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More changes could be coming to Toronto’s Old Town neighbourhood if a proposal for a mixed-use condo building on the northeast corner of Adelaide Street East and Berkeley Street is approved. A Zoning By-law Amendment application was submitted by 5050075 Ontario Ltd to the City last week, and, if approved, the building would stand 29 storeys tall. The proponents argue that the proposal maintains the existing commercial character of Adelaide Street East — the 2,075m² site is currently home to a 1-storey Volkswagen dealership and service centre plus 2-storey parking structure — through the inclusion of an automotive showroom at-grade.
To the north are the 24-storey 'East United Condominiums,' and to the south across Adelaide, a former industrial warehouse containing cultural uses. Significant intensification is expected within the block: to the east across Parliament is a mixed-use development currently under construction known as 'home: Power and Adelaide;' to the west, a series of more mixed-use towers, either proposed, under construction, or recently completed.
The site is neither listed on the City of Toronto Heritage Register nor designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. However, the site is adjacent to one Part IV Designated property located at 93-95 Berkeley Street and nine listed buildings. Additionally, it is considered adjacent to the St Lawrence Neighbourhood Heritage Conservation District (HCD), which is currently under appeal.
For the site, architects Giannone Petricone Associates have designed a 29-storey, mixed-use building featuring a 1,000m² automotive showroom at grade and residential levels above. The residential lobby is off Adelaide, adjacent to new parkette at the southeast corner of the site (illustrated below), while vehicular access would be provided from Berkeley. The development would establish 20,600m² of GFA and a density of 9.9 (FSI), helping to grow the evolving downtown.
The proposed development has an irregular shape to its plan which reflects the property boundary. The design includes a 3-to-5 storey podium that reflects the varied existing context along Adelaide Street East and Berkeley Street. The podium features two-storey arches at-grade along the west elevation and double-height windows throughout. A series of step-backs along its north, east, and west elevations help to reduce its massing and provide a transition in scale between the proposed development and adjacent heritage resources.
The planning rationale notes that the intensification of the site introduces a streetwall that is similar in scale and form to new development that is occurring along Adelaide, and the recently redeveloped heritage property to the north located at 93-95 Berkeley Street.
The podium gives rise to a dynamic sculpted tower that presents itself in the form of a flat iron building that aligns with the unique shape of the site.
The proposed 240 dwelling unit breakdown includes 137 one-bedrooms (57 %), 73 two-bedrooms (30 %), and 30 three-bedrooms (13%). Residents would have access to contiguous indoor amenity space and outdoor terraces on floors 4 and 5, and indoor amenity space on the 3rd floor. Three levels of underground parking would accommodate 100 vehicles and 249 bicycles.
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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This story has been republished to remove a reference to an Official Plan Amendment application. None was required nor submitted for this proposal.
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| Related Companies: | Counterpoint Engineering, EQ Building Performance Inc., Giannone Petricone Associates, Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists |
