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Dream Unlimited and Great Gulf have submitted a Draft Plan of Subdivision application to the City of Toronto to permit a mixed-use development property at 351-369 Lake Shore Boulevard East part way between Parliament and Cherry streets in the city's Lower Don Lands area. A mixed-use development was approved on April 28, 2021, by the Ontario Land Tribunal (“OLT”) for the property. The developers have engaged world-renowned Danish architectural firm, Schmidt Hammer Lassen to design the mixed-use, 5-building redevelopment.
The 2.14-hectare site is vacant except for the former Victory Soya Mills silos structure on the west portion of the site, as well as a temporary City-run respite facility with surface parking on the north end. The site is sandwiched between two other development proposals,on either sides of the lines of greenery in the image below, all being coordinated by Waterfront Toronto.
Built in the 1940s, the Silos were originally used to store soybeans brought in by ships and to be later processed on site. The 35m-tall structures are comprised of 36 cylindrical concrete silos with a head house atop the Silos. Vacated in 1991, the Victory Soya Mills silos were listed on the City’s Heritage Register in 2004 and designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act in 2021.
The site is positioned along the north side of the Keating Channel just before it opens out to the Toronto Harbour. Along its north edge is Lake Shore Boulevard West. A narrowed Gardiner Expressway will replace the current structure by the time this development could be built. Next to the north is the rail corridor and on the other side of it, the Distillery District.
To the west of the site is the much talked-about Quayside land, until recently to have been the first project realized by Google/Alphabet's development arm Sidewalk Labs, with Waterfront Toronto now looking for a new project lead. To the east is the 3C Waterfront site where the first building, an avant garde mid-rise office complex at 300 Queens Quay East is currently looking for tenants. Queens Quay is planned to be extended east through all three sites, while the Parliament Street Slip, seen at left in the image below, would be partially filled in to allow the eastwards extension of the street. The surrounding lands are envisioned to be rejuvenated as a mixed-use, walkable and compact community consisting of new roads, parks and open spaces, along with a mix of uses, including residential, retail, employment and community uses.
Schmidt Hammer Lassen's plan for the Great Gulf and Dream Unlimited site is for a mixed-use development comprised of commercial, public realm, and residential uses, including the conservation and future potential adaptive re-use of the Victory Silos, which would serve as a focal point.
In 2017, the Ontario Municipal Board (now known as the Ontario Land Tribunal) approved amendments to the Keating Instruments following a settlement between the owner and the City. The amended By-law permits a mixed-use development on these lands comprised of mid-rise buildings with heights ranging between 23 to 38 metres, as well as three tall buildings having heights of 137, 145 and 150 metres, respectively. Amendments adopted by City Council in April, 2021 changed the heights of the buildings.
The development provides for three parcels: a South Block with two buildings with heights up to 38m, a Central Block with a 150m tall building and the retained silo structures with a potential structure atop up to 70m high in total, and a North Block with one 130m tower sitting atop a 40m high podium building. The total allowed gross floor area across the site is 125,000m², of which 113,600m² is for residential uses.
The development blocks will be formed by new public and private roads, including extensions to Queens Quay East and Trinity Street, as well as the introduction of a new public park.
Highlights of the proposed draft Plan of Subdivision is described below:
Water’s Edge Promenade Park
A 1,131m² parcel dedicated as public park, forming part of a linear park system envisioned by the City along the waterfront.
Promenade Road
An east-west street between the new park and the South Block.
South Block 23,000m² GFA
Two mid-rise buildings separated by a landscaped pedestrian connection. Both buildings are L-shaped and feature extensive stepping, decreasing in height from the north to the south towards the water’s edge.
Private Road "Street C"
Publicly-accessible at grade and connecting to the north-south leg of the planned Promenade Road. Beneath the private road will be parking and drive aisles serving the consolidated underground garage for the South and Central Blocks.
Central Block 55,000m² GFA
Developed with a 49-storey building on the easterly portion of the Central Block and comprised of a 7-storey podium and a 42-storey tower. The podium steps down to 6 storeys along the west and further down to 3 storeys facing the Queens Quay East extension. Numerous stepbacks are introduced to the tower in an attempt to create a terraced form that tapers upward.
The Silos will be stabilized and conserved in accordance with recommendations from ERA Architects. Conservation may include the adaptive re-use of the Silos, for example through a potential addition above the existing structures.
Queens Quay East Extension
As part of the City’s efforts to revitalize the waterfront, Queens Quay East will extend eastward, into the Keating Channel Precinct.
North Block 55,000m² GFA
42-storey building, comprised of a 9-storey base with a 33-storey tower element. The podium steps down to 23m along the three street frontages.
Trinity Street Extension
Trinity Street is also planned to be extended southbound to terminate at the future Promenade Road.
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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| Related Companies: | Bousfields, Dream Unlimited, Great Gulf, HGC Engineering Inc, MCW Consultants Ltd, RWDI Climate and Performance Engineering |
