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Toronto's Annex neighbourhood has long had a bustling life at street level, even while some residents have resisted vertical growth. That growth is set to continue, owing to its situation within three Major Transit Station Areas, and now its skyline is poised for another change with a Zoning By-law Amendment application from 2114778 Ontario Inc. for a 35-storey condominium and rental building at 40 Walmer Road. The development, set to rise to a height of 111.65m, is designed by Turner Fleischer Architects. The development would have a total Gross Floor Area (GFA) of 22,774m².
The site, a rectangular lot approximately 1,605m² in area, is currently home to a 4-storey apartment building with underground and surface-level parking. The site owner aims to enhance the residential experience without compromising on the Modernist essence of this area of The Annex.
The proposed tower would sit on a 5-storey podium, with pedestrian access directly from Walmer Road, and would include 365 residential units that vary from studio apartments to three-bedroom layouts. Within this mix, the project would feature rental replacement units, ensuring that the current residents of the 33 existing rental units would have first access to return to the new building. Three elevators would service the high-rise, roughly translating to one elevator for every 122 units, indicating longer than average wait times.
The design includes indoor amenities adjacent to an outdoor amenity area along the south side, extending into the rear yard. The sixth floor is also dedicated to amenities both indoors and on the podium rooftop, while additional amenity space would make up the majority of the seventh floor. In total, the development entails 1,327m² and 1,133m² of outdoor and indoor amenity area respectively.
Parking provisions allocate 44 parking spots across two levels of underground garage, with this small number in relation to total units dovetailing with the City's focus on sustainable transport over private vehicles. Of these, 39 would be designated for residents, 5 for visitors, with 8 accessible parking spots included. The design meets the City's requirement for bicycle parking with 403 spaces, divided into 330 long-term and 73 short-term spaces.
Within a couple blocks, several other high-rise projects are proposed. Immediately to the south is a proposal for a 20-storey building at 38 Walmer Road, while proposals closer in height to this one are proposed at 30-, 35-, and 37-storeys at 425, 350, and 328 Bloor Street West, closer to Spadina station. These projects illustrate a shift towards denser and taller developments that reflect planning allowances for intensification around major transit nodes.
The site is within a short distance from key transit routes, including three subway stations along TTC's University Line 1 and Bloor Line 2: Spadina, St George, and Dupont stations, are all within a 700m radius. The proximity to Spadina Road and Bloor Street West also offers convenient bus routes and bike-friendly avenues, catering to the increasing demand for alternative transportation options in the city.
The area around 40 Walmer Road is known for its blend of cultural and academic institutions, being within walking distance to the University of Toronto, George Brown College, and a variety of primary and secondary schools. The area's value for vertical growth is underscored by retail offerings along Bloor Street West and its proximity to diverse neighbourhoods like Koreatown and Yorkville.
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: | Turner Fleischer Architects |
