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A new 60-storey mixed-use tower has been proposed at 149 College Street, designed by Sweeny &Co Architects Inc. for Northwest Development Corporation and Alignvest Student Housing. Located just steps from Queen’s Park station and south of the University of Toronto St George campus, the development would include 480 student residence units in response to the city's growing demand for student housing. The proposal retains much of the historic Stewart Building, a six-storey structure designed by E.J. Lennox, as part of the tower’s podium.
The site is located at the southwest corner of College Street and Murray Street, covering an area of 0.25 hectares. The Stewart Building is a six-storey heritage structure originally built as the Toronto Athletic Club in 1894 and later used as administrative offices for the Rotman School of Management. It was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1978. The surrounding area includes a mix of academic and healthcare institutions within the Health Sciences District.
The Planning Partnership has submitted a combined Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment to the City of Toronto, proposing a height of 205.4m. The development would include a total of 705 units, with 480 private student residence units occupying the lower 41 floors and 225 market-rate rental and condo units on floors 42 to 60. In addition, the proposal includes 6,000m² of institutional space within the existing Stewart Building, to be retained as part of the 9-storey podium.
The total Gross Floor Area (GFA) would be 46,624m², resulting in a Floor Space Index (FSI) of 18.66. Of this, 25,355m² are allocated to student housing and 15,506m² to residential units. The tower would notably feature a floor-plate of 840m², significantly exceeding the City's usual 750m² maximum for tower floor-plates, allowing for greater density within the tower.
The proposed institutional space on floors three to seven would primarily support ongoing educational and research activities for the University of Toronto and institutions within the Health Sciences District. The design entails 962m² of indoor amenities for student residents, with 421m² of indoor and 252m² of outdoor amenities for the residential units.
Two levels of underground garage would include ten spaces for residents, nine visitor spaces, and four accessible spaces. For cyclists, provisions include 359 long-term spaces and 132 short-term spaces. There would be six residential elevators in addition to two elevators dedicated to the institutional spaces. This results in approximately one elevator for every 118 units, indicating longer than preferable wait times for residents.
The proposal includes the in-situ retention of the Stewart Building, with the majority of its north, east, partial south, and partial west elevations being preserved. The southwest portion of the building would be demolished, while the north elevation stair and landing (not part of the original design) would be replaced with a new structure.
A landscaped area named the College Street Parkette is proposed at the northeast corner of the site along College Street, intended to restore a visual connection between the Stewart Building and the surrounding institutional district.
Queen’s Park station on University Line 1 is adjacent to the site, with streetcars operating along College Street out front, and Spadina Avenue to te west. For cyclists, the site is connected to the wider city through the College Street and the University Avenue cycle-tracks.
Other development activity is nearby. Southeast of the site, 700 University Avenue is proposed at 57 storeys. To the southwest, Ronald McDonald House is planned at 18 storeys, and 191 College Street at 31 storeys. Further south, near St Patrick station, larger developments include 250 Dundas Street West at 49 storeys, the 54-storey United BLDG under construction, 123 Edward Street proposed at 53 and 59 storeys, and 505 and 522 University Avenue, both calling for 64 storeys. Even taller towers are planned to the east near College station on Yonge Line 1, including 2 Carlton Street at 73 storeys and 475 Yonge Street at 75 and 78 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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