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An updated planning application advances a proposed tower at 1365 Yonge Street, two blocks south of St Clair subway station in Midtown Toronto. The proposal from Welltower Inc. Canada dates back to an application tabled in May, 2018 seeking an Official Plan Amendment (OPA) and Zoning Bylaw Amendment (ZBA) to allow a 17-storey assisted living/retirement tower designed by Turner Fleischer Architects. The revised application, now with partners The Daniels Corporation and Sunrise Senior Living on board, seeks Site Plan Approval (SPA) with refinements to the plans that bring the building closer to a shovel-ready state.
The proposal was resubmitted for OPA and ZBA in January. The following month it was presented to the City of Toronto's Design Review Panel (DRP) where it was supported in the direction of massing and height, with the suggestion that building elevations be simplified. The DRP's suggestion has been addressed in the latest SPA application, resulting in the refined design shown in updated visuals.
Updated plans include changes to the proposed gross floor area (GFA). This includes the residential GFA increasing to 19,291 m² from January, 2020's 18,913 m², and an updated retail GFA of 475 m², dropping slightly from the previous 515 m², for a total GFA of 19,766 m², an increase from the 19,428 m² in January. A total of 237 retirement units are proposed, unchanged from the previous application despite revisions to the residential GFA.
In addition to the changes suggested by the DRP, other design revisions include increased focus on the main pedestrian entrance via Rosehill Avenue, which has been repositioned to the east end of the site, abutting a laneway and connecting with the building's planned residential pick-up/drop off area.
Architectural plans show a mix of materials planned for the exterior, with the six-storey podium to be clad in brick veneer and precast concrete panels in a red brick pattern framing a window wall system with aluminum mullions, glazing, louvre vents, and dark grey spandrel glass. Above, the tower would feature a grid of light grey precast concrete framing punched windows in the same window wall system seen on the podium. Along the tower's less prominent east facade, similar white grid sections would flank a central section of window wall with clear glazing and grey spandrel glass.
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 below.
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