With units nearly sold out for Mattamy and Biddington's J. Davis House, it won't be much longer before construction starts at the Yonge Street site of the Davisville development. While renderings and marketing material have already provided some insight into the 9-storey Graziani + Corazza design—and the residential units and amenities within—we now take a more planning-oriented look at the project before shovels hit the ground.

Southeast view of J. Davis House, image courtesy of Mattamy/Biddington

J. Davis House's design incorporates a number of cladding materials including precast concrete, natural brick, clear and frit patterned vision glass, spandrel glass panels, and a combination of clear and frit patterned balcony glazing, as well as metal louvres and panels.

Cladding detail on J. Davis House, image courtesy of Mattamy/Biddington

The project will add 185 condominium units to Yonge Street, while also replacing 33 preexisting rental units in accordance with the City of Toronto's Rental Replacement Policy. Condominium units at J. Davis House will come in a mix of 11 studio, 20 one-bedroom, 91 one-bedroom + den, 50 two-bedroom, 11 two-bedroom + den, and 2 three-bedroom units.

Meanwhile, the rental component will come in a mix of 2 one-bedroom, 16 one-bedroom + den, 14 two-bedroom + den units, and 1 three-bedroom suite. The rental component will be concentrated into the south half of the structure's second and third floors.

Suite interior, J. Davis House, image courtesy of Mattamy/Biddington

In addition to a major injection of residential density, J. Davis House will contribute 1,220 m² of retail space to Yonge Street, divided into three units sized at 3,485 ft² (324 m²), 3,920 ft² (364 m²), and 4,735 ft² (440 m²). The remainder of the ground floor will by occupied by a 1,235 ft² (115 m²) lobby fronting onto Belsize Drive, adjacent to a 3,440 ft² (319 m²) space containing gym, studio, and sauna amenities.

Northeast view of J. Davis House, image courtesy of Mattamy/Biddington

Additional amenities will include a 5th floor 2,570 ft² (239 m²) space connecting with an outdoor amenity terrace, sized at 1,270 ft² (118 m²). Adjacent to the indoor/outdoor amenity area, the fifth floor will also include a 300 ft² (28 m²) guest suite. At the rear of the ground floor, an area within the rear motor court will feature landscaping by Terraplan, offering planters with native shrubs and trees, as well as outdoor benches. The Yonge frontage (pictured above) will also feature new landscaping, with a row of raised planters lining the street.

West aerial view of J. Davis House, image courtesy of Mattamy/Biddington

The site will be served by a two-level, underground parking garage containing a combined 177 parking spaces, divided between 128 residential, 27 visitors, 8 retail, and 22 institutional spaces. An additional 8 surface parking spaces are to be housed at the rear of the site.

While the new density and retail space will likely improve parts of the block, the demolition of the bank building has proved more contentious. J. Davis House is set to replace a surface parking lot and disused single-storey strip retail, as well as a more urban row of three-storey mixed-use buildings. Controversially for some locals, the development will also replace the former Bank of Commerce building—a handsome 1912 construction retrofitted to serve as the project's sales centre—at 1955 Yonge Street (below, right). 

Looking east at the site, image via Google Maps

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. Meanwhile, additional information and renderings can be found in our dataBase file for J. Davis House, linked below.