11K 
The Annex in Downtown Toronto is a vibrant neighbourhood of shops, bars, groceries, and nightclubs, with residents ranging from students to professionals. Now, a new tower is being proposed at 425 Bloor Street West that would replace the Metro grocery store just west of Spadina Avenue on the south side of Bloor. Fitting for this eclectic neighbourhood, the building would be situated between Trinity-St Paul’s United Church and the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, two stalwarts of the community.
The Brown Group of Companies has retained IBI Group for this proposal's design. Planning consultant, Bousfields, has submitted applications for Site Plan Approval and Zoning By-Law Amendment. The one-storey Metro supermarket would be replaced by a significantly taller 30-storey building at a height of 104.4m. The proposal entails a mix of residential and business, with the ground floor and mezzanine home to 1,444m² of retail. The diverse podium would be constructed with heights varying from one storey to six. On top of that would be a residential tower of 24 storeys.
The unique podium would vary in height based on the building’s surroundings. The larger six-storey section would face the busiest and most prominent side of the building along Bloor. This would be in contrast to the one-storey podium along the east side that would directly border the building at 417 Bloor Street West, as well as the single storey at the south side. Along Robert Street, the quieter west side of the property, the podium would stand at four storeys. The building would step back for floors seven and eight for further diversity in its structure.
The main tower would be from the ninth storey upwards. Each floor would feature residential units, leading up to a mechanical penthouse. Down below, there would be two underground parking levels. Vehicles would access parking from Robert Street on the west side and Sussex Mews on the east side. There would be 58 parking spaces for residents, seven for visitors, and a car-share space. The proposal is intending to look to the future, as every single residential parking space and two visitor parking spaces would feature infrastructure for electric vehicles. Further to that green mindset, there would be 439 bicycle spaces on the top underground level, including 66 spaces with e-bike infrastructure.
The proposal includes a Heritage Impact Statement that relates to Trinity-St Paul’s United Church at 427 Bloor Street West and residential structures on Robert Street dating back to the 19th and early 20th centuries. The proposed structure’s uniquely structured podium, mixed-use, and environmentally friendly attributes are symbolic of the eclectic Annex neighbourhood in which it would reside.
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.
* * *
UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
| Related Companies: | Arcadis, Bousfields, RWDI Climate and Performance Engineering |
