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Infill developments have become increasingly common in Toronto, with property owners seeking to capitalize on opportunities to maximize development on their land following current provincial and municipal planning policies. The 1974-built LuCliff Place at 700 Bay Street and 77 Gerrard Street West is one such site, where demolition has recently begun at the west end of the complex on its low-rise podium. Once the two-storey podium is gone, Kingsett Capital will build a Quadrangle-designed addition to the existing 24-storey apartment tower.
LuCliff Place has a mix of uses, with retail at ground level, offices on the east side of the 24-storey slab-shaped tower, and rental apartments in the centre of the block. The building is managed by Bentall Kennedy. The addition will add more rental apartments, both on the west side of the block, and atop the existing building. On the west side there will be 27 storeys (at the same height as the existing 24-storey building), while there will be another 4 storeys of apartments across the top, along with a floor of new amenities. A mechanical penthouse will not be needed above the amenities, as the building uses Toronto's Enwave heating and cooling system.
Demolition has already removed a large portion of the podium's west end, where below-grade work will prepare the footprint of the addition for its ascent above the Gerrard and Elizabeth intersection. The addition will block west-facing third bedroom windows of units on 22 floors. Those suites will be converted into 2-bedroom plus den units in the process.
The addition will house a total of 274 rental apartment units, coming in a mix of 187 one-bedroom units, 58 two-bedroom units, and 29 three-bedroom units. Factoring in the existing 220 rental apartments, the complex will have a total of 494 residential units once construction of the project wraps up.
This boost in the area's residential density will be joined by updates to the complex's street realm. The tower will be held above some of the sidewalk on columns, creating a sheltered pedestrian space below with copper-toned soffits, while the podium and retail frontages to the east will benefit from new cladding, replacing the existing Postmodern aesthetic around the complex's base.
Additional information and images 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 in the field provided at the bottom of this page.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been edited to correct information about its connection to the Enwave system.
