In August, 2021 Sierra Communities filed a Zoning By-law Amendment application with the City of Toronto for an Annex property that involves the construction of a 9-storey mixed-use condominium and the partial conservation of the street-facing elevations of the existing building at 110-112 Avenue Road.

Looking northwest; the site has a frontage of 26m and a depth of 48m, image by Richard Wengle Architect

The site is located on the west side of the Avenue Road corridor generally between Bloor Street West and Davenport Road. It is bounded by Avenue Road to the east, a two-storey commercial building to the north, Tranby Avenue to the south, and low-rise residential properties along Tranby Avenue to the west.

The 1,400m² site is a lot assembly of four municipally addressed properties known as 110-112 (semi-detached, 2.5-storey mixed-use brick building built 1890), 114 (vacant lot), and 116 (vacant lot) Avenue Road. These four properties are designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act, as part of the East Annex Heritage Conservation District (HCD).

Context map indicating the site and heights of neighbouring buildings, image by WND Associates

Looking west across Avenue Road to the existing conditions, image by WND Associates

Designed by Richard Wengle Architect, the proposed development comprises a 9-storey mixed-use building with a gross floor area of 5,124m², for a density of 3.67 times the lot (FSI).

The primary street-facing elevations of the existing brick house building at 110-112 Avenue Road would be partially conserved in situ, with the future massing of the new building integrated above and to the rear of this existing building. Along the Avenue Road frontage, the ground floor consists of two retail units (215 m²) to animate the public realm, and a discreet entrance lobby to the residential units above. The balance of the ground floor is comprised of back-of-house activities including bicycle storage, services, and mechanical rooms.

The building’s massing is generally contained within an angular plane taken at the shallow-lot standard and at a height that reflects the height regulations relative to the site. The proposed transition to Tranby Avenue also includes two at-grade townhouse units – flanking the vehicular entrance – forming a uniform and consistent street wall.

Looking northeast towards 110 Avenue Road, image by Richard Wengle Architect

The south side yard, adjacent to Tranby Avenue contains the primary vehicular site access and walk-up entrances to the two townhouse units, along with a pedestrian walkway through the rear of the site. A single level underground garage will accommodate 64 vehicles with a multi-level parking stacker to be accessed through a vehicle turn table and elevator system.

The 44 dwelling units are broken down in the following mix: 13 one-bedroom (30%), 11 two-bedroom (25%), 18 three-bedroom (41%) and 2 townhouse (5) units. The amenity space is divided into 119 m² of indoor amenity space located on the 3rd floor and an 87 m² outdoor terrace above the 9th.

Enlarged front (east) elevation, image by Richard Wengle Architect

According to the Heritage Impact Assessment by heritage consultants ERA Architects, “the proposed development is not anticipated to have any negative impacts on the cultural heritage value of 110-112 Avenue Road, nor the adjacent properties in the East Annex HCD.” Any potential "negative impacts will be mitigated through implementing design strategies, which include: stepping back new construction from the retained elevations, stepping down new construction at the rear, providing a three-storey streetwall and townhouse built-form along Tranby Avenue, and using a predominantly brick material (and precast limestone) palette."

You can learn more from our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like to, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

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