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A number of restaurants forming a cherished strip of Little Tokyo, on Dundas Street West in the heart of Downtown Toronto, are in the crosshairs of an intensification proposal from site owner ICC Group that hopes to convert the low-rise buildings into a 41-storey mixed-use tower. Splitting the total 23,993m² of gross floor area (GFA) between office and residential uses, the design by Scott Shields Architects attempts to activate the small site at 191 Dundas Street West with a slender tower, resulting in a notable spike in density, measured by a floor space index (FSI) of 19.44.
The 1,234m² site occupies the southeast corner of Dundas Street West and Centre Avenue, midway between University Avenue and Bay Street, and encompasses the properties of 181 through 195 Dundas Street West as well as 63 Centre Avenue. Currently occupied by a string of 2-storey plus hosting several grade-level local eateries with frontages along Dundas Street West, and a surface level parking pad behind the restaurants with access from a driveway on Centre Avenue, the proponents characterize the site as under-utilized.
100m to the west is St Patrick Station on University Line 1; surface level transit is available on Dundas Street and Bay Street; and 600m to the south, Osgoode Station will eventually offer connection to the Ontario Line 3. Considering the highly developed built form of the surrounding area, with close proximity to both University Avenue and Yonge Street, and the level of transit connectivity the site enjoys, the densification argument is difficult to contest. With the proposal meeting Official Plan intentions, the proponents are only required to seek Zoning By-law Amendment (ZBA) and Site Plan Approval (SPA).
What the application lacks at this time is a strong set of renderings to illustrate the plans in life-like quality. The more rudimentary drawings show the massing of the proposal, but the textures and the overall impression are more difficult to discern. Formally, the 41-storey tower volume emerges from a 6-storey podium by stepping back from the north and west elevations. From what we can see of the details, the design draws on the corner positioning of the site as a character defining element, putting forward a rounded corner that allows the facade to be perceived as a more continuous form as the north elevation transitions into the west elevation.
The detailed elevation drawings offer some insight into how the proposal would be experienced at the pedestrian scale. The grade level is setback 2.9m from the northern property line to expand the sidewalk, but one level above, the setback is removed, creating an overhang that acts as a weather shield. The material palette appears to rely heavily on window wall, with bands of white metal panelling dividing the different sheets of glass. These materials appear to be consistent moving up the tower.
At its largest, tower’s floor-plate is a lean 699m², beginning at level seven and staying consistent up to the 20th storey. At level 21, the tower steps back from the south elevation, resulting in a new floor-plate area of 587m² which is trimmed down again just one level above, at level 22, where another step-back from the south elevation reduces the plate to 495m². Finally, at level 41, the last step-back, this time from the east elevation, reduces the plate to its smallest area of 424m². The different step-backs from the south elevation make marginal improvements to the tower separation between the proposal and the 26-storey tower that abuts the site to the south. At the narrowest point, the separation gap spans a slim 5.5m, with the step-backs ultimately resulting in a gap of 12.5m, half the distance of the City’s 25m tower separation standard.
The proposal splits the total GFA between 14,171m² commercial and 9,693m² residential, with only 130m² retail in two units at grade. Floors 2 through 20 are intended to house office space, interrupted at level 7 by the building’s amenity level with spaces for both office workers and residents. Levels 21 through 41 would make up the residential component, offering a total of 135 units split in a mix of 34 studios (25%), 52 one-bedrooms (38%), 24 two-bedrooms (18%), and 25 three-bedrooms (19%), more than meeting the City's desire for family-size suites. Three elevators for the residential floors make a ratio of one elevator per 45 units, easily the best ratio we have seen of late.
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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| Related Companies: | RWDI Climate and Performance Engineering, Scott Shields Architects, WND Associates Ltd |
