As our city’s construction boom continues to expand, it's bringing development interest to different areas surrounding the downtown core. A neighbourhood that has seen a considerable amount of new condo activity is the Church Street corridor on the east side of downtown. On May 25, a zoning amendment application was submitted by Deltera, the construction company affiliated with Tridel, for a new 34-storey building at 355 Church Street.

The proposed 34-storey building is 118 metres in height, including mechanical penthouse. The podium along Church and McGill will be four storeys, containing retail at grade and three floors of office space. The application report can be found here.

North and east elevations of 355 Church Street

architectsAlliance, currently one of the most active design firms in the city, is involved in this project. The proposed building will contain 335 residential units. The street level will include approximately 371 square metres of commercial space for two retail units. There is a total of 3161 square metres of office space on the ground floor through the fourth floor. Included in the proposal application is 185 parking spaces in four levels of underground parking, along with 301 bicycle spaces.

South and west elevations of 355 Church Street

This site is located on the southeast corner of Church and McGill Street. It currently features a two-storey lowrise building that houses Family Service Toronto, an agency that offers counseling and social services to families and individuals in need. This proposal is across the street from another development currently in the pipeline. Menkes is proposing a 30-storey residential building for the northeast corner of that intersection at 365 Church Street. Significant interest in this area has been evident considering its convenient proximity to the recently restored Maple Leaf Gardens, Church Wellesley Village, and Ryerson University.

View of existing 355 Church Street building, image from Google Maps

However, the application report explains concerns regarding this proposal in its current form. Issues pertaining to height and massing are recognized. The issue of inadequate setback from the properties to the east is also raised. Further studies on shadowing, density massing, mix of unit sizes, and transition towards existing neighbourhood will be considered to resolve issues highlighted by the report.

A community consultation meeting date has not been confirmed yet, but is expected to take place in the third quarter of 2012. UrbanToronto will keep you up to date with this project as it progresses. To join the discussion, visit the Forum thread here.