey tower constructed at the centre of the site and designed by RAW, with further residential to follow designed by RAW and Giannone Petricone Architects. Phase One is currently well underway, with all buildings now having reached at least grade level, and the structure of the tower and mid-rise several floors up already. Look for the buildings of Phase One to top off before the end of the year.

View of Riverside Square, image by Forum contributor achender.

We now take a quick eastward journey along Queen to 763 Queen East, where a slow-moving development is looking to add a 5-storey mid-rise condo to the avenue. Designed by KAVE Architects, the project would and 29 condo units and  grade-level retail to the site, replacing three existing storefront properties. Initially submitted in 2014, an updated design was revealed in 2016, but there has been no movement since.

Rendering of 763 Queen East, image courtesy of KAVE Architects.

Heading another block east along Queen, developer Percy Ellis has proposed a 5-storey all-studio rental building at 8 De Grassi Street on the site of a vacant lot. Designed by Brander Architects, the building would fit 17 residential units on the small plot of land. The project was recent submitted for Site Plan Approval at the City, so check back for updates as it works its way through the planning process.

East elevation of 8 De Grassi, image courtesy of Percy Ellis.

Returning west to Broadview Avenue, we then head north to where the Montcrest School is looking to expand their campus just north of Riverdale Park with a new addition and renovation to a trio of heritage houses facing onto Broadview. Designed by Montgomery Sisam Architects, the expansion will include new classrooms, music and art rooms, a science lab, and new staff facilities. The two-storey addition is located at the rear of the two southernmost heritage homes, with a link building connecting them, while the third northernmost house will simply be renovated with no new additions. The project will be carried out in two phases, with Phase One, which involves the addition to the rear of the centre house, already under construction and topped off, and will likely complete this year. Phase Two, which involves the addition to the rear of the southern house and the link building, is fully approved and should begin construction in the near future.

Rendering of Montcrest School expansion, image courtesy of the Montgomery Sisam Architects.

Continuing north, a mid-rise proposal at 796-802 Broadview Avenue, opposite Broadview subway station just north of Danforth Avenue, is slowly making its way through the planning process. Proposed by Shaun Developments and designed by Options Architects, the 6-storey mid-rise would replace three single-family houses and add 30 new residential units with grade-level retail to the neighbourhood. In their final report, City Staff recommended approval of this project, so it is likely that this building will enter sales soon as it nears the end of the planning process.

Rendering of 796-802 Broadview, image courtesy of Shaun Developments.

Reversing back one block and turning eastward along Danforth Avenue for our final leg of this instalment, we pass through Greektown on our way to Sunday School Lofts, a redevelopment by Grid Developments of the 1925-built Temple Baptist Church at 14 Dewhurst Boulevard just north of Danforth. The project would retain the facade of the church building and incorporate it into the 4-storey condo building. Designed by George Popper Architect, the development will add 32 new units to the residential neighbourhood. The project is currently in sales, with City staff recommending approval of the development late last year.

Rendering of Sunday School Lofts, image courtesy of Grid Developments.

Continuing east along Danforth Avenue, a rezoning application for a mid-rise development at 1030 Danforth Avenue, just east of Donlands Avenue, was approved in 2016, but no activity has been seen since. Designed by Bernard Watt Architect, the proposal would see an 8-storey mid-rise constructed on the property, comprising 53 residential units and grade-level retail. There has been no recent movement, so it is unknown if the owners are moving forward with this project.

Rendering of 1030 Danforth Avenue, image courtesy of Bernard Watt Architect.

Further east, we come to the final building on our extensive east-end tour with Platform Condos, formerly named The Greenwood, which is a 9-storey mid-rise proposed for the southwest corner of Danforth and Greenwood Avenues. Headed by Sierra Building Group and Fortress Real Developments and designed by Kirkor Architects, the 102-unit condo building would replace a surface parking lot and commercial building along this busy stretch of the Danforth. The development received approval from City Council last year, and the developer has indicated that demolition will begin this summer, so look for shovels to get in the ground later this year.

Rendering of Platform Condos, image courtesy of Sierra and Fortress Real.

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That concludes this edition of our Growth to Watch For series! Our next instalment will turn north and explore development happening in the East York and Don Mills neighbourhoods. In the meantime, make sure to check out the dataBase files and associated Forum threads for each of the projects mentioned 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 view from Midtown Toronto's Yonge and Eglinton area. Submitted to our Forum by contributor steveve, this view faces south on Yonge Street from the corner of Orchard View Blvd. The impact of E Condos' 58 and 38-storey towers has become evident as they rise into the local skyline, with the taller south tower now standing as the tallest Toronto building north of the Four Seasons in Yorkville.

Facing south on Yonge Street from north of Eglinton, image by Forum contributor steveve

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. 

Toronto city-hall committee votes against REimagining Yonge proposal; Toronto committee narrowly avoids resurrecting the Sheppard subway; Good quality of life ‘just a dream’ for too many Torontonians; and more news:

Toronto city-hall committee votes against REimagining Yonge proposal (Globe and Mail)

Good quality of life ‘just a dream’ for too many Torontonians (Toronto Star)

Toronto committee narrowly avoids resurrecting the Sheppard subway (Inside Toronto)

Metrolinx Updates New Stations Business Cases (Steve Munro)

York Eglinton BIA hit hard by Crosstown LRT construction (Inside Toronto)

Take a look inside the AGO’s colossal Infinity Mirrors exhibition (Toronto Life)

GTAA hosts public meetings to discuss Toronto Pearson noise mitigation (Inside Toronto)

Global news from our sister site, SkyriseCities.com:

CapitaLand Breaks Record with Highest "Horizontal Skyscraper"(Chongqing)

The Big Four and the Golden Years of the Calgary Stampede (Calgary)

Edmonton's Commercial Real Estate Market Made Strong Gains in 2017 (Edmonton)

Vancouver's Rogers Building Stands the Test of Time (Vancouver)

A proposal submitted to Toronto's Planning Department earlier this month seeks Site Plan Approval for a rear addition to a pair of two-storey commercial buildings at the southwest corner of Yonge and Deloraine Avenue, halfway between Lawrence and York Mills subway stations. Owned by Share Family Holdings Ltd. and currently in use as offices for Share Lawyers, 3440 and 3442 Yonge Street would be expanded by a five-storey addition designed by AUDAX architecture.

Facing southwest to 3440-3442 Yonge, image via Google Street View

The proposed addition would rise to the west of the existing buildings, which currently support a pair of billboards topped with a sculptural recreation of Charles C. Ebbets’s iconic photograph, Lunch atop a Skyscraper. Plans show the billboards in place, but the sculptures are missing in them. 

Facing southwest to 3440 Yonge, image via submission to City of Toronto

The 1,682 m² addition would house 1,295 m² of commercial space on the second and third floors, topped by 387 m² of residential/commercial rental space on two more floors, each with terraces where the building steps back from the low-rise neighbourhood to the west. A sheltered 10-space parking area at ground level is accessed from Deloraine Avenue.

3440 Yonge massing diagram showing angular plane, image via submission to City of Toronto

Architectural plans show a mix of materials, with brick, stone, and stucco on the lower levels to match the existing building. Curtainwall glazing is the primary building envelope on the 4th and 5th levels, which will differentiate the upper volume from its base. A landscaped area on the building’s Deloraine Avenue frontage is proposed to become outdoor patio seating.

Colour elevation diagram for 3440 Yonge, image via submission to City of Toronto

Additional information and images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.

Last week, Waterfront Toronto held a community consultation at the Daniels Spectrum to share information on the Port Lands Flood Protection & Enabling Infrastructure (PLFPEI) project and collect public feedback on the design of Promontory Park and the River Valley. The PLFPEI project is expected to be complete in 2023 and will re-naturalize the mouth of the Don River, create a new river valley through the Port Lands, a new island, and new parks, roads and bridges. With construction now underway, the meeting marked a significant milestone in the project’s 20+ year-long process, and gave the audience an opportunity to hear presentations from those involved in the project, ask questions, and voice their concerns.

A model of the Port Lands Flood Protection & Enabling Infrastructure project, uploaded by UrbanToronto user skycandy.

The PLFPEI project covers over 800 acres of land in Toronto’s Port Lands—“one of North America's largest underused urban areas." Initially developed in the early 1900s, the Port Lands was created in anticipation of housing the City’s industrial growth. The design followed planning practices common at the time, forcing the river into a 90° turn, conflicting with the waterway’s natural movement. A majority of the Portlands is currently within the resulting flood plain and has suffered from its history of industrial usage. Therefore revitalization, decontamination, and flood protection is necessary before the City will allow residential and commercial development.

The PLFPEI project has roots in 1989 as part of Mark Wilson’s efforts to Bring Back the Don. In 2007, Waterfront Toronto made it a top priority to redevelop around the mouth of the Don as a means to create flood protection, and launched the Lower Don Lands Master Plan design competition. The competition was awarded to Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc. (MVVA) who has now been with the project for over 10 years. In 2017, three levels of government announced that funding of $1.185 billion would be set aside for the revitalization of the site.

Project Area of the Port Lands Flood Protection & Enabling Infrastructure project. Image courtesy of MVVA.

Through extensive collaboration among a wide range of stakeholders, it has been established that a new naturalized outlet for the Don River will be created with a waterway that carves out a new island between it and the Keating Channel, the current outlet of the Don. The Keating Channel will also be improved with a new mouth, construction of which began with the filling of Essroc Quay to create a new landmass. This milestone was celebrated last month at an event attended by Julie Dabrusin, MP for Toronto–Danforth (on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities); Ontario Minister of Children and Youth Services Michael Coteau (on behalf of Minister of Infrastructure Bob Chiarelli); Toronto Mayor John Tory; Will Fleissig, CEO of Waterfront Toronto; and Stacey R. Laforme, Chief of the Mississaugas of New Credit First Nation.

Map of PLFPEI's infrastructure development. Image courtesy of Waterfront Toronto.

The meeting on February 22 saw presentations from Councillor Paula Fletcher, David Kusturin and Chris Glaisek of Waterfront Toronto, Matthew Urbanski and Herb Sweeney of MVVA, and ended with an opportunity for the audience to ask questions to the presenters. The presentation was accompanied by an elaborate display of the project and community feedback stations that included a “map scavenger hunt” station, “tell me more” station, “visualize your future spaces” station, “envelope wall”, “meet your neighbours” station, and a massive model of the project that acted as a centerpiece for the event.

Speaking on behalf of Waterfront Toronto, David Kusturin and Chris Glaisek gave a short history of Toronto’s Port Lands, explaining that the man-made site existed to host industrial activities, and as a consequence is currently not amenable to residential development because the soil is contaminated and a majority of the land lies within the flood plain. The PLFPEI project has addressed these difficulties through an exhaustive review and analysis process. From their due diligence exercise, Waterfront Toronto was able to establish a scope, schedule, cost, and risks of the PLFPEI project, which resulted in a report 7 binders thick. Many public consultations have happened already, but the City is still interested in collecting as much feedback as they can in order to develop the vibrancy and richness of the project.

The PLFPEI project's playgrounds will be interwoven with nature. Rendering courtesy of MVVA.

Matthew Urbanski and Herb Sweeney from MVVA—responsible for the master plan of the site—followed Waterfront Toronto's presentation with an explanation of the parkland design, their approach to the site, and precedents that inspired the firm. Sweeny explained that the design needed to provide flood control, create a connection to the urban context, and attract visitors from across the city to the parks. As such, the proposed Promontory Park has been identified to address the city's need for event space, music venues, and beach space. People will be able to access Promontory Park and the riverbanks through several means including LRT, bicycle paths, and walkable trails.

To address flood control, MVVA gave the Don River three waterways to flow into, with one main mouth that forms a soft turn instead of the existing hard right turn, and two alternative paths.  These waterways are each lined with wetland buffer spaces that allow the water levels to rise in the event of a hurricane, creating a resilient and sustainable environment. In total, 29 hectares of naturalized green areas are planned—including coastal wetlands—as well as 16 acres of parkland, and 14 acres of in-water aquatic habitat. 

Urbanski wrapped up the presentation with a slideshow of the potential the PLFPEI project can bring to the City, using much of MVVA’s past work as examples. Potential programmatic uses of the site include event lawns, cafes, playscapes, picnicking spaces, nature play, promenades, kayak/canoe channels, passive-use lawns, romantic overlooks, public art, heritage reuse, multi-use fields, and the possible adaptation of the Essroc silos for rock climbing walls. These programs would provide access to water, restored wetlands (that look like they’ve existed for decades), skyline views, trails, and the City as a backdrop to activities.

The proposed landscape design for the PLFPEI project has many programs. Image courtesy of MVVA.

The audience had many questions and comments to provide after the presentation, which mostly concerned the usage of the site, affordability, and safety during potential flood events.

Some were concerned with the continuation of existing trail paths and whether this development will interrupt the Martin Goodman Trial, the Lower Don River Trail, and the adjacent Tommy Thompson Park. To this, the presenters replied that all developed trails will be complimentary to existing paths and Tommy Thompson Park will remain as a nature preserve.

There were questions about the plans for the Villiers Island urban area (named for an existing street on the land which will become an island following the digging of the new river mouth).

One audience member commented that as the current Port Lands are relatively vacant, they has been providing an excellent space for artists to experiment without bothering residential uses, and was wondering whether the PLFPEI project will push out the artists. Waterfront Toronto commented that they anticipate arts programming to be part of Villiers Island, but the form has yet to be determined.

There was a question about whether affordable housing will be provided in on Villiers Island, to which WT responded that the affordable residential unit mix will follow the City’s current policy but will be more aggressive, with intentions to exceed the target as the development evolves.

There was also a query on whether Villiers Island would be proposed to Amazon or Sidewalk Labs as a potential site for their developments, which another audience member answered, stating that Amazon is currently looking for a site that can be developed within a 10 year window, and Villiers Island falls just outside of this window, thus making it ineligible.

Many were concerned whether the revitalized wetlands will actually keep Villiers Island safe from a hurricane event, and whether the development will benefit other upstream areas of the Don Valley. In response, the presenters assured the audience that the City’s current flood models are appropriate for this site and the design will meet these models, but unfortunately it is not possible for the PLFPEI project to provide flood protection for the buildings upstream that were built within the flood plain.

We will keep you updated as more information about the Port Lands Flood Protection & Enabling Infrastructure project emerges. In the meantime, feedback is being collected through an online survey titled “How to Make a Great Park,” and additional information about the area's redevelopment is available in our database file, linked below. Want to share your thoughts about the project? Leave a comment in the space below, or add your voice to the ongoing discussion in our associated Forum thread.

Today we present a guest post from Dean Macaskill, Senior Vice President at Lennard Commercial Realty. Dean has worked as a commercial realtor since 1980 and has years of industry insight into the Toronto real estate market. Having been through three cycles in the business, he has seen the highs and lows. He'll be sharing some of his insider information and insights with UrbanToronto on a semi-regular basis.

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While reading UrbanToronto the other day, this writer thumbed through the Growth to Watch for 2018 series'North Etobicoke and Weston instalment. In the article, mention is made of 22 John Street just north of Weston Road and Lawrence, a property this scribe listed in 2012.

This was a very complex transaction. At the time, the Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) had a commuter parking lot on the site as the Weston GO Station was located there at the time. The station was being relocated south of Lawrence, resulting in a need for less parking and, as such, the site was viewed as surplus to TPA’s needs. It was also noted that Weston Village needed a boost.

Local councillor Frances Nunziata had a vision for this site, including an arts and cultural centre for the community, something sorely lacking for residents. There was also a farmer’s market that took place every weekend on the lot so that use was to be accommodated in any future development. This made for a rather difficult offering. Firstly, at the time, Weston and Lawrence wasn’t really on many developers’ radar. Now add to the mix a cultural centre and farmer’s market, we had our hands full.

This led to our first issue. Who was going to run the cultural centre? The city wanted competition for the use but, other than Artscape, who else would look at the site? We approached Margie Zeidler, who is very active in the art world, but the best she could offer was her appreciation for what we were doing and a willingness to offer support if need be. So it looked like Artscape would be the default operator of the cultural centre, as long as they were on side. But what if they weren’t? Or, what if they were on side but would do so only with a developer of their choosing? This was supposed to be a public offering process, so we couldn’t have our hands tied, yet we needed Artscape on side as the cultural centre was a promise made to the community. Although Artscape did have their preferred partner, they did not allow this to interfere in our marketing process.

22 John Street, image courtesy of Rockport Group/Artscape

So the marketing commenced but we quickly realized that most of the name brand players had no interest in pioneering in Weston Village. That led us to a number of players including Options for Homes, though this was not a strong option as they were already developing to the south and we weren’t sure if they had the capacity to undertake another development in the area. 

On the offer due date, we received 5 offers for this 1.42-acre site but at rather depressed pricing levels. What caught everyone’s eye was a very creative deal from Rockport Group and Woodbourne Capital, the owner of the high-rise apartment building to the north of our site. As it turned out, when originally developed, the apartment building on King Street contained a large ground floor retail element. This element had sat vacant for years with little hope of being leased given its location off of Weston Road. This space, though, overlooked the TPA site. What an excellent location for Artscape! This would also free up land for the farmer’s market. The selling price of the site was just over $2.1 million. 

One thing that was left to finish was the partial replacement of the parking on the TPA site: the land to the west of the site was unencumbered but the owner was not willing to sell. The land had to be expropriated.  

The patience of everyone involved in this deal was immense. There were so many elements to this transaction and it took years to complete, but it came together due to the co-operation of all participants at the table. This one development has created what it set out to do; put Weston Village back in the eyes of investors, and since the launch, the area has been on fire.

Today's Photo of the Day features a unique perspective of the Massey Tower, under construction on Yonge Street in Downtown Toronto. Submitted by Forum contributor RyanD, this view shows the tower's curtainwall-clad north facade, with the undulating south and west facades visible reflecting off of the Cadillac Fairview Tower at 20 Queen Street West.

Massey Tower under construction in Downtown Toronto, image by Forum contributor RyanD

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. 

Toronto’s Bentway will be a new platform for public art; YRT's Richmond Hill Centre Terminal extension opens February 18; BMO to build new 'urban campus' across from Yonge-Dundas Square; and more news:

Construction begins on McNicoll Bus Garage in Scarborough (Inside Toronto)

Toronto’s Bentway will be a new platform for public art (Globe and Mail)

YRT's Richmond Hill Centre Terminal extension opens February 18 (Transit Toronto)

BMO to build new 'urban campus' across from Yonge-Dundas Square (Toronto Star)

WALKABOUT: Exploring the eastern prong of the Yonge-University subway (Inside Toronto)

Twin chimneys demolished at former Nanticoke Generating Station (Toronto Star)

Global news from our sister site, SkyriseCities.com:

Time-Lapse Videos Capture Construction of Two New NYC Condominiums (New York)

Application Submitted to Revive Hollywood Theatre, Develop Adjacent Site (Vancouver)

Heavy Machinery Signals Start of 500 Block Project (Calgary)

With another busy month of city-building, transportation, and real estate talk now behind us, we round up February 2018's hottest stories, projects, and Forum discussions.

Our Top Ten News Stories

1. Oxford Properties Proposes 60-Storey Tower at Bay and Harbour

Looking northwest to The HUB, image courtesy of Oxford Properties

Our most popular news story in February covered the reveal of Oxford Properties' long-anticipated 30 Bay Street office tower, which is being marketed as The HUB. (The HUB appears again with updated details in the eighth spot.) Our second most popular story was an interview with Metrolinx's new President and CEO Phil Verster, followed by a story offering a first look at the design of the new Renzo Piano-designed Ontario Court of Justice.

2. Union Station and GO RER: Metrolinx's Phil Verster on the Future

3. Ontario Court of Justice Ready To Go Behind Toronto City Hall

4. Growth to Watch For 2018: Dupont, the Junction, St. Clair West

5. Bazis Proposes 54-Storey Condo Tower at Queen and Church

6. Updated Renderings Show Revised LCBO Tower at Sugar Wharf

7. The One's Hybrid Exoskeleton to be a First for Toronto

8. The HUB to Rise Over 280 Metres with Structural Exoskeleton

9. Striking Sculptural Form Emerges at Wellesley on the Park

10. Commerce Court 3 Makes Appearance at Design Review Panel

Our Top Ten Database Files

1. The One 

The One, image courtesy of Mizrahi Developments

Mizrahi's The One is back at the top of our list for most popular Database files for February, reclaiming a position it held for several months until the end of 2017. In second place, the Pinnacle One Yonge development continues to draw in views as marketing begins for the development's first phase, The Prestige.

2. Pinnacle One Yonge

3. The HUB 

4. Ontario Court of Justice 

5.  Mirvish Village

6.  CIBC Square

7. Wellesley On The Park

8. The Well

9. Commerce Court 3 

10. 357 King West 

Our Top Ten Forum Threads 

1. CIBC Square

CIBC Square construction, image by Forum contributor ChesterCopperpot

Below-grade construction for the first phase of the CIBC Square office complex has kept the project's Forum thread at the top of the pack for February, followed by the threads for The One and Massey Tower in second and third place.

2. The One  

3. Massey Tower 

4. 1 Yorkville

5. Monde

6. Sun Life Financial Tower & Harbour Plaza Residences

7. The Well

8. Ten York Street Condos 

9. The Residences of 488 University Avenue

10. Commerce Court 3

***

This week's Throwback Thursday takes us back just over three years, for a west-facing view of Downtown Toronto captured from the Princess Street and Front Street intersection. Back in early February 2015, The cranes of the L Tower and Backstage on The Esplanade could be seen to the left of the CN Tower. On the right, some of the office towers of the Financial District would soon be obscured by a new addition.

Facing west on Front Street from Princess Street, February 2015, image by Marcus Mitanis

Fast forward to late February 2018, and the L Tower's crane has since been removed and replaced with a derrick, which we hope will be removed soon too, once the building maintenance unit is finally installed there. The crane at Backstage has also been removed, and a sliver of the 36-storey tower can be seen rising above 25 The Esplanade. Just to the left of the chimney at the photo's left edge, the Harbour Plaza Residences condominium towers have joined the landscape. On the right, the 58-storey 88 Scott Street has blocked out much of the Financial District from this view. The single-storey Acura dealership seen in the foreground of the 2015 photo has since been converted into a condominium sales centre for Pemberton, occupying a portion of the future Time and Space Condos development site.

Facing west on Front Street from Princess Street, February 2018, image by Caleb Cho

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

It has now been just over four years since the former Sears Canada store closed its doors at the Toronto Eaton Centre, but the Sears offices above what became Nordstrom remained in operation until the recent bankruptcy. Future plans for the now-vacant space were revealed earlier today when BMO Financial Group CEO Darryl White and Cadillac Fairview President and CEO John Sullivan were joined by Mayor John Tory to announce plans to repurpose the massive space at 290 Yonge Street. Hailed as “Tomorrow’s Workplace”, Canadian banking titan BMO plans to open a four-storey “urban campus” capable of supporting up to 3,500 employees with progressive workspaces equipped with advanced digital technology, open floorplans, and multiple collaborative work areas.

'BMO Campus' Urban Workplace, overlooking Yonge and Dundas Square opening in 2021, image courtesy CNW Group/BMO Financial Group)

The 346,000 ft², four-storey project (each floor containing more than 80,000 ft² of space) will be constructed above the Nordstrom department store at the mall's north end, just south of the Yonge and Dundas intersection. While an architect has not been confirmed for the transformation, a rendering shows a recladding of the office floors, replacing most of the opaque enamelled paneling with glazing. Plans also include the incorporation of the four-storey atrium and light well from the original Eaton's department store into the new office floors, bringing light into the middle of the vast floors. 

Future site of the 'BMO Campus' Urban Workplace, image via Google Street View

"This urban campus is central to the business transformation that's underway at BMO. We're unified in our focus on the customer and now we're accelerating, moving ahead ready to capitalize on every advantage: our wealth of customer insights, the right investment in technology and the discipline to keep things simple. This step we are taking is all about our customers because ultimately, it is they who lead our bank," reads a statement issued by BMO CEO Darryl White. "We're positioning the bank to be at the forefront of change and lead the industry. This new workplace will be a centrepiece for how we drive value."

'BMO Campus' Urban Workplace, overlooking Yonge and Dundas Square opening in 2021, image courtesy CNW Group/BMO Financial Group)

With the project expected to add another few hundred thousand square feet of space to BMO's portfolio in 2021, the banking institution has reaffirmed a commitment to maintaining their headquarters at First Canadian Place, with the company's lease within the tower recently having been extended another 15 years.

We'll return as more information becomes available. In the meantime, you can keep track of this and other elements of the Eaton Centre's ongoing renovations by visiting the project's database file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the filed provided at the bottom of this page.

York University's plan to add space at its Keele campus for the School of Continuing Studies took a step forward this week, as the institution's Board of Governors approved a $50.5 million design/build budget for a new building. This approval follows a design competition for the facility with three teams shortlisted; HOK, Gow Hastings Architects with Henning Larsen, and Perkins + Will. Along with the funding approval announcement, a press release issued yesterday—accompanied by the firm's early design concept for the building—announced that Perkins+Will has been selected to design the project.

Initial design concept for the York University School of Continuing Studies, image courtesy of Perkins+Will

Early concept plans call for an approximately 9,000 m² building with a striking, faceted exterior, located at the intersection of The Pond Road and James Gillies Street. Inside, students and faculty would find 39 classrooms, student lounges, social spaces, private work areas, "breakout" spaces, and space to accommodate a total of 150 staff and instructors.

Initial design concept for the York University School of Continuing Studies, image courtesy of Perkins+Will

Teams participating in the design competition were asked to examine options to integrate the building into the campus' existing community, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. Other factors firms were the use of structural cross-laminated timbers, natural light, renewable energy, and a minimum target of LEED Gold certification with the possibility of achieving a net-zero standard.

“The creation of a new, stand-alone home for our School of Continuing Studies is another important step forward in improving access to post-secondary education at York,” reads a statement issued by York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton. “This new building will enable us to create even more lifelong learning opportunities, build connections with local and international communities, and help students of all ages and backgrounds to achieve their fullest potential.”

York University intends to break ground on the project next year, with an aim to move classes from the existing building scattered across campus into the new building in 2021.

Additional information and images can be found in our Database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.