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Long a fixture at the northwest corner of Queen Street East and Kingston Road in Toronto’s Beaches neighbourhood, the site around the closed Murphy’s Law Pub is now the subject of a new development application. The Sud Group of Companies has returned with a new plan for The Beach House, now proposed as an 11-storey rental apartment designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects. Bousfields has submitted a new Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications to the City of Toronto on behalf of the developer, seeking approval for a 216-unit residential rental building rising to 41.45m, increased from 24.5m. The updated massing features a five-storey base topped by a U-shaped tower and a central courtyard.
The site’s redevelopment has undergone multiple revisions since 2019, beginning with a six-storey condominium proposal featuring 110 units and partial retention of the Murphy’s Law building. A refined version was approved by City Council in 2022, allowing a 90-unit mixed-use building with full heritage integration. During the pandemic, a former Days Inn hotel onsite served as a temporary YWCA shelter, delaying construction.
While the heritage structure was preserved and other buildings demolished, no Site Plan Approval was finalized, no building permits have been filed, and the site has remained inactive for over two years. Now, while the previously approved plan involved facade retention of the Murphy's Law building, the new plan maintains full in-situ retention of the 1911-12 built structure designed by architects Sharp & Brown. Originally an Imperial Bank of Canada branch, the two-storey classical structure was designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act in 2022. The new plan overseen by ERA Architects integrates the building into the base of the development, with step-backs and glazed separations, retaining the rooftop trellis.
The total Gross Floor Area (GFA) has grown from 10,450m² in the approved version to 16,897m² in the current proposal, translating to a Floor Space Index of 5.43 times lot coverage, up from 3.32 for the four parcels at 1684, 1698, 1700, and 1702 Queen Street East with combined area of 3,205m². Of the GFA, 16,121m² is allocated to residential use, while 776m² is devoted to retail. Two elevators are proposed to serve the 216 residential units, resulting in a ratio of one elevator per 108 units.
Amenity space in the revised proposal totals 1,541m², split between 655m² of indoor facilities and 886m² outdoors. Below grade, a single level of underground parking would contain 54 spaces, down from the 85 originally proposed in 2019. Of these, 41 are allocated for residents, 12 for visitors, and one for car share. Bicycle storage has been expanded from 114 to 240 spaces, with 196 long-term and 44 short-term spots. The site is within 200m of a multi-use trail along Northern Dancer Boulevard, connecting to the Martin Goodman Trail and Lakeshore Boulevard East. Additional cycling infrastructure, including bike lanes and sharrows, is accessible within a 400m to 800m radius.
For commuters, the 501 Queen and 503 Kingston Road streetcars stop approximately 100m east at Queen Street East and Kingston Road. In the future, the transit ride into the city will be shorter once Riverside-Leslieville station on Ontario Line 3 opens about 4 kilometres to the west.
The surrounding area includes low-rise housing with newer mid-rise developments. Mid-rise growth continues to reshape this stretch of Queen Street East. To the east, applications include 5- and 6-storey applications at 1895 Queen Street East and 73 Woodbine Avenue. To the west, a denser cluster is taking shape: 69 Coxwell Avenue and 1594 Queen East each propose 6 storeys, while the Queen & Ashbridge is rising with towers from 8 to 17 storeys, and 1631 Queen East proposes 18 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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