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Over the past decade, Toronto's Entertainment District has experienced explosive growth, with a surfeit of high-rise condominiums and adaptive reuse projects remaking much of Downtown's west side. Along Peter Street alone, recent and ongoing projects like Tableau, QRC West, and the tower at 101 Peter Street are transforming what was once an industrial and low-rise residential area into a cluster of glass and steel towers. The end of 2015 finds the short street—which runs south from Queen to King before becoming Blue Jays Way—in a state of transition.
Looking south along Peter Street from Richmond (above), for example, the two sides of the street converge in sharp contrast, with the west side of the block retaining a mostly low-rise character while the east side suddenly seems almost an extension of the Financial District's towers. However, with two high-rise projects recently announced, the west side of the street could also soon be set for a dramatic redevelopment.
The two projects, at 350 Adelaide West and 122 Peter Street, would re-make the block into a high-rise cluster of three towers ranging in height from 39 to 50 storeys. However, with both projects currently in relatively early stages—with 122 Peter recently submitted to the City and 350 Adelaide West remaining in the pre-proposal stage—many steps, including likely design revisions, remain before either development could become a reality. Nonetheless, renderings and early details of both projects give us a preliminary indication of the new architectural presence that could shape the block.
On the north end of the block at Richmond Street, Carlyle Communities and Fortress Real Developments' 46-storey Carlyle Condos tower—at 122 Peter—would add 435 residential units to the area, replacing the low-rise buildings that currently occupy the site.
Designed by architectsAlliance, the project's first renderings reveal a form characterized by distinct balcony accents, which create a checkerboard pattern of angled lines along the tower's length (above).
Almost directly to its south, Graywood's BBB Architects-designed development at 350 Adelaide Street West would bring new height to the intersection of Peter and Adelaide, effectively wrapping around the existing buildings at the northwest corner of the intersection. The project features conjoined residential towers with apparent heights of 39 and 50 storeys on either side of a sculptural elevator core.
Renderings of the project also indicate a sizeable retail area fronting both Adelaide and Peter Streets at the first and second levels, and notions of a public piazza on the northwest corner of the site, although it is possible that significant revisions to the current designs will be implemented before the development is submitted to the City.
Speaking with UrbanToronto, Ward 20 Councillor Joe Cressy emphasized a strong commitment to ensure any potential developments in the ward abide by the City's regulations and provide a tangible benefit to the public realm, with laneways and pedestrian access a particular priority.
We will make sure to keep you updated with the latest news as these projects continue to take shape in 2016. In the meantime, additional information about the developments can be found in our associated dataBase files. Want to share your thoughts about the project? Join in the discussion on our associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the space below.
