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Developers Fora Developments, in partnership with Firm Capital, are working with Goldberg Group, who have submitted a proposal to the City of Toronto for a 35-storey / 118.45 metre-tall residential development in the heart of Midtown. The design from architects gh3 positions a slender tower above a 5-storey podium on the 1,738m² site at 77 Erskine Avenue, located north of Eglinton between Yonge Street and Mount Pleasant Road.
With an eclectic medley of buildings forming the existing and future context of the evolving area, the new Fora tower will be joining a particularly unique urban ecosystem.
Fora has submitted materials for a Zoning Bylaw Amendment (ZBA), and Site Plan Approval (SPA) to allow the proposal to move forward. Approval from the City would grant them permission to demolish the existing 4-storey residential building with 36 units currently occupying the site.
In its place, the new tower will provide an additional 341 new dwelling units, while also including replacements for the 36 existing units, for a total of 377 units in the development. A little over half of the new units are 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units make up a significant portion at 35% while still allowing the development to meet the 10% minimum requirement for 3-bedroom units.
The proposal from Fora comes at a time when intensification is at centre stage in the conversation of the Yonge and Eglinton area. With more projects than one can count already under construction, the list of approved and proposed developments provide further assurance that this area will continue to grow rapidly.
The area is well positioned to respond to this intensification, particularly in terms of transit connectivity, with Eglinton Line 5 poised to open as early as next year, and suggests that the project will integrate well with the area’s business and lifestyle infrastructure.
The first round of renderings available at this time show several design characteristics of note, beginning with the convex balcony guards that cover the tower on all sides. Beginning on the 7th storey, the 2nd level of the tower above the podium, the balcony guards on the ascending floors alternate from clear glass to thin white rods tightly spaced. Additionally, external columns begin above the first storey and climb the entire elevation on all sides creating a recessed appearance of each balcony.
Architectural plans indicated an indoor/outdoor amenity level on top of the 5-storey podium, making up a significant portion of the 1,260m² of total amenity space. Landscaping plans also draw attention to a mid-block pedestrian crossing at grade that will run along the western frontage, while vehicle traffic will be directed to an enclosed entrance on the northeast corner of the site providing access to 2 levels of underground parking. The parking facility will accommodate 36 vehicles and 340 bicycles.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, 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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