Originally proposed in 2016 as an 8-storey commercial building, Tawse Realco's proposal on a pencil-thin site in Toronto's Entertainment District has resurfaced. Now proposed as a 10-storey residential rental building, the plan for 86 John Street comes with an updated design from Sweeny &Co Architects Inc., maintaining the earlier proposal's slender massing and height while introducing a reimagined exterior.

Looking northwest to 86 John Street, image via submission to City of Toronto

The 277 m² site is wedged in between the 42-storey Festival Tower and the 46-storey Pinnacle on Adelaide. Occupying the former footprint of a three-storey building most recently used as a construction office for the Festival Tower and demolished at the end of 2016, the 10-storey replacement building would rise 43 metres (141 ft), unchanged from the previous plan. 

Aerial context view facing southwest over 86 John Street, image via submission to City of Toronto

The project would meet John Street with 482 m² of restaurant space. Above, a total of just 14 rental units are proposed, all planned as two-bedroom units with average sizes of 94 m². Due to the constrained site, only two units are planned for each floor, separated by elevator lobbies. 

Aerial context view facing southwest over 86 John Street, image via submission to City of Toronto

Architectural plans offer a taste of the materials planned for the building’ updated exterior design. These include a mix of a panelized cladding system in six different finishes including gold-hued, striated decorative panels, vision glazing, and opaque spandrel panels.

Cladding detail, 86 John Street, image via submission to City of Toronto

No parking is proposed within the development due to site constraints and its proximity to transit, though 13 bicycle parking spaces (2 short-term and 13 long-term) would be provided, at a rate just below one space per unit.

Additional information and images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.

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