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News broke this morning in the UT Forum of a striking proposal for a mixed-use development that would change the fabric of a stretch of Yonge Street downtown, and make a pronounced impression on the Toronto Skyline all at once. The proposal, comprising nine assembled lots surrounding 645 Yonge Street, comes from KingSett Capital, for a 76-storey tower that would create 678 new dwelling units, marking a salient increase in density on the site, measured by an FSI of 33 times lot coverage.
Chicago based architecture firm Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill (AS + GG Architecture) were selected to preside over the design, and have delivered comprehensive plans for a 'landmark' tower that would certainly not be forgotten easily. The proposed development is a composition of angular and curved volumes that rise together and top off in a grand dome, all built above a string of heritage buildings beginning at the northeast corner of Yonge and Isabella Street, and moving north up to what is currently the CAA Theatre. The proposal would see the facades retained and built into the street-wall of the tower’s 3-storey base building.
From an urban planning perspective, the policy surrounding development along Yonge Street, particularly on sections that are firmly situated in the Downtown Core, is receptive to high-rise proposals and high density. More specifically, the site of the proposed development is zoned as a Mixed-Use Area in the City’s Official Plan (OP), and falls within an area that anticipates and encourages development based on the guidelines of the Downtown Secondary Plan. With four subway stations within a 500m radius, including the Bloor-Yonge interchange station, and a wealth of existing cycling infrastructure, the area is positioned for intensification… however, approvals are still required. The proposal was submitted with applications for an Official Plan Amendment (OPA) and a Zoning By-law Amendment (ZBA) to allow the dramatic increase in density.
Referencing the design itself, the proposal offers a lot to discuss, with a package of stirring visuals that tease the final product as well as some interesting programming laid out for the spaces within. Beginning with the elevation drawings, we can see that the tower is composed of two volumes that rise together, one clad in glass, the other clad in metal. The glass tower maintains a fluid character that is expressed by an outward curve on the western elevation, where the floor plates gradually extend out towards Yonge Street. Starting at the 16th floor, the curve continues until the 33rd storey, and ultimately results in an extension of the massing by 3.5m to the west. Of course, the curved character is also expressed clearly at the top of the glass portion, where the tower caps off its 76th storey under a domed roof.
The metal-clad volume is built up against the east elevation of the glass tower, and though they may appear to be separate structures, they are fully integrated inside. This auxiliary massing helps the floor plate maximize the L-shape area of the site by adding a notable amount of area to the floor plate dimensions. When the glass tower begins curving inwards to form the dome at the top, the two masses separate, and the metal clad portion of the tower continues climbing vertically, forming what the plans refer to as the spire. The spire sets the height of the building at a towering 280m, and adds an eye-catching angular peak to contrast the domed roof below. HVAC equipment for the building is hidden within the spire.
The most conversation-worthy aspect of the proposal, arguably, is an indoor amenity area located on the uppermost floors of the tower. Under the entirely window-clad roof of the dome, the proposal has laid out amenity floors that are designed to celebrate the views from over 200m up. The amenities include a mezzanine level pictured below, and an elevator to a couple more floors up into the spire where a rooftop terrace and indoor lounge is located.
Moving down to ground level, the proposal details how mixed-use spaces would be situated behind the retained facades of the heritage buildings, in the 3-storey base building. Upon entry from Yonge Street, pedestrians would walk into an atrium space with skylit ceilings at the third storey, where they would find an indoor courtyard with a depth of just over 9m from the exterior wall. The courtyard would provide access to the residential lobby and three retail units at grade, while another lobby at the south end would provide access to the second level, where a community cultural space is proposed. The next floor up would house the majority of the proposal’s interior amenity space, as well as an outdoor amenity terrace along the northern lot line.
The proposal also outlines improvements to the public realm in the form of benches, planters, and paving along the development’s high-traffic Yonge Street frontage. On the other side of the property, a chunk of land amounting to a total of 142m² is proposed to be offered to the city for the expansion of George Hislop Park. The unit distribution proposes layouts from studio to 3-bedroom for the 678 suites, and vehicle parking would be finite, with a total of 44 spaces available. The same is not true for bicycles however, with 679 spaces available across three underground levels.
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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