Adding to the recent surge of infill developments for Toronto's mid-century apartment communities, the towers of Etobicoke's La Rose Avenue could be joined by a new seven-storey rental building. Located northwest of Eglinton and Scarlett Road, the project would intensify a site currently occupied by a surface parking lot and an underutilized green space. 

Aerial view of the site, image via Google Maps

Richview Development's 187-unit building would be adjacent to an existing 16-storey apartment tower, with the two structures set to share a revamped underground garage. Built in the 1970s, the 156-unit building at 45 La Rose suffers from a number of below-grade structural problems, with the lifespan of the garage now estimated at approximately five years.

Aerial view of the project, image via submission to the City of Toronto

The integration of a new building alongside the existing tower would entail the reconstruction and expansion of the garage, effectively combining a necessary large-scale maintenance project with the build-out of a new development. 215 new parking spaces would also be created as part of the garage expansion, serving what continues to be a car-oriented part of the city. By contrast, a total of 142 bicycle spaces are planned, meeting the City's minimum requirements for the site.

Looking south from La Rose Avenue, image via submission to the City of Toronto

Designed by Turner Fleischer Architects, the C-shaped building is characterized by a series of stepbacks above the fourth floor, with the project topped by an accessible, landscaped green roof. At ground level, the existing tower's vehicle access would be reworked to serve the new building as well.

A closer look at the lower levels, image via submission to the City of Toronto

The seven-storey building's ground level would mostly be comprised of residential suites, with amenity space and bicycle parking taking up the remainder of the floorplate. The central amenity space would also look out onto a small landscaped plaza, which extends out to a greenscaped walking trail surrounding the building.

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

A unit mix of 98 (52.4%) one-bedroom and 89 (47.6%) two-bedroom suites is planned, with no studio or three-bedroom homes included among the project's 187 units. The project also features some 13,500 ft² of total amenity space, the majority of which—just over 9,000 ft²—would be outdoors. Each suite would also feature a balcony or terrace. 

Looking north, image via submission to the City of Toronto

Although the current proposal is part of a wave of similar tower-in-the-park infill projects across Toronto, plans to intensify the site pre-date amalgamation. A 10-storey, 90-unit building was approved for the site by the OMB in 1997—just before amalgamation—with Richview opting to submit a reworked proposal for 25 townhouses the following year. Neither proposal moved forward. In the intervening years, the structural integrity of the adjacent parking garage has deteriorated, effectively necessitating any new development to address this condition.  

Looking south, existing conditions, image via Google Maps

We will keep you updated as more information becomes available, and the project continues to evolve. More information is available in our dataBase file, linked below. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a comment on this page, or join the conversation in our Forum.