Just north of Yonge and Davisville, an 8-storey mixed-use building has been proposed at 1984 Yonge Street. Situated on a small lot on the west side of the street, the mid-rise project calls for 30 residential units—spread out acrosos 6 floors—atop a second-storey office space and street-level retail. Taking on an uncommonly narrow frontage, the recently tabled proposal would replace a pair of two-storey properties that occupy the site. 

The site as it appears now, image via Google Maps

Designed by Giovanni A. Tassone Architects, the project was submitted on behalf of a numbered company. Fronted by a 171 m² retail space and narrow residential entry at street level, the project's second storey is occupied by a 310 m² office space, with residential levels above. The 30 condominium units are planned in a mix of 28 one-bedroom and 2 two-bedroom suites.

Looking southwest, image via submission to the City of Toronto

Given the constricted site and the close proximity to Davisvile subway station, the project features only two residential parking spaces, both of which are situated at grade. Accessible via a laneway off Imperial Street, the two vehicle spots are effectively tucked behind the retail space. In addition, 30 bicycle spaces are planned, meeting the City of Toronto's 1/1 guideline of bike spots to units. 

The ground floor plan, image via submission to the City of Toronto

Built almost to the lot lines on all four sides, the project's north and south sidewalls would remain largely blank, anticipating neighbouring development. In the meantime, the simple multi-tone finishes offer an interplay of earth tones, adding some degree of visual interest to the relatively prominent frontages. 

Looking southeast, image via submission to the City of Toronto

Amidst Toronto's sea of proposals and construction cranes, the project is notable for its compact footprint. Unlike the slender point towers atop blocky podium structures and sometimes block-length mid-rises that account for much of Toronto's recent construction, the narrow frontage would add density without significantly compromising the street's commercial character and pedestrian experience. 

Looking northwest, image via submission to the City of Toronto

Although density across the city continues to increase, the urban ecologies of fine-grained storefronts and 'eyes on the street' too often give way to more sterile street-level experiences. Regardless of the architectural quality—or lack thereof—of new development, it's hard to replicate the vitality of an established commercial street like Yonge when entire blocks are replaced to make way for just one or two new buildings. Unfortunately, this means that the concentration of retail spaces often shrinks as the concentration of residents grows. 

The project in its Yonge Street context, image via submission to the City of Toronto

In recent years, however, the growing scarcity of urban land—arguably complemented by a maturing development industry and real estate market—has seen a number of similar projects come to light. On one block of Wellington Street alone, for example, a cluster of small lots is subject to a plethora of applications, while ongoing projects like Bathurst Street's Origami Lofts are already seeing some smaller sites redeveloped. 

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We will keep you updated as the proposal begins to make its way though the planning process, and more information becomes available. In the meantime, you can learn more by checking out our dataBase file for the project, linked below. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a comment in the space on this page, or join the conversation in our associated Forum thread.