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Parallax Investment Corporation has submitted Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan Approval applications in relation to a proposal for a 79-storey tower that would replace several low-rise buildings on the south side of Bloor Street east of St Thomas Street in the Bloor-Yorkville area. An assembly of 83 through 95A Bloor Street West, only one of the existing buildings, 95 Bloor West, is heritage listed, and therefore its facade has been worked into the design at the corner.
Designed by IBI Group, the tower would rise to 271.24 metres high. The building's exteriors are marked by vertical piers of precast masonry cladding that extend somewhat from the glass skin. The piers end about 1.2 metres higher than the building's roof, bringing to the total height to about 272.4 metres.
The building is massed with a 20-storey podium of approximately the same size as the existing office tower to the east. Above the podium, the building rises another 59 storeys plus mechanical penthouses.
A floor space index of 44.2 would be achieved by the proposal on a 1,642m² lot. The building is planned with over 1,150m² of retail on the ground floor and a mezzanine. The rest of the just over 70,500m² of space is residential in 1,118 units in a mix of 444 studios (40%), 377 one-bedrooms (34%), 184 two-bedrooms (16%), and 113 three-bedrooms (10%). Indoor amenities are planned on levels 2, 3, 4, and 5. Suites start on the level 5. A vehicular entrance is planned off of St Thomas Street to a covered servicing area and a 95-space garage that is accessed by car elevators. Spaces for 1,118 bicycles are planned on levels 2 and 3. The building is a short walk from Bay subway station on the east-west line 2, and a slightly longer walk to Bloor station on the north-south line 1.
While many buildings along Bloor and Bay streets on neighbouring blocks are tall, in the range of 20 to 50 storeys, others are proposed or under construction nearby that extend over 300 metres tall. Immediately south of the proposal site are mid-rise residential co-op and rental buildings.
More information on the development will come soon, but in the meantime, you can learn more from our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like, 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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