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A proposal along The Danforth in Toronto's East End is looking to seamlessly extend an adjacent proposal while catering to another demographic. The 14-storey proposal for 1117 Danforth Avenue, west of Greenwood Avenue, is from Core Development Group working woth Houselink and Mainstay Community Housing. To the west is the already announced 1111 Danforth Avenue, also from Core, who have engaged the same architectural firm, Studio JCI, for the sister project. Whereas 1111 Danforth Avenue is intended as market rate rentals, this development would offer affordable rental options.
The site, spanning 781m², and within walking distance of Donlands and Greenwood stations on Danforth Line 2, currently houses a modest 2-storey rental apartment building, which would be demolished to make way for the new development. Surrounded by residential uses along with low- and mid-rise structures — a low-rise neighbourhood known as "The Pocket" borders to the south — the urban fabric along Danforth Avenue is shifting from predominantly low-rise commercial-residential mix to larger buildings that include mid- and even high-rise forms.
The proposed building would reach a height of 48.17m, offering 106 residential units, including 27 rental replacement units. The design includes two elevators, resulting in one elevator for every 53 units, indicating short wait times.
With a Gross Floor Area (GFA) of approximately 7,028m², the units would be complemented by a modest 63m² commercial component at grade fronting Danforth Avenue. The building's form, although slightly taller than many buildings in the area, articulates a similar massing, with terraced step-backs along the north and south elevations, and a single shallow one on the east elevation.
Amenities would include 274m² indoor and 424m² outdoor spaces, found on the second and uppermost floors, as well as on the rooftop. In response to the City’s push for sustainable transportation options, the design eschews any underground garage or residential parking, offering five partially-covered visitor parking spaces. An array of 98 long-term and 8 short-term bicycle parking spaces are provided.
The planning rationale submitted to the City as one of the supporting documents for the application notes this submission and 1111 Danforth Avenue are intended to function cohesively. The latter was previously proposed as a 9-storey structure, but the submission for 1117 notes that 1111 has since been revised to 12 storeys, even though the City's Application Information Centre webpages do not reflect that yet. The lot for 1111 Danforth Avenue, the site of the former Trull Funeral Home & Cremation Centre's parking lot, features a larger area of 1,004m², with a much larger frontage along Danforth Avenue at 76m, compared to 1117 Danforth Avenue’s 18m. Echoing one another’s architectural language, the sites would also share functional elements like a rear loading space.
Transportation facilities close by the site include subway stations on Danforth Line 2 — Donlands station is about 300m west, and Greenwood station is about 500m east — placing the site within the Major Transit Station Areas (MTSA) of both, highlighting the desirability of increasing density on this site. TTC bus routes along Donlands and Greenwood avenues ensure further connectivity.
Nearby 1117 Danforth Avenue, a number of developments reflect the area's trend towards increased density, particularly in response to its proximity to key transit nodes. To the south in 'The Pocket' is a proposal for 4 storeys at 184 Chatham Avenue, while Theo Condos to the west is proposed at 8 storeys. Completed in 2021, the 9-storey Platform Condos is situated west of Greenwood Avenue, with another 9-storey proposal west of the site found at 975 Danforth Avenue.
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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