Plans for a tree-covered high-rise condominium development at 306 through 326 Davenport have evolved in a submission to the City seeking Site Plan Approval (SPA). Known as Designers Walk, the project from Cityzen Development Group and Greybrook Realty Partners calls for a BBB Architects-designed building to rise from the northwest corner of Davenport and Bedford in the north end of The Annex neighbourhood.

The proposal dates back to a Zoning By-law Amendment application submitted in June 2013 and subsequently revised and resubmitted in 2017. A settlement was reached with the City in advance of a June, 2019 Local Planning Appeal Tribunal hearing and approved in principle by the tribunal later that month. The recent SPA application fleshes out details of the design to the terms set out in the settlement.

Previous and current versions of the design, images via submission to City of Toronto

A number of changes have been introduced in the application. Most notable is the new 22-storey, 259 ft / 79 m height, a reduction from the 27-storey plan that would have risen 316 ft / 96 m. The gross floor area (GFA) has also been reduced, from the earlier 27,242 m² to 23,333 m², divided between 20,337 m² residential (94% of GFA), and 2,802 m² of retail space (6% of GFA).

Looking north to Designers Walk, image via submission to City of Toronto

Previously proposed with 122 units, the SPA submission calls for just 92 condominium units in a mix of 4 one-bedrooms, 77 two-bedrooms, and 11 three-bedrooms. A five-level underground garage would serve the site, containing 212 parking spots, with 172 reserved for residents, 10 for residential visitors, and 30 serving the retail component.

The SPA application also offers details about the proposed exterior finishes. These include curtainwall glazing with bronze finish mullions, precast concrete and stone panels, clear glass balcony guards, and deep yellow mullions framing podium glazing.

Podium at Designers Walk, image via submission to City of Toronto

Most notably, new details of the elevated planters that form a “vertical forest” along the building’s exterior have been provided. Trees in the precast planters on each terrace will be selected from a predefined list of species that are identified as suitable for the site’s unique planting conditions. Among other features that would promote tree growth, the planters are to have waterproof liners and be thermally insulated.

Additional information and images can be found in our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like, you can get involved in the discussion in the associated Forum thread.

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