The first traces of site activity are now in evidence at the site of State Building Group and Madison Homes' 609 Avenue Road where Toronto's Deer Park neighbourhood meets Forest Hill. Construction hoarding was erected around the perimeter of the site in late 2016. Site clearance started earlier this month for this 19-storey Richmond Architects-designed condominium tower, levelling the single-storey presentation centre, which was the only structure on the 2,045 m² lot.

South view across the 609 Avenue Road site, image by Alexander Vu

The presentation centre, which sat on the footprint of a previously demolished six-storey walk-up apartment building, was constructed on a sloping grade. While the side facing Avenue Road was at grade, the east side was sunk partially below grade. The entire above-grade west side has now been demolished, and work continues to take down the sunken section to the east.

South view across the rear of the former presentation centre for 609 Avenue Road, image by Alexander Vu

Once the remaining structure has been cleared, work will commence to back-fill the site, a necessary step to prepare the site for shoring, when an earth retention system will be installed around the perimeter of the upcoming excavation. Once the shoring is complete, the digging of the pit for 609 Avenue Road's four-level underground parking garage can begin. It is set to provide 166 parking spaces and 145 bicycle racks.

East view across the 609 Avenue Road site, image by Alexander Vu

609 Avenue Road will bring 161 new suites to the area, ranging in size from 500 ft² to 2,000 ft². Residents of the development will have access to a selection of amenities with interiors by Tomas Pearce, including a fitness centre, party room, a private dining room, a media lounge, an outdoor rooftop space with barbecue areas, and a pet wash station.

609 Avenue Road site, image courtesy of State Building Group/Madison Homes

We will keep you updated as construction progresses. In the meantime, further information can be found in our dataBase file, linked below. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a comment in the space provided on this page, or join the ongoing conversation in our associated Forum threads.