As construction continues on the Crosstown LRT, many of the communities along the transit line are seeing new investment from developers seeking to capitalize on the major improvement coming from Mid-Toronto public transportation times. At the western end of the affluent Leaside neighbourhood, developer The Brown Group of Companies is proposing a new mid-rise condominium project at the intersection of Bayview and Hillsdale Avenues.

Rendering of Bayview & Hillsdale, image courtesy of The Brown Group of Companies

A rezoning application for the site was originally submitted to the city back in December of 2014, but just recently we've gotten a look at the rendering for the eight-storey development. Designed by Kohn Partnership Architects Inc., the building would reach a height of approximately 95 feet with the mechanical penthouse factored in.

The proposal includes retail space at ground level, some of it with a mezzanine level, with entrances fronting onto Bayview Avenue. The retail units would offer generous ceiling heights of 5.75 metres, with a suggested café benefiting from patio space at the corner.

Rendering of Bayview & Hillsdale, image courtesy of The Brown Group of Companies

172 residential suites would occupy floors two through nine, divided into a mix of 23 bachelor units, 71 one-bedroom units and 78 two-bedroom units. Among this number will be 35 replacement rental units for buildings currently on the site. Residential units will be accessed from an entrance at the southwest end of the building on Hillsdale Avenue.

Rendering of Bayview & Hillsdale, image courtesy of The Brown Group of Companies

One existing single detached home on each of Hillsdale and Soudan Avenues forms the west frontage of the site, each house serving as a buffer between the rest of the established neighbourhood to the west and this new mid-rise form along Bayview, while the building itself has been designed using terraces to minimize the impact of the building's bulk. The building will be set back between 1.72 and 2.13 metres from the Bayview Avenue frontage, while stepping back in blocks on levels four through nine. The building's main facade will be articulated using a variety of materials to help create an animated streetscape for the development site.

Rendering of Bayview & Hillsdale's Hillsdale Ave. frontage, image courtesy of The Brown Group of Companies

Residents of the development would have access to a combined 688 square metres of amenity space, split evenly between the indoors and outdoors. The indoor amenity spaces would consist of 272 square metres occupying the southwest portion of the second level and an additional 72 square metres in a ground floor lounge space. The 344 square metres of outdoor space is also planned for the second floor, located directly above the driveway that will provide access to the development's three-level, 245-parking-space underground garage.

East elevation diagram for Bayview & Hillsdale, image courtesy of The Brown Group of Companies

We will keep an eye out for additional information as new details continue to emerge about this proposal. In the meantime, you can find additional renderings and project facts by visiting our dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment using the space provided at the bottom of this page.