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A 49-storey mixed-use tower is proposed to replace a mid-century office building at 135 St Clair Avenue West in Toronto's Deer Park neighbourhood. Designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects for Fitzrovia Real Estate Inc., the project would include rental apartments, retail space, and a daycare facility, located west of St Clair station on Yonge Line 1.
The lot at the southeast corner of St Clair Avenue West and Avenue Road is 2,809m² in area. Currently home to a 14-storey office building, the property is leased by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, with the lease set to expire next year. The Ministry is not renewing the lease and has begun to shift offices to another building down the block. The surrounding area includes a mix of residential, commercial, and institutional uses, while the corridor along St Clair Avenue West includes mid-rise and high-rise developments.
Built in 1963, the existing office building has seen reduced occupancy in recent years. The site’s redevelopment history dates back to 2001 when a proposal for a 27-storey residential building was introduced, later reduced to 24 storeys and ultimately approved at 21 storeys in 2003. While that plan was never realized, evolving housing policies and a focus on transit-oriented intensification have resulted in the current Zoning By-law Amendment application to the City of Toronto for a tower rising to 49 storeys and about 161.3m, delivering 631 purpose-built rental units.
Fitzrovia has negotiated a 100-year "renting to build rentals" lease arrangement with the property's German owners, a fairly unique approach in the Toronto market, but something that is reportedly more common in Europe. The design's Gross Floor Area of 51,079m² comprises 50,302m² of residential space, 540m² for a daycare facility, and 274m² for retail, with a Floor Space Index of 20.38 times coverage of the lot. A 5-storey podium would accommodate ground-level retail, residential suites and amenities, and the daycare facility.
On the second floor, the Bloomsbury Academy daycare would span 681m² of combined indoor and outdoor private space facing Foxbar Road. Located on the 18th and 19th floors, as well as the rooftop, indoor amenities would total 1,820m², paired with 1,265m² of outdoor amenities. Additional offerings include a virtual healthcare facility managed by the Cleveland Clinic.
A four-level underground garage would provide 194 spaces for residents and 20 for visitors, with bicycle parking comprising 578 long-term and 149 short-term spots. Six elevators would serve the building, resulting in a ratio of one elevator per 105 units, indicating marginally longer than preferable wait times.
The site is served by the 512 St Clair streetcar, heading east to St Clair station (630m) or west to St Clair West station (1.2km), making it within walking of the former and also positioning it within its Major Transit Station Area (MTSA). The TTC's Avenue Road 13 bus also stops at the intersection, heading north-south. For cyclists, there are shared cycling lanes on nearby Balmoral Avenue.
Multiple projects and proposals are nearby the site, especially closer to St Clair station. To the west, Forest Hill Private Residences is nearing completion at 9 storeys, while 175 St Clair West is proposed with 12- and 14-storey towers. To the south, Amica at the Balmoral Club, a 13-storey seniors' residence, is under construction, while 438 Avenue Road is planned at 21 storeys. East of the site, Blue Diamond Condos and Foxbar Towns was recently completed at 28 storeys. Greater density emerges closer to St Clair subway station, including One Delisle under construction at 44 storeys and proposals for 1 St Clair West at 49 storeys, The Hill Condos at 50 storeys, and 45 St Clair West at 51 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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| Related Companies: | CCxA, EQ Building Performance Inc., Fitzrovia Real Estate Inc., Goldberg Group, Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists, Grounded Engineering Inc., Hariri Pontarini Architects |
