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As part of Marlin Spring Developments plans along Sterling Road in Toronto’s Junction Triangle, the company has resubmitted its proposal for the 3B block at the site, effectively doubling its previous height from 14 to 28 storeys. The proposed mixed-use condominium building, designed by Giannone Petricone Associates, marks a significant densification for a rapidly redeveloping area, bringing mixed uses to the historically industrial neighbourhood.
The presently vacant Block 3B site spans approximately 2,615m². Located at 150-190 Sterling Road, on the southeast corner of Sterling Road and Perth Avenue, it is adjacent to the restored Tower Automotive Building which houses the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto (MOCA) and the offices of Zeidler Architecture.
The earliest proposal for this block was Castlepoint Numa’s 10-storey Museum FLTS, which was ultimately cancelled, with a subsequent sale made to Marlin Spring. The Sterling Master Plan — being carried out by three different owners — is divided into five further subdivided development blocks, including new residential units, office buildings, retail space, public parkland, and POPS (Privately-Owned Publicly-accessible Space). Marlin Spring's initial proposal for Block 3B was a tower rising to 14 storeys from a 5-storey podium.
The latest submission of Zoning By-law and Official Plan Amendment applications in June, 2024, contains no new renderings, but includes the massing image below for the now 28-storey tower. (To its right, an out-of-date massing appears for Marlin Spring's now 31-storey tower proposed on Blocks 5B C, and D to the west, which UrbanToronto wrote about recently.)
Where the previous Block 3B proposal rose to 51m and comprised 181 residential units, the current submission would soar to 92.74m with 349 units. The residential Gross Floor Area (GFA) would now be 21,097m², a significant increase from the previous 12,282m². This would be complemented by 1,206m² of non-residential GFA, which includes retail and commercial spaces at grade, as well as a daycare facility. This results in a Floor Space Index (FSI) of 8.53 on the block.
The design allocates 718m² for indoor and 525m² for outdoor amenities. At the street level, the design introduces retail and commercial spaces. The two-storey daycare centre would face the Block 3D POPS to the south and have its own private elevator, while three elevators would serve the residential suites, resulting in approximately one elevator for every 116 units, indicating slightly longer than preferable wait times for residents.
Three levels of underground garage would provide 97 parking spaces for residents, 19 for visitors, 2 for car sharing, plus 47 spaces for the Tower Automotive Building. The proposal also includes 315 long-term and 36 short-term bicycle spaces for residential use, 14 for daycare use, and 6 long-term for commercial use.
Within a radius of less than 600m, the site is flanked by Dundas West and Lansdowne stations on Bloor Line 2, placing it within the Major Transit Station Areas of both subway stations. The Bloor GO/Union Pearson Express (UPX) station is also within walking distance, on the Kitchener GO/UPX rail corridor. There are dedicated bicycle lanes along Bloor Street West, Lansdowne Avenue, and Dundas Street West. Looking ahead, an additional GO station on the Barrie line is planned near Bloor and Lansdowne, potentially to commence service in November, 2027.
Other residential and mixed-use redevelopment is underway at various stages in the area. Part of the Sterling Master Plan to the east, Matlin Spring's 17-storey House of Assembly is currently under construction. To the north and east, major proposals include, 221 Sterling at 29 storeys and The Sterling Automotive at 1405 Bloor at 19 storeys, and 1293 and 1319 Bloor Street West at 28 storeys and dual towers of 27 and 31 storeys respectively. To the north and west, 72 Perth is proposed at 16 storeys, 1425 Bloor West is proposed at 20 storeys, and 1439 Bloor West is proposed at 14 storeys. Further west at 2280 Dundas Street West, a redevelopment of the existing shopping centre would feature seven buildings ranging from 6 to 38 storeys.
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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