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Plans are advancing at 275 Merton Street in Midtown Toronto, where Collecdev-Markee Developments, in partnership with CreateTO, is delivering a 40-storey purpose-built rental tower. Designed by gh3, the Davisville Village development will introduce 494 rental homes, including 148 affordable units, contributing to the City’s housing supply goals. Rising on the south side of Merton Street just west of Mount Pleasant Road, the project pairs new housing with ground-floor retail and publicly accessible open space.
A single 40-storey tower reaching 135.45m, the building will deliver 31,356m² of Gross Floor Area, almost entirely residential, alongside 156m² of retail at grade. A slender tower form rises above a podium that anchors the street edge. Across its 494 rental homes, the unit mix is weighted toward smaller formats while still accommodating family-oriented layouts, with 38 studios, 278 one-bedroom units, 128 two-bedroom units, and 50 three-bedroom units. Of the total, 346 units are market-rate rentals, and 148 are designated as affordable. Supporting infrastructure includes a single level of underground servicing, 22 vehicular parking spaces primarily for visitors and operational needs, and 360 bicycle parking spaces.
At grade, the development will introduce a fine-grained public realm with retail frontage and a new pedestrian connection running mid-block between Merton Street and the Kay Gardiner Beltline Trail. This link is paired with a publicly accessible green space that expands the site’s role beyond housing, creating an interface between the street and the adjacent trail network. Landscape elements are designed to support both circulation and environmental performance, tying the building into the surrounding neighbourhood.
A range of indoor and shared amenity spaces with interiors by Toronto-based DesignAgency is planned to support daily life within the building, including a fitness centre, co-working areas, and a series of dining and lounge spaces designed for both individual use and group gatherings. Family-oriented amenities such as a kids’ room and games room are complemented by practical features like a pet wash, reflecting a focus on accommodating a mix of households. Together, these spaces are organized to support both work-from-home routines and social interaction within the building.
A more distinctive component is the inclusion of a dedicated Garden Workshop, conceived as a hands-on space for planting and sustainable living activities. Residents will be able to repot balcony plants, start seedlings for rooftop and personal gardens, and take part in resident-led workshops and seasonal planting events. The space is also intended to support composting initiatives and other environmentally focused practices.
Sustainability and accessibility are central to the project’s design approach, with the development targeting Toronto Green Standard v4 Tier 2 performance. Environmental strategies are paired with a commitment to inclusive design, as the team is pursuing Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification at the Gold level.
Demolition of the former Toronto Water office building that previously occupied the site has now been completed, clearing the way for early-stage construction activity. Crews are undertaking site preparation and environmental testing ahead of excavation.
The project combines public and private lots to form a unified development site. This approach enables a higher overall housing yield while introducing new public connections, and aligns with the City’s HousingTO 2020–2030 Action Plan to expand purpose-built rental supply. By including affordable units alongside market-rate housing within a single building, the project offers a coordinated delivery model aimed at accelerating construction timelines while maintaining long-term affordability on publicly leveraged land.
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: | Bousfields, Collecdev-Markee Developments, gh3 |
