{"id":16175,"date":"2023-04-27T18:39:56","date_gmt":"2023-04-28T01:39:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/80-storey-proposal-looks-to-build-on-history-of-toronto-street-site\/"},"modified":"2023-04-27T18:40:57","modified_gmt":"2023-04-28T01:40:57","slug":"80-storey-proposal-looks-to-build-on-history-of-toronto-street-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/80-storey-proposal-looks-to-build-on-history-of-toronto-street-site\/","title":{"rendered":"80-Storey Proposal Looks to Build on History of Toronto Street Site"},"content":{"rendered":"

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There are few short blocks left in Toronto\u2019s Downtown Core that feature a more prominent assembly of heritage buildings than Toronto Street, where it intersects with Adelaide Street East. For over a century, the city has evolved around this historic block, with the surrounding context growing taller and taller by the decade. That script could be on the brink of being flipped now though, following the proposal of a new development that could intensify the quaint block with the tallest building in the immediate area.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last week, Goband Investment<\/a>\u00a0submitted a striking proposal<\/a>\u00a0to the City that contemplates the construction of an 80-storey mixed-use tower. Designed by SvN<\/a> to rise from an assembly of 17 though 25 Toronto Street, plus 53 and 57 Adelaide Street East, the site enjoys an area of 2,457m\u00b2. Attempting to incorporate the suite of heritage buildings into the podium of the new building with minimal alterations, the project would deliver 816 new units along with new commercial and retail programming to the eastern Downtown Core.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Looking northwest to the proposed design for the 80-storey 23 Toronto development, image courtesy of SvN<\/span><\/p>\n

On the Adelaide side, the proposal includes the home of Terroni\u2019s Downtown location, the York County Courthouse, known municipally as 57 Adelaide Street East, as well as the neighbouring building to the west, 53 Adelaide Street East. On the Toronto Street side, the remaining three properties involved in the proposal include 25 and 23 Toronto Street, and the Consumers\u2019 Gas Building, known municipally as 17-19 Toronto Street.<\/p>\n

Looking southeast to corner of Adelaide Street East and Toronto Street, image from Apple Maps<\/span><\/p>\n

Investigating how the proposal plans to incorporate this important collection of built history into the development, the heritage conservation plan developed by\u00a0ERA Architects<\/a>\u00a0indicates that all of the heritage facades would be retained, along with the entirety of the Courthouse and the majority of the Consumers\u2019 Gas Building. The only structure slated for complete demolition is 23 Toronto Street, a contemporary two-storey building that features no identified heritage elements.<\/p>\n

Looking southwest to the proposal’s Adelaide Street East frontage, image courtesy of SvN<\/span><\/p>\n

With 23 Toronto Street removed, its cleared site would become the starting point for the proposal to grow around. The new structure would consist of two main volumes: the tower, which rises from the site\u2019s prominent northwest corner, and a mid-rise volume, which rises directly south of the tower, and extends all the way to the site\u2019s southern border. Additionally, the street frontage of 23 Toronto Street would be filled by a 3-storey glass volume that mimics the massing of the heritage buildings on either side, while boasting an all-glass exterior that aims to not distract from the more heritage facades that flank it; this volume would act as the building\u2019s primary entrance and lobby.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Looking southeast to the proposal’s Toronto Street frontage, image courtesy of SvN<\/span><\/p>\n

As for the expression of the tower, one of the defining attributes is the balcony configuration. Each balcony is separated from its neighbour (when it has one) by a distinct semicircle-shaped gap, a motif that adds formal contrast to the rectangular treatment of the balcony face, as well as the tower\u2019s sharp corners. The exterior finishing of the mid-rise volume to the south, on the other hand, takes on a completely different expression, defined by boxy windows and recessed balconies, adding visual diversity to the project.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also of interest in the proposal is the plan to revitalize the small public park, Courthouse Square, tucked in south the site. The park itself is proposed to be treated with a landscaping makeover, seeing the deployment of new plantings and detailing to improve the usability of its space. Arguably more significant though, is the proposal\u2019s plan to improve connections to the park through the creation of a publicly accessible indoor pedestrian walkway and atrium, that would provide an entry point directly to the park from the development\u2019s Adelaide Street East frontage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The proposal includes a plan to revitalize Courthouse Square, image courtesy of SvN<\/span><\/p>\n

No architectural plans for the building nor images depicting the interior programming of the proposal are circulating at this point, so we cannot say how many elevators are proposed to serve the 816 total suites, but we can look at some other figures. First off, the unit mix is proposed as 462 one-bedrooms (57%), 219 two-bedrooms (27%), and 55 three-bedrooms (6%), while in terms of non-residential uses, the proposal includes 2,618m\u00b2 of commercial office space, along with another 1,599m\u00b2 of retail space. The proposal also includes parking space for 51 motor vehicles, while a total of 932 bike parking spaces would be provided.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The proposal has been submitted to the City with an application for Zoning By-law Amendment, which the proponents hope will be approved based on both the current demand for new housing, as well as the mix of uses included in the proposed development.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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UrbanToronto has a research service,\u00a0UrbanToronto Pro<\/a>, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area\u2014from proposal through to completion. We also offer\u00a0Instant\u00a0Reports<\/a>, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter,\u00a0New Development Insider<\/a>, that tracks projects from initial application.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n