Among the vast number of proposals submitted to Toronto City Planning in the last weeks of 2016, G Group Development were one group with a revised application for a rezoning and Official Plan Amendment (OPA). Their project, Ellie Condos at 5220 Yonge Street, has evolved to respond to concerns raised by the City during the planning process.

Situated in North York on Yonge Street at the southwest corner with Ellerslie Avenue, halfway between Sheppard and Finch Avenues, the two-building development designed by Kirkor will have a skyline presence through a 31-storey condominium tower that reaches a height of 100 metres. To the south of it, an office tower has been revised to 10 storeys from 11, reaching 49 metres in height. The number of residential units has increased from 285 units, to 308, with 7 units being rental purpose.  

Updated rendering from northeast of the site, image retrieved via submission to the City of Toronto

Digging into specifications, the gross floor area (GFA) for the project is 418,877 square feet, where 224,428 square feet is residential GFA, and the remaining 194,450 square feet is commercial use. In the podium levels, just under 25,500 square feet of retail space will animate the surrounding sidewalks. Ceiling heights will cap off at 15 and 17 feet high on the first and second levels of the podium, while an outdoor amenity space will sit above the third floor indoor amenity space. The development will have a total of 553 vehicular parking spaces, along with 308 bicycle parking units. 

Updated aerial renderings of the site, image retrieved via submission to the City of Toronto

A curtain wall cladding system will be applied to the 10-storey office building, while the condo tower will be clad predominately with a window wall system, with pre-finished light and dark aluminum cladding on the balcony rails. The crowns of both buildings will be clad in white cementitious panels, while a light fixture will be applied on the condo's crown.

Rendering of the proposed Mews, image retrieved via submission to the City of Toronto

One of the most notable change seen in this new revision is the plan for a market style mews. Located at the south end of the site, the pedestrian mews would be lined with active retail, and would abut onto the neighbouring development, Beacon Condos, also lined with shops, and which is currently under construction. A glass canopy projecting from the second floor of the development would provide shelter for pedestrians in the mews, matching a similar canopy extending from the north end of Beacon. Running down the middle of the mews would be trellises to mitigate wind effects, while trees and landscaping will be dispersed throughout. 

Rendering of the ground space within the Mews, image retrieved via submission to the City of Toronto

The site of the proposal is currently a surface parking lot, but was formerly to be Centrium Condos. The failed development was of a similar form to Ellie—a 30-storey condo and 15-storey hotel rising from a shared podium—but previous owners Centrust Development, aided by real estate lawyer Meerai Cho, are alleged to have absconded with nearly $15m in deposits. Over 500 criminal charges are still before the courts in regards to that affair. 

The site as it currently stands in context with its surroundings, image retrieved from Google Maps

We will keep you updated as we follow the progress of the new development on this site. In the meantime, additional information can be found in the project's dataBase file, linked below. Want to share your thoughts on the new renderings and plans? Feel free to leave a comment in the space provided below, or join in the ongoing conversation in Ellie Condos' associated Forum thread.