More details have emerged of the landmark 1-7 Yonge Redevelopment on the Toronto Star Lands with a recent resubmission by Pinnacle International to the City for zoning amendments. The high-profile development designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects includes five towers on two parcels of land bisected by an eastern extension of Harbour Street. The tallest tower would reach 95 storeys for a total height of 320 metres—16 metres taller than the recently shrunk proposal for The One—which would make it the tallest building in the country, with the only other structure taller than it being the CN Tower.

Aerial view of the proposed development in context, image courtesy of Pinnacle International.

The 95-storey residential buildng is located on the western edge of the north block, alongside two other residential towers of 85 storeys (260 metres) and 65 storeys (210 metres). The southern block will contain two office towers of 22 and 35 storeys, the latter of which would be an addition to the existing 25-storey Toronto Star building that would be maintained on the site.

View from the northeast of the proposed development, image courtesy of Pinnacle International.

The statistics of the project present a mind-boggling array of dizzying numbers for the project. The three residential towers will include a total of 2,962 condo units, ranging in size from one bedroom to three bedrooms, totalling over 235,000 sq. m (2.5 million sq. ft.) of floor area, with roughly 10% reserved for affordable units. The two office towers will provide a combined total of 154,000 sq. m (1.6 million sq. ft.) of new commercial space in the burgeoning Lower Yonge Precinct. The proposal will also include nearly 30,000 sq. m (317,000 sq. ft.) of retail space. It is important to note that these numbers are subject to change as the design evolves, and at this point serve only to give an accurate range of the scale of this development.

Elevations to the north and south along the Harbour Street extension, image courtesy of Pinnacle International.

The site is bisected by a north-south corridor slicing between the buildings that contains a partially interior laneway of public space. On the northern block, the north-south corridor is covered by a canopy and has both vehicular and pedestrian access, ending in a triangular space—a privately-owned public space (POPS)—which opens up to a much large public park and piazza on the northwest corner which would replace the current sweeping curve of Yonge Street to Lake Shore Boulevard. A drop-off zone is located in the centre of the block between the three towers, with access through the eastern podium to Freeland Street. 

Ground floor plan, image courtesy of Pinnacle International.

On the southern block, the climate-controlled north-south corridor opens to an interior winter garden at the south end, providing a pedestrian mid-block connection between Harbour Street and Queens Quay.

The podiums of the buildings take up a large area of the site, all of which are connected by above ground or underground pathways. The 95-storey tower has its own podium occupying the southwest corner of the north block, while the two other residential towers and the two office towers both share a common podium. A large portion of the gound level and second floor space is given to retail use in all buildings, however, a new community centre - complete with a pool, gymnasium, and plenty of amenities - is proposed to occupy much of the eastern podium of the northern block.

Second floor plan, image courtesy of Pinnacle International.

An interesting aspect to note is the treatment of the existing Toronto Star building at its southwest corner. Plans for the ground floor and second level show that the facade of the building will be pulled back one full structural bay to allow for a much wider sidewalk and public realm at the corner of Yonge and Queens Quay. The entire proposal features wide sidewalks on all sides with proposed future connections to the PATH network, as a clear emphasis on pedestrian traffic is necessary for the site.

The large podiums create wide expanses of terraced roofs that will likely be accessible to users of the building to house amenities and outdoor public space. In accordance with the Toronto Green Standard, roughly 60% of the roof space will be used for green roofs. All landscaping and public space design is being carried out by NAK Design Strategies.

Site plan, image courtesy of Pinnacle International.

The 1-7 Yonge Redevelopment is one of a series of underused or empty lots between the Gardiner and Queens Quay stretching from Yonge Street to Jarvis Street that together constitute the Lower Yonge Precinct. The area includes the neighbouring LCBO Lands, and the easternmost lot currently occupied by a Loblaws store. With development continuing along the waterfront at Pier 27 to the south, and int he Bayfront area further east, this area is poised for a near complete transformation from its industrial past. Redpath Sugar is the remaining industrial business in the area—one that the City is protecting.

Lower Yonge Precinct Plan, image courtesy of Pinnacle International.

We will be following this project closely as it makes its way through planning. With a scheduled OMB hearing late this year, the results of this zoning resubmission will determine whether or not the proposal can avoid a full hearing at the Board by working out its differences with the city. The design of the project is still subject to change, but until then, we will keep you updated with any news of this exciting proposal.

View from the southeast of the proposed development, image courtesy of Pinnacle International.

Want to know more about the redevelopment at 1-7 Yonge? UrbanToronto's dataBase file for the proposal includes renderings of earlier versions. You can see them by clicking below, or visit the associated Forum thread to get in on the discussion of the project. You may also leave a comment in the space provided on this page.