UPDATE: A more detailed report is now available here.

As reported by City of Toronto planner David Oikawa via Twitter, a rezoning application has been tabled to allow an 80-storey residential tower on Elm Street just west of Yonge. While submission documents are not yet publicly available, photos depict an extremely slender point tower rising above the heritage-designated structure at 8 Elm Street. 

A photo of the rendering for the proposed 80-storey tower, image via David Oikawa

According to Oikawa, the tower features 469 residential suites, along with 7,696 ft² of commercial floor area. The renderings depicted show the body of the tower rising above a compact base, and supported by cantilevers above the heritage structure. Along the tower levels, a greenscaped terrace is also visible. 

A worm's eye view of the tower, image via David Oikawa

With the application still in its very—very—early stages, we will keep you updated as more information becomes available. Although the details of the proposal—including the developer(s) and architects associated with the project—are not yet available, the development may face significant difficulty as it makes it way through the planning process. Of many potential stumbling blocks, the tower—essentially filling its site without step backs, could hinder development around it, as a 25-metre tower separation distance is set out in the City's Tall Buildings Guidelines. Additionally, the compact nature of the site means that providing servicing and loading for a tower of this scale is likely to be a challenge.

The site as it appears now, looking northeast, image retrieved via Google Maps

Want to share your thoughts about what we've seen so far? Feel free to leave a comment in the space below this page, or join in the newly started—and very active—conversation on our Forum

EDIT: An earlier version of this story said that this proposal would include 7,696 m² of commercial floor area.

UPDATE: A more detailed report is now available here.