8.6K 
In 2021, UrbanToronto reported on a two-tower development proposed by the Gupta Group at 906 Yonge Street in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood, just 340m north of Bloor-Yonge station. The City failed to make a decision on the application within the timeframe before which the Province allows appeals, and the proposal was subsequently appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT). In advance of a full OLT hearing, and after extensive discussions with the City, adjacent property owners, community associations, and a mediation meeting at the OLT, Gupta is presenting City Council with a settlement offer that makes many changes to the proposal. Revisions include some interesting solutions to various concerns, one of which is a unique 'sky garden' in the middle of the taller of two towers planned for the site.
The 'sky garden' is part of a larger set of design changes aimed at addressing concerns related to the proximity of the towers of the existing built form or the surroundings, and design aspects of the proposal. Some of the other changes include increased setbacks, modifications to the side street McMurrich Street frontage of the shorter tower to provide a low-rise built-form character, and the relocation of short-term bicycle parking below grade.
The site is an irregular L-shape with an elongated base stroke, situated mid-block between McMurrich and Yonge streets, north of Davenport Avenue. It is an assembly of two lots, 906 Yonge Street and 25 McMurrich Street, which currently house a paved parking lot, outdoor play area, and a 3-storey heritage building facing Yonge. The design retains the heritage building's attributes, its Tudor Revival facade known as the home of Ridpath's Fine Furniture for many years.
The proposal, designed by Arcadis — the Amsterdam-based global firm that acquired Toronto-based IBI Group in Fall 2022 — is for two mixed-use condominium high-rises. The taller tower at 906 Yonge Street would stand at 138.23m with 40 storeys, and the shorter one would be 84m with 23 storeys. The former is set to house 236 units, and the latter 189 units. With the design including three elevators per tower, they would each be well-serviced with 1 elevator for every 79 and 63 units respectively, well under the threshold of 1 elevator per 100 units, indicating short wait times for elevators.
This is a significant departure from the original submission, which called for notably shorter 33-storey and 19-storey towers standing 113.87m and 69.02m, as well as 401 residential units. The settlement offer notes that the floor plate for 25 McMurrich Street has been reduced from 760m² to 590m². Combining this floor-plate reduction with increased floors, this building's total gross floor area (GFA) has seen a small increase of about 600m².
The 40-storey tower at 906 Yonge would boast the 'sky garden,' a 4-storey-high interstitial space designed to maintain the views for the neighbouring terraces located at 900 Yonge Street. The height increase for this building from its original 33 storeys is partly due to the inclusion of this 'sky garden,' plus additional built form changes.
The settlement offer notes several conditions placed on it by the City. These include the finalization of zoning instruments and the resubmission of a site plan application that implements the revised proposal. It also requires the delivery of a satisfactory updated Transportation Impact Statement and Functional Servicing Report. Additionally, updated material related to the heritage conservation on site is required. Gupta would also commit to a specific mix of unit types, a cash-in-lieu payment due to no parkland onsite, and enhanced landscaping, including an open space at the northwest corner of 25 McMurrich Street.
The land owner also makes a commitment to the installation of electrical vehicle supply equipment for 20% of the parking spaces, with roughed-in conduits for the remaining spaces. The parking facilities have been redesigned to include two levels of underground garage with 56 parking spaces, of which 16 are for visitors. This is a slight decrease from the previous proposal, which had 58 spaces, 39 for residents and 19 for visitors.
However, the bicycle parking facilities have been increased to 425 spots, with 43 of them for short-term use. This is a sizeable increase from the previous proposal, which provided 361 spaces for residents and 41 visitor spaces on the ground floor.
The submission is one of numerous high-rises proposed for the area, including the 45-storey 839 Yonge Street to the east, as well as the 61-storey 30 Scollard Street south of Davenport Road. Despite their heights, these towers are dwarfed by The One under construction about 400m south at Yonge Street and Bloor Street West, set to stand at 91 storeys.
The settlement proposal notes that the land owner is prepared to proceed with a settlement hearing on a with prejudice basis. City Council is slated to consider the matter at their July 19, 2023 meeting.
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, Gupta Group, HGC Engineering Inc, Jablonsky, Ast and Partners |
