Last fall, Madison Group submitted a rezoning application for the irregularly-shaped property at 120 Church in Downtown Toronto. Located on the southwest corner of Church and Richmond streets, the proposal would redevelop a pair of surface parking lots while demolishing the popular 120 Diner for a 45-storey condo tower designed by Teeple Architects that hugs a four-storey heritage building at the corner of the intersection, currently home to McVeigh's Pub and not included as part of the development property.

Rendering of the previous iteration, image courtesy of Madison Group.

Since the initial submission, Madison has engaged with the local community, city planners, and stakeholders, and has now submitted slightly altered plans for the building that have reduced the massing and gross floor area (GFA) while providing new space for public parkland on the site. It should be noted that no new renderings have been released of the most recent iteration; only plans and elevations have been provided.

The revisions to the tower have maintained the 45-storey, 149-metre height of the building, but have reduced the overall GFA from 42,753 square metres down to 37,272 square metres. Despite having the same height as the previous iteration, this reduction in floor space is due mainly to a reconfigured massing of the podium. As a result, the number of condo units in the building has been reduced from 567 to 442, while the grade-level and second floor retail/commercial area has been slightly reduced from 2,410 square metres to 2,090 square metres.

Updated ground floor plan, image courtesy of Madison Group.

Some significant reductions to the podium height have resulted in a more compatible massing near ground level. On Richmond Street to the north, the 20-storey streetwall has been reduced to 12 storeys, with a step back of three metres at the tenth floor. The Richmond Street facade steps down to three storeys where it meets the heritage building at the corner, as was proposed in the initial design. The podium height on Church Street to the east has been reduced from five to four storeys, which again steps down to three storeys where it approaches the heritage building at the corner. Finally, the podium height along Lombard Street to the south has been reduced from seven to five storeys, which wraps around to the west side of the building along the evocatively named Barbed Wire Lane.

Updated site plan, image courtesy of Madison Group.

Most notably, a 10-metre setback has been introduced from the west property line along Richmond Street that provides space for a new 210-square-metre park. The parkland dedication presumably replaces the need for the previously proposed 58-square-metre POPS at the corner of Church and Lombard Streets, which no longer appears in the drawings. Instead, the building corner at Church and Lombard is rounded off, with the residual space being given over to the City for an enlarged sidewalk.

Updated east elevation along Church Street, image courtesy of Madison Group.

Additional revisions to the proposal include a further three-metre setback of the tower portion from the west property line, and the addition of a fourth underground parking level, which will increase parking capacity from 129 to 157 spaces. The residential unit mix has remained proportionally similar to the first iteration, with 158 one-bedrooms (36%, down from 38%), 241 two-bedrooms (54%, up from 52%), and 43 three-bedrooms (10%, unchanged).

Updated north elevation along Richmond Street, image courtesy of Madison Group.

We will keep you updated as this project continues to work its way through the planning process. In the meantime, you can tell us what you think by checking out the associated Forum thread, or by leaving a comment in the space provided on this page.