A 45-storey rental tower is proposed on Merton Street in Toronto’s Davisville Village, an area seeing plenty of high-rise intensification, particularly closer to Yonge Street. Designed by Turner Fleischer Architects for Graywood Developments, the building would partially retain the site’s heritage building, located southeast of Davisville station. 

Looking north to 170-180 Merton Street, designed by Turner Fleischer Architects for Graywood Developments

The site about halfway between Yonge Street and Mount Pleasant Road is an assembly of two properties: 170 Merton Street, a 2.5-storey commercial office building given heritage status in 2019, and 180 Merton Street, a 3-storey townhouse condominium complex with twelve units. The heritage building designed by Leslie Rebanks was constructed in 1969 as the headquarters for the Visiting Homemakers Association, an organization that provides in-home care for vulnerable residents across Toronto. It is currently occupied by Re/Max Hallmark Realty Ltd.

Looking northeast to the current site, with the heritage building on the left, image retrieved from Google Maps

Bousfields has submitted Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment, and Site Plan Approval applications to the City of Toronto on behalf of the developer. Rising 146.2m, the tower would house 517 market-rate rental units. The design includes a 4-storey base building, with ERA Architects overseeing preservation of the heritage building’s white-brick facade, octagonal massing, and main entrance. The retained building would be repurposed as the tower’s residential lobby, while its front terrace would become an outdoor amenity space.

Podium and retained heritage facade, designed by Turner Fleischer Architects for Graywood Developments

The proposed development would have a total Gross Floor Area of 36,088m², with 35,809m² dedicated to residential use and 279m² of retail space at grade on the east side. The Floor Space Index would be 14.03 times coverage of the 2,572m² assembled lot.

Ground floor plan, designed by Turner Fleischer Architects for Graywood Developments

The design includes 1,034m² of indoor and 813m² of outdoor amenities, located on levels one, two, and five. With four elevators, there would be approximately one for every 129 units, with high-speed motors needed to ensure efficient service. 

Ground floor plan, designed by Turner Fleischer Architects for Graywood Developments

Parking would be accommodated in a two-level underground garage, including a lower ground floor formed by the heritage building's 1.8m elevation. Parking provisions include 24 residential spaces, 8 visitor spaces, and 2 pick-up/drop-off spaces. For cyclists, the building would provide 469 long-term spaces, 104 short-term spaces, and 10 public short-term spaces.

The surrounding neighbourhood is a mix of residential, office, and retail uses, with commercial activity concentrated along Yonge Street. The site is located approximately 700m (a 9-minute walk) south and east of Davisville station on Yonge Line 1, within its Major Transit Station Area. Nearby bus stops include Davisville Avenue at Pailton Crescent (550m, an 8-minute walk) and Mount Pleasant Road at Merton Street (440m, a 6-minute walk). For cyclists, the site is 60m north of the Kay Gardner Beltline Trail, a multi-use path that connects to the Moore Park Ravine Trail and York Beltline Trail. There are also dedicated cycle tracks along Yonge Street.

An aerial view of the site and surrounding area, image from submission to City of Toronto

There is a growing cluster of high-rise infill developments and proposals in Davisville Village. Immediately surrounding the site, proposals include 35-storey 185 Balliol, 140 Merton and 155 Balliol rising 29 and 37 storeys, respectively, and 214 Merton 40 storeys. Further east, 27-storey 265 Balliol is under construction, and proposals include 289 Balliol at 31 storeys, along with 276-290 and 267-275 Merton at 13 and 40 storeys, respectively. Further west toward Yonge Street, 37-storey 30 Merton Street is under construction at 37 storeys, 60 Balliol at 33 Davisville would rise 39 storeys, and both 45 Balliol and 22 Balliol are proposed at 40 storeys. Larger developments include 1900 Yonge Street, with four towers reaching up to 45 storeys, 50 Merton at 46 storeys, and 1910 Yonge, featuring two towers at 48 and 53 storeys.

Looking northwest to 170-180 Merton Street, designed by Turner Fleischer Architects for Graywood Developments

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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