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One of Toronto's shortest streets is named, somewhat ironically, after the city itself, with Toronto Street running only the distance from King to Adelaide streets two blocks east of Yonge. Short as it may be, however, It may soon be home to one of Toronto's tallest buildings, as updated plans from Goband Investment for 23 Toronto Street were just presented at the June 18th session of the City’s Design Review Panel (DPR). Submitted to the City in 2023, the rezoning application, still being reviewed, called for an 80-storey tower to rise here, but the version just reviewed by the DRP now anticipates an 88-storey, predominantly residential mixed-use tower here the edge of the Financial District.
Designed by SvN, the tower would become the tallest in the immediate area, whether at 80 or 88 storeys, with the taller version approaching but falling short of ‘supertall’ territory, a designation given to buildings over 300m tall. Just shy of that at 299.04m, the 88-storey version, once submitted to the City, would be the ninth-tallest proposed tower in Toronto. There are three buildings currently under construction, plus the long-completed BMO Tower at First Canadian Place, that are taller the 88-storey version.
The development site at the southeast corner of Toronto Street and Adelaide Street East encompasses from 17 through 25 Toronto, and 53 through 57 Adelaide. Situated within the St Lawrence Heritage Conservation District, the assembled properties include a mix of heritage-designated and listed buildings, among which at least one predates Confederation; the York County Courthouse at 57 Adelaide was designed by Frederic Cumberland in 1851, while the Consumers Gas Building at 17–19 Toronto, with its 1876 facade, reflects the city’s early industrial era. At 25 Toronto, a stone structure is now painted over. Though not heritage-designated, 23 Toronto is listed on the City’s register and currently stands as a two-storey commercial infill.
The initial 80-storey proposal, submitted in 2023, would rise 258.6m above a preserved heritage base. That version called for 816 condominium units, 2,620m² of office space, and 1,599m² of retail, with 49 vehicle parking spaces and 931 bike spots. Its exterior featured a wave-form applied to balcony edges.
The project's heritage strategy, overseen by ERA Architects, remains consistent. The York County Courthouse, Consumers Gas Building, and 25 Toronto Street are all set to be retained and incorporated into the new base. The non-heritage 23 Toronto Street would be removed, with its frontage rebuilt as a glass volume.
In the version seen by the DRP, the 88-storey, 291m design includes 833 residential units. There would be eight residential elevators, or approximately one for every 104 suites. Gross Floor Area (GFA) has increased to 64,439m², resulting in a Floor Space Index of 26.23 times lot coverage of the 2,457m² assembly. Of the GFA, 56,555m² is residential with 3,557m² for commercial, 4,054m² for office use, and 273m² for a sheltered mid-block connection to the adjacent Courthouse Square Park from Adelaide Street. While not part of the development site itself, the park remains part of the overall site strategy, with plans for new landscaping. The redesign eliminates motor vehicle parking.
DRP praise was directed at the project's zero-parking approach, internalized servicing, and public realm improvements, including pedestrian priority crossing at Toronto and Court streets and the proposed mid-block pedestrian connection to Courthouse Square. The retention of the site’s key heritage buildings also received positive feedback, with the Panel noting the potential for the development to improve the pedestrian experience on Toronto and Court Streets.
That said, the DPR flagged several areas for improvement. Multiple members questioned the use of several distinct architectural expressions across the tower, noting that while the intent to differentiate residential and office massing was clear, the resulting setbacks and varied treatments felt disjointed. The top of the building was viewed as underwhelming relative to its scale. Others questioned the constructability of the heritage retention strategy and the appropriateness of the tower’s large floorplate (averaging 795m²) on a constrained block.
Panellists flagged potential cumulative impacts on Courthouse Square Park and increased shadowing on nearby St James Park. Additional critique targeted the building’s limited indoor and outdoor amenities (2,355m² indoors and 984m² outdoors) and small average unit sizes, despite more two- and three-bedroom units in this redesign. The critique was followed by a unanimous vote of conditional support, predicated on improvements to liveability and sustainability, with the latter’s features including compliance with Tier 1 of the Toronto Green Standard.
There are several other proposals and projects in the area near 23 Toronto Street. Immediately to the south, 15 Toronto Street is proposed at 56 storeys, while to the southwest, a cluster of towers is planned or approved, including 69 Yonge (21 storeys) and 34–50 King East (33 storeys), as well as 49-51, 60, and 55 Yonge at 62, 65, and 68 storeys. To the north, the Cambridge Suites Redevelopment is proposing 71 storeys. Northeast of the site, The Saint and Alias are under construction at 47 and 48 storeys, while proposals at 110 Adelaide East and 100 Lombard would add towers of 65 and 72 storeys, respectively.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been republished to include the height of the mechanical penthouse at the top of the tower into a total height of 299.04, not the 291.04m that was reported earlier, now making this the ninth-tallest proposal in the city, not the tenth.
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| Related Companies: | Counterpoint Engineering, ERA Architects, RWDI Climate and Performance Engineering |
