Earlier this month, the Density Group Limited submitted a Zoning By-Law Amendment application to the City of Toronto for a 23-storey, mixed-use building opposite Victoria Memorial Park – a ‘listed’ heritage resource in King-Spadina/Fashion district — at 18 Portland Street.  

Looking southwest towards 18 Portland, image by RAW Design

The site is located on the southwest corner of Portland and Niagara Streets. It is currently home to three buildings: a 4-storey office building, a single storey retail building (Hounds of York social club for dogs), and a (now vacant) single storey brick building, constructed in 1925 as a hydro substation, built in the modest Edwardian Classical architectural style and designed by Albert E. Salisbury. It is neither designated nor listed.

Directly to the north is Victoria Square, framed by residential buildings ranging in heights from 9 to 12 storeys. On the surface parking lot directly to the east across Portland will be a new 15-storey office building called Portland Commons, which includes the retention of the existing Copp Clark Publishing Co. heritage buildings on the property. Wrapping the 18 Portland property to the west and south is a townhouse complex.

Aerial photo indicating site, lands municipally addressed as 1 and 9 Niagara Street and 18 Portland Street, base image from Google Maps

Aerial photo indicating 0.32-acre property with 33 m of frontage on Portland Street and a depth of 41 m, base image from Google Maps

If this development gets the green light, the owner will demolish the existing buildings –with the exception of retaining a portion of the former Toronto Hydro Building– and redevelop the site with a 23-storey building containing residential and commercial uses.

Designed by RAW Design, the new building will comprise a 6-storey podium, which would include retail/cafe and office space on the ground floor, office space on the 2nd and 3rd Floors, and 3 floors of residential suites, with the tower containing the remaining residential suites located above. The total gross floor area is 17,100m², for a proposed density of 13.95 FSI.

Looking southeast towards 18 Portland, image by RAW Design

The proposed 182 apartment dwellings are broken down into 67 one-bedroom (37%), 97 two-bedroom (53%), and 18 three-bedroom units (10%).

The ground floor, 22nd, and 23rd floors include a combined 416 m² of indoor amenity space with a 365 m² of outdoor terrace wrapping the south, east and west elevations.

Typical floor plan (8th to 21st), image by RAW Design

The proposal includes the retention and integration of the east (front) façade and portions of the north and south (side) facades of the former Hydro Building. It would serve as part of the bicycle storage area. The majority of the heritage attributes of the building will be conserved. According to the Heritage Impact Statement prepared by MHBC, “retaining portions of the side facades and a step back at the roofline allows the original form and scale of the building to be understood. The overall impact to the built heritage resource is minor.” Also, in regards to impacts to adjacent heritage resources, it states that “net-new shadows on Victoria Park are minimal and do not impact this heritage resource.”

Partial East elevation, indicating front elevation of Toronto Hydro building, image by RAW Design

The building is served by two levels of underground parking with spots for 54 vehicles, accessed from Portland Street.

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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