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1.7K Rental Tower Proposed Between Eglinton and Mount Pleasant Stations
A 56-storey residential tower is being proposed at 148 and 158 Soudan Avenue in Midtown Toronto, potentially further intensifying the Yonge–Eglinton area. Designed by Arcadis for Calmco Inc. and Weswin Developments Ltd., the project would replace a pair of low-rise buildings with a purpose-built rental development. The site is east of Yonge Street, and short walk from either Eglinton station on Yonge Line 1 or from the soon-to-open Mount Pleasant station on Eglinton Line 5 Crosstown LRT, and is within the Major Transit Station Areas of both stations.
Sherman Brown Barrister & Solicitors has submitted Zoning By-law Amendment, Site Plan Approval, and Rental Housing Demolition and Conversion applications to the City of Toronto on behalf of the developers. The proposal seeks to replace low-rise buildings on the north side of Soudan mid-block between Lillian Street and Redpath Avenue with a purpose-built rental tower rising 185.7m. It would deliver 674 units, of which 14 would serve as rental replacement units for the existing 13 at 148 and 1 at 158 Soudan. The design includes six elevators, resulting in a ratio of approximately one per 112 units. The tower would contain a total residential GFA of 46,547m², with a Floor Space Index of 31.98 times coverage of the 1,455.5m² assembly.
Next properties to the east are a pair of semi-detached low-rise dwellings. While the applicant claims to own “the development rights” to 162 Soudan Avenue, meaning they either own the semi or have paid for a Limiting Distance Agreement (LDA) with its owners if it is owned by others. The applicant, however, does not own 160 Soudan between the main assembly and 162. Further east is a row of townhomes at 168 Soudan/66-72 Redpath Avenue, also not owned by the applicants. The area surrounding the site features low-rise houses, mid-rise apartments, and new high-rise towers.
The applicants are asking for a 1m tower setback along the eastern lot line of 148-158, justifying the request by stating that 160 Soudan’s limited frontage makes it unsuitable for tower development, and that the applicant’s control over the “air rights” of 162 Soudan effectively secures a limiting distance agreement over 160 Soudan. While the term “air rights” is misleading in the New York-style context that most readers would understand them, (a city where air rights are often purchased from neighbouring building owners by the proponent of a centrally located redevelopment), the Planning Rationale accompanying the proposal states that the various ownerships here effectively sterilize adjacent high-rise redevelopment to the east, making the 1m tower setback on the east side appropriate, as no other tall buildings can be built to the east.
The tower’s proposed 904m² floor plate exceeds the City’s Tall Building Design Guidelines, which recommend a maximum of 750m² and discourage floor plates above 850m² unless additional mitigation measures are provided. In this case, the floor plate is proposed in a mid-block condition with constrained setbacks on both the east and west sides, raising concerns about shadowing. Its separation distance of approximately 10.5m from the 19-storey Distinction Condos to the immediate west is significantly below the City’s recommended 25m tower separation. In constrained contexts, the City may consider 20m. Shaving approximately 5m off the west side of the proposed tower would result in a 750m² floor-plate, while delivering a 15.5m separation distance, still below the City’s guidleines.
A 176.3m² area along the Soudan Avenue frontage is proposed as an onsite park to satisfy the development’s parkland dedication. Located within the building’s landscaped front setback, the space which would effectively operate as an entry area for the condo lobby (and ofter space for rapid exit in instances here the fire escapes were in use) would represent 10.8% of the lot area, but the uses and configuration may not align with the City’s typical expectations for usable parkland, which tends to prioritize larger consolidated spaces with neighbouring redevelopments, or cash-in-lieu contributions for off-site park acquisition when suitable space onsite is not available. The proposal includes 1,349m² of indoor amenities on the second through fourth floors and 366m² of outdoor amenities on the fourth floor.
148 Soudan is about a 7-minute walk from both Eglinton station and the future Mount Pleasant station. TTC bus routes run nearby along Yonge Street, Eglinton Avenue, and Mount Pleasant Road. Two levels of underground garage would house five spaces for residents and 8 for visitors. There would also be 607 long-term and 145 short-term bicycle spaces. For cyclists, protected lanes exist along Yonge Street to the south, although the Province is threatening to destroy them.
The proposal joins many other high-rise projects and proposals in the Midtown area. To the east, projects include the 21-storey Briton House Expansion, 27-storey 8 Brownlow, and 46-storey 226 Soudan. Northeast, 733 and 750 Mount Pleasant propose towers of 27 and 35 storeys, while 61 Brownlow calls for 55 and 59 storeys. Meanwhile, 191 Eglinton East and 54 Brownlow are planned at 52 and 60 storeys, respectively. To the northwest, 55 Eglinton East is proposed at 55 storeys, 141 Roehampton at 58, and 110 and 150 Eglinton East would each feature towers of 58 and 61 storeys. West of the site, Y&S Condos is under construction at 38 storeys, 1 Eglinton East proposes 65, and 2180 Yonge envisions five towers ranging from 45 to 65 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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