Plaza Partners has submitted a Zoning By-law Amendment application to the City of Toronto to permit the redevelopment of a triangular parcel of land approximately 0.15 hectares in size, at 307 Lake Shore Boulevard East. Proposed is a triangular-shaped, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented building which would include a total of 430 residential units within a tower that would stand 49 storeys tall. 

Looking west to 307 Lake Shore East, designed by BDP Quadrangle for Plaza Partners

The site is located at the southeast corner of Lake Shore Boulevard East and Small Street, extending east to Parliament Street. Currently on the site is a low-rise auto-oriented commercial and office building along with an associated surface parking lot. The site is surrounded on the west, east, and south by the mutli-phase Quayside development being pursued by Dream Unlimited and Great Gulf which we wrote about three months ago.

Current view of the site, image retrieved from from Google Street View

Designed by BDP Quadrangle, the proposed development has a triangular footprint with rounded corners, featuring an exoskeleton design of arches, columns and balcony projections across its exterior. The exoskeleton design creates a network of both functional supporting features, as well as decorative visual aesthetics when viewed from the street. 

Adding to the character of the tower are a network of offset triangular balconies. The architects describe the balconies as creating a, "dramatic pattern that is reminiscent of fish scales or water chop that references the building's proximity to the lakefront.”

Looking up at 307 Lake Shore East, designed by BDP Quadrangle for Plaza Partners

The ground floor of the building features double height ceilings and wraps around the north and south facades of the building. The ground floor includes the residential lobby, which would be accessed at the northwest corner of the building. 

Looking East to the residential lobby entrance, designed by BDP Quadrangle for Plaza Partners

Accessed at the building's northeast corner is the lobby of a community/cultural space. The second storey would be dedicated exclusively to this space, which is proposed at approximately 700m² in area. 

Looking west to the community space entrance, designed by BDP Quadrangle for Plaza Partners

Floors 3 through 45 are proposed to house 430 residential units, each of which would have its own balcony, in a mix of 86 one-bedroom units (20%), 130 one-bedroom + den units (30%), 171 two-bedroom units (40%), and 43 three-bedroom units (10%). 10% of the units within the building are proposed to be affordable housing units for a 15-year term.

Floors 46 through 49 would be dedicated to amenity space. Floor 46 would include 459m² of indoor amenity space and a 190 m² outdoor terrace with a view. Floors 47 and 49 are proposed to be dedicated entirely to indoor amenity areas. On Floor 48, there would be a second outdoor terrace providing an additional 120m² of outdoor amenity space, as well as indoor amenity space.

Looking up at 307 Lake Shore East, designed by BDP Quadrangle for Plaza Partners

There is no residential parking proposed on-site, as the intent of the building is to function as a transit-oriented development. Despite this, two underground levels are proposed. The P1 level would include a small underground parking garage with eight parking spaces for visitors, while the P2 level would not be accessible by vehicles — only by elevator or stairwell — and would hold 204 storage lockers for residents and parking for 413 bikes.

The site is located near existing TTC bus routes while several transit expansions are slated for the East Bayfront and the surrounding neighbourhoods, including the extension of the Watyerfront LRT along Queens Quay East into the East Bayfront neighbourhood, and the Ontario Line, which has a planned station in Corktown, just north of the site.

Looking southwest to 307 Lake Shore East, designed by BDP Quadrangle for Plaza Partners

The site is also well connected to the city’s cycling network: to the south is the Martin Goodman Waterfront Trail, a multi-use recreational trail spanning 22 kilometres east to west along the waterfront. A Cycle Track is also available along Sherbourne Street, which connects northwards to other cycling infrastructure.

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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Related Companies:  BDP Quadrangle, Bousfields, Counterpoint Engineering, Dream Unlimited, Great Gulf, Grounded Engineering Inc., Resident, STUDIO tla, Urban Strategies Inc.