Toronto 1140 Yonge Street | 44.95m | 10s | Devron Developments | AUDAX

Shame on the planning staff.

Toronto sorely lacks high quality midrises in the 10-20 floor range. Why not axe the height of the Scrivner Square monstrosity across the street instead?

Audax put in a great effort in the design quality and inclusion of the 3 story townhomes that soften the transition to the sfh neighborhood to the west.

Can the OMB veto plannings' height objection considering the new precendent (Scrivener Square) to the east?
 
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This style Toronto needs a lot more of to bring back some of its lost history. Or at least to feel like we might have had some... that fire long ago really got rid of the gems we use to have. That style never really gets old. Bring back arches and fancy pillars. I’m all for going back in the past architecturally. Skipping the 40s-now! Since then buildings really took an odd cheap turn. And they don’t give one a since of pride to live in.
 
Shame on the planning staff.

Toronto sorely lacks high quality midrises in the 10-20 floor range. Why not axe the height of the Scrivner Square monstrosity across the street instead?

Audax put in a great effort in the design quality and inclusion of the 3 story townhomes that soften the transition to the sfh neighborhood to the west.

Can the OMB veto plannings' height objection considering the new precendent (Scrivener Square) to the east?

Note that staff haven't turned down the application.

The 'issues to be resolved' section of Preliminary reports is standard and appears in nearly every application.

Anytime there is a conflict between an existing policy and an application that issue will need to be 'resolved'.

Like most here, I'm fond of this application and would not want to see it stifled.

The argument for a bit of a buffer to the SFH residential area (some downward transition in height) doesn't seem unreasonable on its face; though may be addressable by other means.

If planning staff muck this up, let's get on their case.

But they haven't as yet.

This is fairly pro-forma.
 
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Event Information: 1134-1140 Yonge Street - Community Consultation Meeting

Date and time:Tuesday, November 17, 2020 6:00 pm
Eastern Standard Time (Toronto, GMT-05:00)
Change time zone
Duration:2 hours
Description:
The City has received an application to amend the Official Plan and Zoning By-law to permit a 13-storey (52 metres plus a 5.0 metre mechanical penthouse) mixed-use building containing ground floor retail, 66 residential dwelling units, 126 parking spaces in a below-ground garage, and 78 bicycle parking spaces. The existing heritage building would be incorporated into the development.

Please visit the Site's Application Information Centre website at https://aic.to/1140YongeSt for more information.
 
Thanks for sharing @AlbertC.
It might be a bit tall, but these kind of comments seem a bit dramatic..
“We (Carmichael) think this building is about twice as tall as it should be,”
"He (Layton) hopes that the height will be lowered by the developer to allow better transitions, but said the city is “prepared to fail” in that battle."
 
From the article Mr. Albert linked...

"Layton noted that the height would tower over nearby properties, creating a 'dramatic change to the character of the properties.' Gradual transitions are meant to limit the impact on surrounding properties, so one doesn’t 'dominate' over the other, Layton said."

Do they even realize whats already there? I mean, there's that honking big clock tower that's been there since the dawn of Confederation time. Plus all those 10 to to 21 story buildings that have been there or planning to be there. Along with eyesore tennis court clubs, an industrial set of rail tracks and respective pigeon incubating bridge straight out of a Batman movie. I could go on. Character suggests anything goes there currently that doesn't really block said clock tower!
 
At the Community Consultation last night the bulk of the neighbourhood worries were in equal measure: height/transition (13 storeys oh dear) and traffic (having to wait to turn onto Yonge street from Marlborough) - same old.
There were some defenders who spoke up for the architectural design, height and heritage.
 
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The Staples store is now closed:

Dec 2, 2020

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A proposed 13-storey residential building with 66 condominium apartment units at 1140 Yonge Street will include three luxury townhouses facing Macpherson Avenue. It will be built above the facade of a commercial space that was originally constructed as a showroom for luxury automobile maker Pierce-Arrow.

Devron and Constantine Enterprises Inc. partnered to develop the property, and Audax Architecture and ERA Architects Inc. are behind the design, including the new tower and the restoration of the facade to its original state.

The vision for 1140 Yonge’s commercial podium, according to the developers, is to serve as a “front porch” for the Summerhill and Rosedale communities. A restaurant space is proposed at street-level with high, arched windows — a patio space on Marlborough Avenue will create a transition from Yonge Street to the adjacent low-rise neighbourhood. The goal is to reanimate the streetscape and provide a more vibrant pedestrian experience compared to the current big-box store format that has operated for years.

The developers say that 1140 Yonge will be “the best building in the city; one that will celebrate and enrich the property’s heritage, reach for the highest sustainability standards”. It will become the first Passive House condominium in Toronto.

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The Pierce-Arrow showroom was built at 1140 Yonge Street in 1930 and the retail space remained operational until the Pierce-Arrow brand was discontinued in 1938.

The building’s history is interesting. After being used as a showroom for luxury vehicles, 1140 Yonge Street became a warehouse after World War II until it was acquired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 1954. TV shows produced here include North America’s longest running television quiz show, Front Page Challenge (1957-1995), the Wayne and Shuster Show, the Tommy Hunter Show, and children’s TV show Mr. Dressup, among others. The CBC made alterations to the exterior of the building to facilitate filming. In 1991 after CBC relocated to a single downtown production facility, retailer ‘The Business Depot’ moved into the space that was later rebranded as Staples.

Part of the existing Staples store building is being marketed for lease for up to a two-year term. The southern half of the former store, spanning about 8,000 square feet on one level, features 35-foot ceilings facing Yonge Street and a 14-foot ceiling further in.
 
The Staples store is now closed:

Dec 2, 2020
Oh...so they're opening it up at the Art Shoppe?

...I guess it could be worse. As in, move it to north of the treeline, as oppose to just south of it as they're planning to now.
 

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