A wave of tower-in-the-park infill projects have been proposed across Toronto over the past several months, with property owners seeking to intensify the under-utilized green spaces and paved areas associated with this building typology. Just northwest of the Jane and Wilson intersection, a group of four such rental towers on Chalkfarm Drive could soon have a new neighbour, with a WZMH Architects-designed rental development recently proposed along Jane Street.

Southwest view to Chalkfarm Drive infill development, image retrieved from submission to City of Toronto

Submitted on behalf of Verdiroc Development Corporation, owner of the site's property manager Greenwin Inc., the proposal for 160-200 Chalkfarm Drive calls for a 36-storey tower—inclusive of an 8- to 12-storey podium—to join the existing buildings. In an attempt to address the surrounding context, the tower's base will be broken up into discrete volumes. A smaller four-storey volume containing ground floor retail space will front the Jane and Chalkfarm intersection to the north (above, right), creating a buffer between the taller 12-storey podium volume to above it and the low-rise housing to the north.

To the south, the central section of the podium will rise eight storeys, with an urban streetwall fronting Jane. Above the ground floor, levels two through eight of the central podium volume would be exclusively dedicated to residential uses, with the structure capped by a rooftop amenity space. A minimum of 1,180 m² of indoor amenity space and 1,180 m² of outdoor amenity space is planned for the project.

Podium of 160 Chalkfarm Drive, image retrieved from submission to City of Toronto

The tower component would be situated at the south end of the site, characterized a relatively simple rectilinear massing of inset balconies punctuated by strips of white running vertically up the tower faces. An elevator overrun at the south side of the tower's roof would rise a few meters above the uppermost floor's 104.9 metre height, bringing the total tower height up to 110.4 metres.

The Chalkfarm Drive infill development would contribute an additional 590 rental units to the community, consisting of 89 bachelor units, 147 one bedroom units, 151 one bedroom plus den units, 194 two-bedroom units, and 9 three bedroom units. These units would be served by a four level underground parking garage containing 413 resident spaces and 88 visitor/retail spaces, as well as 449 bicycle parking spaces.

The site as it appears now, image via Google Maps

Additional information 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.