An application to intensify a mid-century apartment tower site in Midtown Toronto has been advancing through the planning and appeals process since initial applications seeking Zoning By-law Amendments (ZBA) and Site Plan Approval (SPA) were submitted to the City in April, 2017. The proposed mid-rise apartment building from Frastell Property Management would infill a site at 50 Broadway Avenue, currently a surface parking lot serving an existing 17-storey apartment tower addressed to 55 Erskine Avenue on the north side of the lot. 

The ZBA application was later appealed to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT), where a settlement between the developer and City was eventually ratified in 2019, with final approval pending certain conditions. Subsequently, a revised plan was resubmitted for ZBA and SPA in February, 2020, and comments received in response to it have now been addressed in a July, 2020 application.

The Martin Simmons Architects-designed building was previously proposed at 12 storeys in 2017. The updated plan rises 11 storeys with a new height of approximately 39.7 metres. While architectural plans do not clarify the exact height of the mechanical penthouse and elevator overruns, the roof height of 36.4 metres marks a reduction from the previous roof height of 38.1 metres. Initially planned with a gross floor area (GFA) of 13,530.2 m², the most recent application proposes a significant reduction in GFA of 9,285 m², entirely dedicated to residential use.

Looking southwest to 50 Broadway, image via submission to City of Toronto

The reduction in height and GFA is joined by a drop in the proposed number of units from 147 in the initial application. 103 rental units are now proposed in a mix of nine studios, 48 one-bedrooms, 36 two-bedrooms, and 10 three-bedroom units. These units would combine with the 55 Erskine tower's 188 units for a total of 291 rentals on the property. 

Among the other most notable revisions, City staff sought to work through the proposed architectural expression of the new building to form a better relationship between the new building and the existing apartment tower. New elevation diagrams and renderings show that brick finishes, revised window spacing, clearly defined precast concrete, and glazed balcony guards have been implemented, while the massing of the upper three storeys has been visually reduced with the addition of subdued colours and more glazing than below.

Previous and current versions of the proposal, image via submission to City of Toronto

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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