Following last year's Rezoning and Site Plan Approval (SPA) application for the Beer Store property at 1580 Avenue Road, the Toronto condominium project now dubbed as Avenue & Park has advanced through the planning process while marketing for the luxury project kicked off in November. With a slightly revised plan recently submitted to the City, the Stafford Homes and Greybrook Realty Partners development is continuing through the approvals process as marketing continues. 

Looking south from Bedford Park Avenue, image courtesy of Stafford Homes

Designed by Page + Steele / IBI Group, the 7-storey condo will add 36 luxury units to the area, with suites—recently profiled here—ranging in size from roughly 1,200 ft² to 3,000 ft². The resubmitted project is largely in keeping with the developers' previous plans, with only minor changes to the massing, public realm, and retail configuration addressing the City's responses to the initial proposal.

The updated street level, image via submission to the City of Toronto

On Avenue Road, the sidewalk has been widened by 0.4 meters. Creating more comfortable pedestrian conditions, 4.86 metres now separate the face of the building and the curb, with similar streetscape improvements—including widened sidewalks and new bicycle parking—planned along Bedford Park Avenue.

Additionally, a number of minor revisions to the project's massing address the City's 45º angular plane guidelines for mid-rise developments through slightly increased stepbacks. Minor changes to the retail entrance will also give the commercial space a stronger street-level presence on the corner of Avenue and Bedford Park. Finally, a small reconfiguration of the residential lobby off Bedford Park Avenue will see the space provide direct access to the adjoining amenity area. 

The residential lobby, image courtesy of Stafford Homes

Replacing a single-storey Beer Store and its parking lot, the project is among several ongoing Beer Store redevelopments in Toronto, including sites on The Queensway, River Street, and Dupont, with a variety of developers re-imagining the underutilized sites.

Like the Avenue Road outlet, these sites are characterized by low-slung retail buildings, which are often set back from the sidewalk to accommodate surface parking. The redevelopment plans include provisions for replacement Beer Stores at the base of the new buildings, giving the retailers a more street-friendly presence. At Avenue & Park—which is further along the planning process than the above-mentioned projects—the plans call for a more upscale 'Beer Boutique' to replace the existing store.

3D aerial view of the existing site context, image via Google Maps

Across the six residential levels above, meanwhile, a high-end selection of suites is planned. Targeting families and empty-nesters, the the project looks to fill a gap in the market. With single-family homes becoming more prohibitively expensive while condo suites typically provide far more compact living spaces, Avenue & Park's generously apportioned suites attempt to fill a middle ground—albeit a decidedly high-end 'middle'—that's relatively underserved by the new-build condominium market. Interiors will be appointed by U31.

Suite interior, image courtesy of Stafford Homes

We will keep you updated as the project continues to make its way through the planning process, and more information becomes available. In the meantime, make sure to check out our dataBase file, linked below, for additional information and renderings. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a comment in the space on this page, or join the conversation in our associated Forum threads.