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May 9 2012: City planners have recommended that Toronto City Council refuse zoning bylaw changes requested by a developer that wants to build a 50-storey condo tower on this Jarvis Street site

Refusal report: Citing concerns over two specific heritage properties as well as vehicle and service access issues, city planners have recommended that a 50-storey condo tower proposed for Jarvis & Carlton Street area be refused by City Council.

In a January 23 2012 rezoning application, Duration Investments Ltd. proposed to build a build a 590-unit condo complex on a property that extends from Jarvis to Mutual Street, just south of Carlton Street. The building would include: a 41-storey wedge-shaped tower rising near the northwest corner of the site; a masonry-clad 9-storey podium that would step back from Jarvis Street at the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th floors; retail shops along the podium’s Jarvis Street frontage; five 3-storey townhouses fronting on Mutual Street; and five levels of underground parking.

As I noted in a February 6 2012 post about the proposal, the property in question bears the municipal addresses of 304-314 Jarvis Street as well as 225 Mutual Street, and sits directly across the street from Allan Gardens, one of the city’s oldest downtown parks and botanical gardens.

Heritage mansion would be incorporated into the project

Most of the development property is vacant land that has been operated illegally (according to city planners and Ward 27 Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam) as a surface parking lot since last autumn. But the site also includes the Sheard Mansion at 314 Jarvis Street, a designated heritage building. Duration proposes to demolish the mansion’s rear wing and basement foundation and temporarily relocate the building, on site, while the underground parking levels for the condo complex are constructed. The mansion would then be moved to a new location just slightly to the south of its present place, and would be restored. Duration also proposes to widen McClear Place, a narrow east-west lane that runs between Jarvis and Mutual Streets, on the north side of the development site, to provide vehicular and service access to the condo complex.

The tower proposal didn’t sit well with staff in the city’s parks and planning departments, who were concerned about the impact that shadows cast by the condo tower could have on trees across the street in Allan Gardens, as well as on the hundreds of species of tropical plants and flowers  — some of which are rare — growing in the Palm House conservatory and four attached greenhouses.

Community consultation held in late February

The City held a community consultation session on February 27 to get public feedback on Duration’s plan.  The building’s designer, Quadrangle Architects principal Les Klein, addressed the shadow impact concerns early in his presentation. He noted that the placement and wedge shape of the thin 41-storey condo tower were intended to minimize shadows on Allan Gardens, and would have less impact than an 18-storey tower that the Ontario Municipal Board had approved for the site in 1996.

But in a March 28 2012 refusal report, city planners cited shadow impact among several reasons for recommending that Toronto and East York Community Council (TEYCC) reject Duration’s application for zoning changes that would permit construction of its project. The building’s impact on heritage properties, and its proposed use of the McClear Place laneway also were cited as reasons for refusing the application.

‘Negative impact on significant heritage resources’

“Heritage staff have evaluated the proposal and do not support the proposed movement of the heritage building as it would constitute an unnecessary negative impact on a valuable heritage resource,” the planners wrote. Moreover, “The proposal represents over-development of the site and would have a negative impact on another significant heritage resource, Allan Gardens, which is a significant cultural heritage landscape that is designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The proposed building does not transition to the neighbourhood designation, creating unsupportable shadow and over look issues. Furthermore, the proposed tower massing does not mitigate the shadow impact it will have on the adjacent park Allan Gardens, leading to a significant reduction in the amount of sunlight.

“The servicing of the site is also problematic. Servicing is proposed to be off of McClear Place, a private lane. It does not appear that the applicant has access rights over this lane. Technical Services has also indicated that the laneway would have to be widened to a greater extent than what is currently being proposed which would require the heritage building at 314 Jarvis Street to be moved even further from its original location, exacerbating the heritage impacts,” the planners added.

The refusal recommendation will be considered at the TEYCC’s May 15 2012 meeting, as will a planning department request that the city refuse to allow the partial demolition and relocation of the Sheard heritage mansion.

May 9 2012: City planners and heritage staff are recommending that the city not allow the developer to partially demolish and relocate the Sheard mansion, a designated heritage property, because it would “constitute an unnecessary negative impact on a valuable heritage resource.”

May 9 2012: City planners say the condo tower would have a negative impact on the “significant cultural heritage landscape” of Allan Gardens across the street

February 28 2012: Looking north on Mutual Street toward the proposed condo development site. Five townhouses would be built at the end of the row of 4-level townhomes shown at right; the 41-storey tower would rise behind them. City planners say the proposal creates “unsupportable shadow and overlook issues” and does not “transition to the neighbourhood designation” for the McGill-Granby area immediately to the west of the site.

February 28 2012: Looking east from Mutual Street along the McClear Place laneway. The developer proposes to widen this lane by about 1.5 meters to allow vehicular and service access to the condo site, which will occupy what is now a surface parking lot. But planners say the lane is private property.

February 28 2012: The lane is narrowest between the Sheard mansion and the Best Western Primrose Hotel. The developer proposes to demolish the rear wing of the mansion and move the building 1.5 meters south so the lane can be widened for resident and service vehicle access to the condo complex.

February 28 2012: Looking down the McClear Place lane from Jarvis Street. The entrance ramp to the Best Western Primrose underground parking is situated at right. Service vehicles frequently occupy most of the laneway adjacent to the hotel. Even if the lane were to be widened by 1.5 meters, access to the condo could still be problematic.

May 9 2012: The distinctive rounded roof of the Sheard Mansion veranda

May 9 2012: For weeks, the veranda has been occupied by homeless people …

… who have set up a makeshift campsite with their sleeping bags and belongings

April 27 2012: This Toronto Parking Authority surface parking lot at 15 Wellesley Street East, seen here looking south from outside the Wellesley subway station …

… and seen here, looking north from Maitland Street, is presently being marketed for sale as “an outstanding development opportunity” …

… along with these two adjacent properties on the east side of the lot: the large brown brick mansion at 20 Maitland (now housing office space) and the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto building at 26 Maitland Street

This illustration of the potential for the site appears in a marketing flyer that says CBRE Limited is “exclusive listing agent” for all three properties, each of which is subject to “separate offering requirements” for development.

Another illustration from the CBRE marketing flyer shows an aerial view, from the northeast, of the site being touted as the Wellesley Development Lands

Tower trio: The Church-Wellesley neighbourhood is buzzing over news that a large Wellesley Street parking lot, plus two adjacent properties on Maitland Street, are being jointly marketed as as an “outstanding development opportunity” in the downtown core, offering a massive 1.3 million square feet of redevelopment space in up to three separate condo towers.

The three properties being offered for sale include the Toronto Parking Authority surface lot at 15 Wellesley Street East, which extends from Wellesley at the north to Maitland Street at the south, as well as a large brick mansion used as office space at 20 Maitland and the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto building at 26 Maitland.

‘Landmark highrise development opportunity’

A CBRE Limited electronic flyer for what’s being called the “Wellesley Development Lands @ Yonge” has been circulating by email amongst residents in the Church-Wellesley neighbourhood since mid-April. The 4-page PDF document includes an artistic cover illustration depicting three tall towers on the site, described as a “Landmark High Rise Development Opportunity in the Heart of Toronto’s Downtown Core.”

The flyer says CBRE Limited “has been retained on an exclusive basis” by the Toronto Parking Authority, Paul Lee, and the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto to “arrange the sale” of the Wellesley Development Lands.

“The Wellesley Development Lands assembly enjoys a prominent position adjacent to the Yonge-Wellesley TTC Metro station in the heart of Toronto’s Downtown Core. The combination of abundant amenities, shopping, parks, schools and access to both the Financial Core and Bloor-Yorkville make the Property’s location one of the most desirable in the Greater Toronto Area,” the flyer says.

It adds that the L-shaped, 1.64-acre site “provides a developer with access to significant potential development density (+1.3 MSF), positioned within an extremely constrained development node. Toronto’s Downtown Core boasts one of the most aggressive new condominium absorption ratios in the entire Greater Toronto Area with active projects achieving over 70% unit sales in an average of under 8 months.”

Property can accommodate three towers

“Utilizing the [City of Toronto] ‘Tall Building Study‘ lot line and separation distance guidelines, the Property is well suited to accommodate three  towers, each separated sufficiently from all property lines, as well as internally. A development of the western portion of the Site will require specialized building construction in order to maximize the size of a potential development. Furthermore, underground parking is not possible under the northern portion of the site due to the subway and restricts the underground parking on the south side of the site to maintain appropriate clearances for the subway tunnel and platforms. These parking restrictions do not prove overly unfavourable as a reduced amount of required parking is anticipated due to the proximity of transit and to the Financial Core,” the flyer states.

However, the flyer further points out that the owners of the three properties “each have separate offering requirements for the development. The TTC requires retention of stratified ownership of parking stalls,” while the Catholic Children’s Aid Society requires commercial office space and “Paul Lee requires equity participation in the development.”

Residents concerned about redevelopment density

Rumours have been circulating in the neighbourhood for well over a year that the Toronto Parking Authority, a public company owned by the City of Toronto, was planning to sell the Wellesley parking lot. And in the past six months, I have attended at least two public meetings at which city planners said it was highly likely the TPA would soon sell the parking lot for redevelopment.

Area residents are concerned about the height and density of any redevelopment projects that might be proposed for the location, and fear the prospect of a cluster of enormous condo towers rising in one relatively small area of their popular residential neighbourhood sometime within the next three to five years. Residents already are worried about the potential detrimental impact on the area of two condo towers that Lanterra Developments has proposed for the 501 block of Yonge Street, just steps across Maitland Street from the Wellesley Development Lands.

(Lanterra has applied to the city for rezoning that would enable it to build two 58-storey towers on a shared 7-storey podium. A community consultation meeting was held last November to get public feedback on the company’s application, and Ward 27 Councillor Kristyn-Wong Tam subsequently ordered city planners to convene a working group process at which area stakeholders could discuss the controversial plan. Several working group meetings have been held, but the project is still many months away from going to City Council for approval.)

Meanwhile, the Toronto Preservation Board is asking Toronto and East York Community Council (TEYCC) to request that the mansion at 20 Maitland Street be reviewed for possible designation as a heritage property. The board’s request will be considered at the TEYCC’s May 15 meeting.

Below is a series of photos I’ve taken on several different occasions over the past year of the “Wellesley Development Lands” and surrounding area.

April 27 2012: The Wellesley subway station between Yonge & Church Streets

April 5 2011: A view of the TPA parking lot from Wellesley Street to the northeast

April 5 2011: Looking toward Maitland Street from the NE corner of the TPA lot

April 5 2011: Parking lot viewed from the northwest on Wellesley Street

April 27 2012: Looking south toward Maitland Street

April 5 2011: Looking toward the Wellesley subway station from inside the entrance to the municipal parking lot

April 9 2011: Parking lot viewed from the southwest, on Maitland Street

April 27 2012: Buildings along Yonge Street, on the west side of the Wellesley Development Lands, include shops, restaurants, offices and condos

April 29 2012: Lanterra’s 501 Yonge Street condo development site is on the opposite side of Maitland Street, just a stone’s throw to the southwest of the Wellesley Development Lands

April 27 2012: The Cosmopolitan condo highrise at 25 Maitland is directly across the street from the south side of the Wellesley Development Lands

April 9 2011: Looking north across the 15 Wellesley Street TPA lot

April 27 2012: Looking to the northeast across the parking lot. At right is the 20 Maitland Street mansion that is one of the properties being marketed for redevelopment

April 27 2012: The TPA parking lot, left, and the mansion at 20 Maitland Street

April 27 2012: The 20 Maitland Street mansion, left, and the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto building, right

April 27 2012: Another view of 20 Maitland Street and the CCAS building

April 27 2012: The Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto building

April 27 2012: The Maitland Street entrance to the CCAS building

April 27 2012: The CCAS building viewed from the southeast, on Maitland Street

April 27 2012: The CCAS building, left, and a painted brick mansion at 34 Maitland Street. The mansion is not part of the Wellesley Development Lands.

April 27 2012: Looking east along Maitland from the sidewalk next to the TPA parking lot. The Village Green apartments are the white highrises at rear right.

April 27 2012: 34 Maitland, left, and an apartment building at 36 Maitland, right

April 27 2012: Two low-rise buildings on the south side of Maitland, across the street from the CCAS building, include …

… this 2-storey brick building at 37 Maitland, which houses law offices …

… and this 3-level rental apartment building at 33 Maitland Street

April 27 2012: The north side of the Cosmopolitan condo building faces the TPA parking lot across the street

April 27 2012: Northwest view of the Cosmopolitan condo building

May 10 2012: South view from Bremner Boulevard of construction progress on the two ÏCE Condo towers, left and center, and the Infinity3 Condominiums, right

Changing views: Although construction of two neighbouring condo projects near the CN Tower still has a long ways to go before completion, it’s fast becoming apparent just how significantly the new towers will change the look of the city skyline.

The side-by-side ÏCE Condos and Infinity3 Condominiums rising on the north side of the Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard, between York and Lower Simcoe Streets, are already having a huge impact on sightlines and views in the South Financial District and Harbourfront areas. And that’s even though construction of the east ÏCE condo tower has so far climbed less than one-tenth of its ultimate 67-storey height, while the west ÏCE tower is just slightly more than one-third of its way to 57 floors. The main Infinity3 tower, meanwhile, is more than 20 floors high on its way to 34.

A project of Lanterra Developments, ÏCE Condos was designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance.

Infinity3 is a project of The Conservatory Group, and was designed by E.I. Richmond Architects Ltd.

Below are some photos I shot of the two projects today. I also have posted two images taken several months ago to illustrate how dramatically the new towers have already impacted the skyline.

May 10 2012: This Queen’s Quay Boulevard view of construction on the Infinity3 and ÏCE condominium projects shows just how quickly …

… the new buildings have changed the skyline since January 30 2012 when I shot this pic. At that time, the west ÏCE tower was just climbing into view, while cranes indicated where work was underway on the less-advanced  towers.

May 10 2012: A view of the ÏCE and Infinity3 towers from the Queen’s Quay Blvd park encircled by the York Street off-ramp from the Gardiner Expressway

May 10 2012: A view of the Infinity3 and ÏCE tower construction progress from the southeast corner of York and Harbour Streets, looking across the site for the proposed 75-storey Ten York condo tower …

… viewed here back on November 25 2011 before construction of the Infinity3 and ÏCE condo towers became visible above the Gardiner Expressway. The Ten York project is still working its way through the planning approval process at City Hall, and was the subject of a community consultation meeting just last month.

May 10 2012: Approaching the east ÏCE condo tower from the south on York Street, underneath the Gardiner Expressway

May 10 2012: Window and cladding installation has commenced on one floor of the west ÏCE condo tower, just above the Gardiner Expressway ramp

May 10 2012: The windows reflect a number of different condominium towers in the Harbourfront and lower Yonge Street areas

May 10 2012: The two ÏCE towers are rising on the north side of Lake Shore Boulevard and the York Street access ramp to the Gardiner Expressway

May 10 2012: Progress on the Infinity3 condo complex viewed from the west side of Lower Simcoe Street

May 10 2012: Southwest view of the Infinity3 construction site, which is immediately south of the previously-built Infinity 1 & 2 towers, left

May 6 2012: Looking west across The Milan Condominium tower construction site near the Yonge & Church intersection in Yorkville

May 6 2012: Construction has climbed to 1 meter below grade at the southeast side of the site, seen here looking north from the Church Street sidewalk …

… but still has some catching up to do at the southwest corner …

… while construction continues to progress the fastest at the northeast corner, where the building already looms above the Yonge subway line

Closing the gap: Passersby will soon be able to watch construction activity at The Milan Condominium tower site in Yorkville without having to peer through a chainlink fence surrounding parts of the property that aren’t blocked by wood hoarding.

As of this past weekend, construction of the tower’s underground levels had climbed to just one meter below the sidewalk along Church Street at the site’s southeast corner, where rebar reinforced floor forms were ready for a concrete pour. As construction of the podium for the 37-storey tower starts to climb above grade, motorists and pedestrians on Church Street will get their first clear view of the building since work commenced in the summer of 2010.

A project of The Conservatory Group, The Milan Condominium complex was designed by E.I. Richmond Architects Ltd. of Toronto.

The project website shows that suites with a variety of different sizes and floorplans are still available. There are two 1-bedroom layouts, including the 577-square-foot Bergamo and the 626-square-foot LaScala; three 1-bedroom + den, including the 643-square-foot Naples, the 652-square-foot Bellini, and the 682-square foot Torino; five 2-bedrooms, ranging from the 777-square -foot Venice to the 907-square-foot Verona; five 2-bedroom + den that vary in size from the 802-square-foot Capri to the spacious 1,319-square-foot Donatello; and only one 3-bedroom configuration, the 1,192-square-foot Pavarotti.

Below is a tower rendering plus a series of photos showing construction progress over the past six months, along with a link to an online album that includes photos of the site before building began.

This poster rendering of the 37-storey Milan Condominium tower appeared in a window at the project sales centre at Yonge & Church Streets.

December 11 2011:The tower’s underground parking levels continue to take shape in this view from the northeast side of the property

December 11 2011: Looking across the construction site from the Church Street sidewalk near the property’s southeast corner. The building to the north is the Canadian Tire flagship store at 839 Yonge Street.

December 11 2011: Progress on two levels near the northeast corner

December 11 2011: Looking toward the north side of the property, which abuts the Canadian Tire store

January 11 2012: Looking east to west across the irregular wedge-shaped site

January 11 2012: A construction crew works on the west side of the site

January 21 2012: Overlooking the west side of the property after a light snowfall

January 21 2012: Looking west to east. The Yonge subway line is passes along the other side of the wood hoarding at the far end of the construction site.

January 21 2012: Construction of the underground levels gradually works its way from the north, below the Canadian Tire store, to the south, along Church Street

January 21 2012: Below-ground floors and walls gradually take shape

March 2 2012: Work keeps inching closer to street level

March 2 2012: The building is highest at the northeast corner above the subway

March 2 2012: Construction viewed through a double chain link fence next to the Church Street sidewalk

March 18 2012: Construction progress at the west side of the site, next to the Canadian Tire gas depot at the corner of Yonge & Church

March 18 2012: Looking toward the northeast corner of the site

March 18 2012: Looking west to east

March 18 2012: Overlooking the site from the southeast corner on Church Street

March 18 2012: Over the winter, workers have made great strides in building the underground levels …

… and the progress is most noticeable on the east side, along the subway line …

… but from the southeast, on Church Street, the big white crane is the only clearly visible sign of the construction underway

April 25 2012: Construction workers — and building progress — are now much closer to the Church Street sidewalk

April 25 2012: The underground levels are quickly filling in

April 25 2012 : The concrete wall along the subway line grows taller

April 28 2012: Viewed from the east …

… the construction appears to have reached street level, as suggested by its proximity to the hoarding along the Church Street sidewalk (left)

April 28 2012: But workers still have one more level to build before they rise above grade …

… as can be seen in this peek through the fence at the southeast corner of the site

April 28 2012: View through the fence at the southeast corner

April 28 2012: Within a couple of weeks, construction at the west end of the site (above) should start to rise above the Canadian Tire gas station next door

April 28 2012: Construction activity in the center of the site

May 6 2012: Looking north from Church Street. In another week or two, the construction workers will be visible from this sightline.

May 6 2012: Construction at the southeast side of the property is about 1 meter below grade. The wood hoarding separates the construction zone from a small city park next door to the east.

May 6 2012: From the east, it looks like the entire site is now filled in …

… but considerable work remains to be done near the center of the site

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Milan Condos in Yorkville

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May 5 2012: Construction of the SickKids Centre for Research and Learning, seen here from the south on Bay Street, reached a milestone last week …

… with a ceremony celebrating the final concrete pour for the 21-storey tower, seen here in a screen capture from a SickKids video of the event

SickKids President and CEO Mary Jo Haddad pours the final buckle of concrete

Topped off: A new Bay Street building landmark has celebrated a construction milestone with a topping off ceremony to commemorate the final concrete pour on the 21-floor structure.

The SickKids Centre for Research and Learning reached its highest point of construction last Thursday afternoon, exactly two years after construction commenced on the $400 million, 750,000-square-foot building that will house laboratory and meeting spaces for more than 2,000 scientists, trainees and children’s health research staff.

Groundbreaking took place two years ago

Shovels broke ground at the northwest corner of Bay and Elm Streets, previously the site of a surface parking lot, on May 4, 2010. With its turquoise patterned glass exterior nearing completion, the Centre already occupies pride of place as a new Bay Street architectural gateway to Toronto’s steadily expanding Discovery District. The striking exterior colour isn’t the only building design feature catching the attention of passersby; so is the column of wave-shaped atrium spaces that rise on the tower’s east wall above Bay Street. Window and cladding installation on the curved rooms that project from the east facade commenced in late April, and will continue to distract pedestrians for several weeks. (I saw people nearly walk into each other last Friday as they watched construction workers maneuver curved glass panels into position high above the street.)

The SickKids tower was designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc. in association with HDR Inc. The project’s building contractor is EllisDon Corporation. Construction of the tower is on schedule and on budget, with completion expected in the fall of 2013. A $200 million fundraising campaign for the project has reached 53% of its goal, raising $105 million so far.

Research ‘neighbourhoods’ occupy upper levels

The tower features 21 floors of research space, meeting rooms and workstations, with mechanical equipment occupying the top (22nd) level as well as the 7th floor.  Six research “neighbourhoods” — brain & behaviour; organ systems & disease; patients, populations & policy; genetics & genomic medicine; cancer & stem cell biology; and molecules, cells & therapies) — will occupy the upper levels, and will be linked by shared spaces, connecting staircases and meeting rooms.

The ground floor features a soaring, airy lobby and a dramatic long staircase enclosed by 3-storey-tall glass walls along Bay and Elm Streets. Restaurants and retail shops also will be located on the main floor. The second level will house an amphitheatre along with flexible learning spaces and assessment rooms. The third level will have a tele-education facility, workstations and administrative offices. The building also has two levels of underground parking.

Below is a series of photos, provided courtesy of SickKids, that show how construction to date compares with artistic renderings of the building. Those are followed by several of my own pics showing window installation on one of the atrium spaces, followed by a link to an online album of construction photos I have shot since the fall of 2010. Additional renderings, along with extensive information about the tower project and fundraising campaign, can be viewed on the SickKids Centre for Research and Learning website.

This SickKids photo shows construction progress on the tower …

… depicted in this artistic rendering. The building was designed by Toronto’s Diamond Schmitt Architects in association with HDR Inc.

This SickKids photo shows how the building’s main entrance, located at the northwest corner of Bay and Elm Streets …

… is shaping into the appearance depicted in this artistic rendering

This SickKids photo shows progress on the Centre’s 250-seat auditorium …

… which should look like this rendering when complete

This SickKids photo shows progress on the lower-level atrium …

… which will boast this bright, airy interior when finished

April 29 2012: Window and cladding installation on the lower atrium

April 29 2012: Higher atrium spaces await their windows and cladding

April 29 2012: Glass has been installed on one-third of the S-shaped lower atrium

April 29 2012: A closer view of the newly-installed curved windows

April 29 2012: Street-level view of the column of curved atria

May 4 2012: The lower atrium is now fully closed in

Afternoon sunshine glints off the atrium windows as a pane of glass is maneuvered into position for installation on the next level up

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 May 4 2012: A construction crew prepares to install a glass pane …

… being lowered into position by a construction crane

May 4 2012: This zoom view shows how the atrium projects above the sidewalk from the building’s east facade

May 4 2012: A construction worker is surrounded by the atrium’s sweeping curves

May 4 2012: The SickKids tower, viewed from the Bay & Dundas intersection

SickKids Tower

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