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Greatwise Developments has submitted plans for a 38-storey mixed-use tower at 77 Howard Street in Toronto’s St James Town neighbourhood. Designed by Arcadis, the infill building would rise beside a new public park while the existing 24-storey rental apartment on the south side of the site would be retained. The proposal within walking distance of Sherbourne and Castle Frank subway stations would add to an already high-density district.
The site forms part of northern St James Town, a “tower in the park” district dominated by high-rise apartments built in the 1960s and 1970s. While much of Downtown Toronto has since undergone rapid intensification, the application notes that this already dense neighbourhood has remained relatively unchanged, serving as a landing point for newcomers and home to many lower-income households. Other recent infill proposals are emerging throughout the neighbourhood and its surroundings.
Currently home to a 24-storey, 384-unit rental tower set well back from the south side of Howard, mid-block between Parliament and Bleecker streets, the property also includes a broad lawn and surface parking areas. Now, Bousfields has submitted a Zoning By-law Amendment application to the City of Toronto on behalf of the developer to permit a new mixed-use condominium tower on the north portion of the site. Rising 131.4m, the building is designed in a flatiron form with its narrow point addressing Rose Avenue and a four-storey podium along Howard Street.
The new tower is planned with 28,975m² of Gross Floor Area, including 28,495m² of residential space and 480m² of grade-related retail distributed across two corners of the building, with a Floor Space Index of 7.05 times coverage of the 8,143m² lot. The site plan would reconfigure the north lawn and surface parking to introduce a 686m² public park at the northeast corner of the property.
A total of 456 condominium units are proposed, for which four elevators are planned, a ratio of one for every 114 units. High speed motors would be required to provide prompt enough service. Plans entail 945m² of indoor and 711m² of outdoor amenities. These shared areas are distributed across the first, second, and ninth floors.
At the rear of the retained rental tower, a woonerf-style shared space would replace surface parking, featuring pavers and landscaping. Below grade, the reconfigured two-level garage would provide 179 vehicle spaces, including 162 for residents, 17 for visitors and retail, and two for car-share. Bicycle storage is planned with 513 spaces in total, split between 411 long-term and 102 short-term spots, plus 10 publicly accessible spaces along the Howard Street boulevard.
The site is located about 350m, or a five-minute walk, from Sherbourne station, and roughly 650m, or nine minutes on foot from Castle Frank station. The Bloor-Yonge interchange is 1.1 kilometres away. North-south bus routes ply Sherbourne and Parliament streets. Cycling access is supported by dedicated lanes on Bloor, Sherbourne, and Wellesley streets, along with multi-use paths and shared routes.
The proposal adds to intensification around St James Town. To the south, Wellesley Parliament Square is planned at 58 storeys, from the same architect and developer. Sites further west at 350 Bloor East, HuntleySelby, and 5 Huntley are seeking heights of up to 63 storeys. Activity is most concentrated along Sherbourne Street, where the 53-storey Burke Condominiums is wrapping up and the 56-storey The Bourne is early in construction, while proposals at 576 Sherbourne, 164-168 Isabella Street, 137-141 Isabella Street, and 135 Isabella are all proposed at 69 storeys.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on these developments, but in the meantime, you can learn more about them from our Database files, 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: | Arcadis, Bousfields, Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists, o2 Planning and Design |
