Category Archives: Downtown East

47 storey condo proposed for Dundas & Jarvis

175-191 Dundas Street East proposed condo tower

This artistic illustration, from a City of Toronto development proposal sign, shows the 47 storey condo tower that is being proposed for a site on the southeast corner of Dundas and Jarvis Streets

 

 

175-191 Dundas Street East and 235 Jarvis Street

property currently occupied by restaurant and retail businesses in 2-storey buildings at 175-191 Dundas Street East and 235 Jarvis Street. The tower would soar above The Grand Hotel & Suites to the south at 225 Jarvis.

 

 

A 47-storey condo tower containing 534 residential units is being proposed for the southeast corner of Dundas and Jarvis Streets.

The building, which would feature a 43-floor tower atop a 4-storey podium, is proposed in a rezoning application that was filed with the City on August 18. The project site encompasses several adjacent two-storey buildings at 175 to 191 Dundas East, along with a separate two-storey building at 235 Jarvis. The properties are presently occupied by retail shops and restaurants, including a Tim Horton’s outlet.

The City posted development proposal notices on the building just before the Labour Day holiday weekend.

The signs include an artistic illustration of the proposed highrise (shown above), as well as a development summary that says the mixed-use building would include:

♦ 186 square meters of street-level retail space;

♦ a residential gross floor area of 34,365 square meters

♦ 43 studio units

♦ 399 one-bedroom condos

♦  50 two-bedroom condos

♦  42 three-bedroom suites

♦  80 underground parking spots and

♦ 539 bicycle parking spaces

As is the usual custom, the developer and architect are not named on the proposal signs or on the development application listing that appears on the City of Toronto website.

If approved and built, the 43-storey tower would firmly establish the Dundas & Jarvis crossroads as a major highrise hub for east downtown, with tall condo buildings occupying three of the intersection’s four corners.

Construction of one tower — Pace Condos — is already well under way on the southwest corner of the intersection, where work has started on the 10th floor of the 43-storey building.

A 45-storey condo complex on the northeast corner of Dundas & Jarvis was approved by Toronto City Council last October. That project, which will transform the site of what’s presently the Hilton Garden Inn Toronto City Centre,  is currently in the sales & marketing phase of development as a project called Dundas Square Gardens.

 

175-191 Dundas Street East

One of the development proposal signs that the city has posted on the property where a developer would like to build a 43-storey condo tower

 

 

175-191 Dundas Street East Toronto

The development site includes several adjacent low-rise buildings at 175-191 Dundas Street East. The buildings contain restaurants and retail businesses, including a Tim Horton’s outlet on the corner of Dundas & Jarvis.

 

 

175 Dundas E and 235 Jarvis Street

The development site includes the two-storey building at 235 Jarvis Street (right), currently home to Shishalicious Café.

 

 

Pace Condos

A view of the southwest corner of Dundas & Jarvis where construction has started on the 10th floor of Pace Condos

 

 

Dundas Square Gardens condo

A promotional billboard for Dundas Square Gardens, a 45-storey condo project that will rise on the northeast corner of Dundas & Jarvis  

 

 

 Hilton Garden Inn Toronto City Centre

 … where the Hilton Garden Inn Toronto City Centre currently occupies a building that once housed federal government offices

 

 

Ivory on Adelaide & Post House condo towers adding more height to Toronto’s Old Town area

Post House Condos

December 10 2013: Looking up the west side of the Post House Condominium under construction on George Street, just a few steps north of Adelaide Street, in Toronto’s historic Old Town neighbourhood

 

Twenty somethings: Two condo towers under construction just two blocks apart from each other on Adelaide Street East are adding some more height to the steadily changing southeast downtown skyline.

On George Street, just a few steps north of Adelaide, the Post House Condominium tower has climbed over 18 storeys on its way to 21. Just two blocks east, the Ivory on Adelaide condo complex has risen 20 floors on the way to 22.

Although their heights pale in comparison with condo towers under construction along Adelaide Street West, where several new buildings in the Entertainment District will soar twice as tall, Post House and Ivory still stand out in the historic Old Town area of Toronto. Though they’re not the first highrises in the neighbourhood, and will be joined by a handful more within the next several years, they do add obvious height and density to what is one of the most pleasantly walkable residential and commercial districts in the downtown core.

 

Ivory on Adelaide Condos

December 10 2013: Looking up the southwest corner of the Ivory on Adelaide condo under construction on Adelaide Street just east of Sherbourne Street

 

 

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A peek at the Pace Condos construction site

Pace Condos

December 6 2013: A view of the construction site for Pace Condos, located at the southwest corner of Jarvis & Dundas Streets

 

Approaching grade: Construction continues on the underground parking levels for the Pace Condos tower at the southwest corner of Jarvis and Dundas Streets in east downtown.

But in just a few weeks’ time, construction will reach grade and work will begin on the building’s 6-storey podium — the base for a 36-storey tower that will transform the east downtown skyline.

The steady approach to street level at means that, throughout 2014, neighbours and passersby will get a clear view of construction progress as the tower climbs skyward, eventually topping off with 42 residential floors. For now, pedestrians can catch a partially-obscured glimpse of building activity if they peek through a chainlink fence next to the sidewalk at the corner of Jarvis & Dundas.

A project of Great Gulf, Pace Condos was designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects. Residents of the 384-unit building will enjoy extensive recreational and fitness amenities on the tower’s 7th floor, including access to an outdoor swimming pool and a landscaped garden on the podium roof. The building will have more than 4,500 square feet of retail space at ground level.

Below is another photo of work on the underground parking levels, as well as an artistic rendering of the building.

 

Pace Condos

December 10 2013: Once two more underground parking levels have been completed, work on the 42-storey tower will begin to climb above street level.

 

 

Pace Condos

This illustration of the Pace Condos building appeared on a development proposal sign the City posted on the project site nearly three years ago. The tower was designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects.

 

Winter building pics: March 2013

 My March 2013 album on Flickr features more than 500 photos showing dozens of downtown construction projects and building sites. Click once on the image above to view a small-format slideshow of the pictures, or click twice to access the actual album where you can view individual full-size photos with captions.

 

 

Frozen fingers: It’s only a few days into spring and I’m still sorting through hundreds of building and construction photos I took during the winter. What has struck me the most is how gloomy and grey the city looked most of the time. Sunny, clear days were few and far between — and when they came, it was usually too bitterly cold and windy for me to risk freezing my fingers by wandering around with my camera.

I did manage a few long photo walks, though, and have been gradually posting the pics in albums on thetorontoblog.com’s Flickr photostream.  Above is a link to my fourth winter photo album, March 2013.

 

 

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Winter building pics: December 2012

Above is a link to my December 2012 Flickr album of building and construction photos I shot during walks in the downtown area. Click once on the image to view a small-format slideshow of the pictures, or click twice to access the album and see full-size photos and captions.

 

U/G parking floors filling in at Post House Condos

Post House Condos

A red construction crane rises behind hoarding along the west (George Street) flank of the Post House Condos site

 

Filling in: The last time I passed by the Post House Condos site in August, crews were just installing the red construction crane that is helping to build the 21-storey structure.  I got another brief glimpse of the site this afternoon, where construction of four underground parking floors is progressing quickly. Two of the floors appear to have been built, with just two more to go before the construction reaches street level.

Located on the east side of George between Richmond and Adelaide Streets, Post House Condos is just steps from the St James Campus buildings of George Brown College, one block from St James Park, and a short walk from the interior design and furniture shopping strip along King Street East. The world-famous St Lawrence Market is only two blocks to the south, while the historic Distillery District is just a 10-minute stroll to the southeast.

 

 

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Pit Stops: Photo roundup of below-ground and at-grade construction activity at 21 downtown condo, office & university building sites

Picasso on Richmond condos

As 2012 drew to a close, some noteworthy downtown building projects had reached different stages of at- and below-grade construction progress. At some sites, like this one for the Picasso on Richmond condo tower, preliminary foundation drilling work was in full swing …

 

Studio on Richmond condos

… while at others, like this one for the Studio on Richmond and Studio2 condo towers just two blocks east of Picasso, site excavation was ongoing.

 

The Yorkville condos

Over the same period of time, underground parking levels were taking shape at some building sites, like this one for The Yorkville condo project on Davenport Road …

 

X2 Condos

… while over on Charles Street East, construction had reached a milestone mark at X2 Condos, where building had started on the ground level of the tower

 

Fall photos: Until condo and office tower construction starts to climb above street level, it can be difficult to track how quickly work is progressing on the dozens of new buildings going up in Toronto’s downtown core. Ground-level views of building sites are often obscured by hoarding and security fences, plus concrete delivery trucks, dump trucks and other construction vehicles maneuvering into and out of staging areas adjacent to construction zones. I find it’s a big challenge to monitor ongoing progress at places where underground levels are taking shape, let alone keep an eye on sites where shovels are just breaking ground or preliminary work is being undertaken to prepare for full-scale construction. The vast number of projects scattered throughout the downtown core certainly doesn’t make the task any easier.

 

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Construction underway on completely sold-out Pace condo tower project at Dundas & Jarvis

Pace Condos

December  13 2012: “Sold Out” signs dominate the hoarding around the Pace Condos construction site on the southwest corner of Dundas and Jarvis Streets

 

Pace Condos

December 13 2012: A foundation shoring machine towers above the hoarding along the Dundas Street sidewalk next to the Pace Condos site

 

Sales success: Construction is in full swing on a 42-storey condo tower development that could help revitalize a scruffy southeast downtown neighbourhood that is home to dozens of shelters and social service agencies serving one of the country’s largest low-income communities.

Shoring and foundation drilling machines have been stirring up dust at the southwest corner of Dundas and Jarvis Streets, where Pace Condos will gradually climb skyward over the next three years. The Great Gulf project at 155 Dundas East — which was approved by Toronto City Council just over one year ago — has been a tremendous sales success for the developer. The 384-unit building is completely “sold out,” according to bold signage posted on sidewalk hoarding along the Dundas and Jarvis perimeters of the construction site.

 

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Ivory on Adelaide condo construction underway

Ivory on Adelaide condo construction

August 22 2012: Drilling and earth moving machines work on the west side of the Ivory on Adelaide condo construction site at 400-406 Adelaide East

 

Ivory on Adelaide condo construction

August 22 2012: Looking toward the Ivory site from the southwest

 

Ivory on Adelaide condo construction

August 22 2012: Ivory site viewed from the south at the corner of Adelaide & Princess Streets

 

Ivory on Adelaide condo construction

August 22 2012: A concrete truck waits on Adelaide Street next to hoarding along the sidewalk at the southeast side of the Ivory condo construction site

 

Drilling for Ivory: Motorists have lost access to another downtown parking lot as construction gets underway on yet another condo building.

These days, only earth movers and drilling machines are allowed on the rectangular property at 400 – 406 Adelaide Street East, where foundation building work recently got underway at the Ivory on Adelaide midrise condo building.

A project of The Plaza Corporation, Ivory on Adelaide will feature 272 units in a 22-storey building designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects. Suites are available in four different floorplan configurations, including 1-bedrooms ranging in size from a 520 to 650 square feet; 1-bedroom + dens offering 650 to 702 square feet; 2-bedrooms with 721 to 983 square feet; and penthouses in a host of sizes from 665 square feet to 1,389 square feet. The project website doesn’t list prices, but indicates that parking and locker are included in the prices for the 1-bedroom + den, 2-bedroom and penthouse suites. The condo interiors were designed by Brian Patton Interior Design.

 

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Fall move-ins as Trinity Lofts near completion

Trinity Lofts

August 22 2012: Trinity Lofts viewed from the southeast on Eastern Avenue …

 

Trinity Lofts

… from the southeast, on Trinity Street …

 

Trinity Lofts

… and from the southwest, on Eastern Avenue

 

Nearly done:  As construction on Trinity Lofts draws closer to completion, residents are expected to begin moving into the 8-storey, 83-unit building this fall.

A project of local development firm Streetcar, Trinity Lofts is situated at the corner of Eastern Avenue and Trinity Street, just a two-minute walk from Toronto’s historic Distillery District and a not-much-longer walk from the West Don Lands area where the athlete’s village and other facilities are under construction for the 2015 Pan Am Games. The building, which follows the natural curve of Eastern Avenue, contains 81 loft condos with 9-foot ceilings and open concept interiors, as well as 2 townhouse units.

 

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Crane installed at Post House Condos site

Post House Condos

August 22 2012: George Street was closed between Richmond and Adelaide Streets today while a construction crane was installed on the Post House Condos construction site …

 

Post House Condos

… seen here from the west side of George Street as the crane installation work neared completion this afternoon

 

Crane up: Construction of the 21-storey Post House Condos will rev up now that a construction crane has been installed on site.

A project of Alterra Group, Post House Condos derives its name from its George Street location directly behind Toronto’s First Post Office at 260 Adelaide Street East — a historic building that dates from 1833.

Besides the 179-year-old post office, the condo highrise site tucked is behind two other heritage buildings on Adelaide East– the Bank of Upper Canada Building and the de la Salle Institute Building.

 

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TEYCC being asked to call public meeting to review proposal for 2 condo towers at Dundas & Jarvis

200 Dundas East Toronto

January 6 2012: A developer wants to build two condo towers on the northeast corner of Dundas & Jarvis Streets, currently the site of a Hilton Garden Inn …

 

200 Dundas Street East Toronto

… but Toronto and East York Community Council will decide, this coming Tuesday, whether to schedule a community consultation meeting first

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200 Dundas East Toronto proposed towers

This illustration in a city planning department report shows the south elevation for the proposed 48- and 35-storey condo towers

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Public input: City planning staff aren’t comfortable with a developer’s plan for a 2-tower condo development at the northeast corner of Dundas & Jarvis Streets, so they have recommended that Toronto and East York Community Council (TEYCC) order a public meeting to get Toronto residents’ input into the proposal.

A numbered company, 1293446 Ontario Inc., owns a 3,223-square-meter property currently occupied by the 9-storey Hilton Garden Inn Toronto City Centre at 200 Dundas Street East. It wants to redevelop the site into a new mixed-use residential complex featuring two towers — 48 and 35 storeys, respectively — that would rise above a podium ranging from 2 to 10 floors in height. (The unsightly hotel building was originally built as an office complex sometime around the 1950s. Once home to a number of federal government offices, the drab building looked even uglier until it was renovated and repurposed as a hotel about a decade ago. A Comfort Suites hotel operated there until recently, when the Hilton chain acquired the property.)

The proposed condo complex would contain 693 residential units (condos as well as “purpose built student rental housing” for students at nearby Ryerson University), office space, street-level retail, underground parking for 352 vehicles, and 701 bicycle parking spaces. 450 of the residential units — 65% of the total — would be 1 bedroom, 35 would be bachelors, 139 would be 2 bedroom, while 69 would be configured as 3 or more bedrooms. The 48-storey skyscraper would soar 151.85 meters high — approximately the same height as the 250 Yonge Street office tower at the Toronto Eaton Centre six blocks west. City planning reports indicate the project’s architect of record is Page + Steele/IBI Group Architects of Toronto.

 

Proposal’s “current form” not acceptable to city planners

The developer met with city planning staff in May and October 2011 to discuss its proposal; however, on both occasions the planners said they couldn’t support the developer’s rezoning application “in its current form.”

“Staff indicated concern with the overall height of the project, the relationship with and transition to the adjacent Neighbourhoods Area, and the type of units being proposed for the student residence component,” the planners explain in a November 10 2011 preliminary report to TEYCC.

The planners add that the proposal raises at least a dozen different planning issues, including “built form concerns” about the “height and density of the proposal, the built form transition from this site into all surrounding neighbourhoods, shadow impacts on surrounding properties, open space, the public realm, and massing issues including, but not limited to: setbacks, stepbacks, views, sky view, light penetration, prvacy, wind mitigation and pedestrian realm weather protection.”

City planners have recommended that a community consultation be held for the project in February, and say they are aiming to complete their final report on the proposal later this year. The planners’ request for directions to hold a community consultation is on the agenda for the January 10 meeting of TEYCC.

 

Developers & buyers see positive side of gritty neighbourhood

The site for the proposed towers sits on the edge of a low-income and high-crime area of east downtown, a gritty neighbourhood that has been home for decades to dozens of boarding houses, homeless shelters, soup kitchens and facilities offering social services for the down-and-out and poor. Nevertheless, the Dundas-Jarvis area has recently commanded considerable attention from the condo development industry and prospective purchasers alike, who believe the rough-and-tumble area offers tremendous investment potential. The neighbourhood’s walking-distance proximity to downtown offices, educational institutions, shopping and entertainment is particularly appealing to condo buyers.

Last year, developer Great Gulf Homes made headlines when it announced plans to build the 42-storey Pace Condos tower at the southwest corner of Dundas & Jarvis, formerly the site of a small low-rise retail plaza. Buyers descended in droves, and already more than 10 of the tower’s 27 different condo suite floorplans have sold out. Construction of Pace Condos could start as early as spring. Meanwhile, word on the street is that one or possibly even two condo towers could be in the works for what is now a large surface parking lot on the northwest corner of Dundas & Jarvis. The lot sits next to the 222 Jarvis office building that once was headquarters for Sears Canada, but is presently undergoing a multimillion-dollar “green building retrofit” and conversion into offices for the Ontario government. It’s widely expected that the parking lot segment of the property eventually will be severed from the office building section and sold off for redevelopment.

 

Condo & hotel development expected nearby

Area residents say they suspect highrises are in the cards for the southeast corner of Dundas & Jarvis, too — currently a block of low-rise retail shops, including a Ho-Lee-Chow Chinese takeout restaurant. And on Shuter Street just one block south, two additional development projects could help spur more neighbourhood improvement. In August 2010, Toronto City Council approved zoning amendments that would permit construction of a 20-storey, 260-room hotel at 203 Jarvis, presently a surface parking lot at the northeast corner of Jarvis & Shuter Streets. However, construction has not commenced, and there has been no indication when work will begin. The property is owned by Manga Hotels (Downtown) Inc. Manga Hotels is a Mississauga, Ont.-based private company involved with “the acquisition, development and management of high quality hotels affiliated with prestigious brands such as Marriott, Hilton, InterContinental Hotel Group and Starwood Hotels.” The “new developments” page of its website shows that a Homewood Suites by Hilton is planned for 203 Jarvis. The webpage says the all-suites hotel,  designed by Page + Steele/IBI Group Architects, “will be a major addition to the downtown Toronto core.” Clearly, the new Homewood Suites is slated to replace the Hilton Garden Inn up the street. Meanwhile, marketing and sales are in full swing for a 14-storey condo building, O2 Maisonettes on George, that will be constructed on the empty lot right next door at 102 Shuter Street — formerly the location of the Walnut Hall heritage building that was demolished after collapsing in May 2007.

 

Toronto East Downtown Planning Review underway

Developer interest in other nearby properties led to a July 6 2010 City Council decision calling on city planning staff to conduct a “full local area review” to determine “the possibility of permitting higher density residential development” in the Dundas-Jarvis area. The “Toronto East Downtown Planning Review” initially required planners to study Dundas Street East between George and Sherbourne Streets, as well as Sherbourne between Dundas and Shuter Streets; however, City Council decided on November 29 2011 to expand the study boundaries to encompass the wider district bounded by Jarvis, Carlton, Sherbourne and Queen Streets. City planners anticipate that they will be able to file a final report and “recommendations for the implementation of a revitalization strategy for the study area” sometime in the last quarter of this year.

A brighter future appears to be in store for east downtown; whether that includes a cluster of condo towers at Dundas & Jarvis plus a new hotel and condo at Jarvis & Shuter should become clear within the next year or two.

Below are more photos of 200 Dundas and its immediate vicinity, including the Homewood Suites and O2 Maisonettes development sites, along with illustrations and renderings of the various projects that appear in city planning documents and on project websites.

 

200 Dundas Street East Toronto

January 6 2012: The upper west (Jarvis Street) side of the Hilton Garden Inn Toronto City Centre at 200 Dundas Street East

 

200 Dundas Street East Toronto

January 6 2012: The Jarvis Street entrance to the Hilton Garden Inn

 

200 Dundas Street East Toronto

January 6 2012: The hotel viewed from the southeast corner of Dundas and George Streets. Chain restaurants and retail stores occupy the ground floor along Dundas.

 

200 Dundas Street East Toronto

January 6 2012: Toronto’s largest downtown mall, the Toronto Eaton Centre, is only a 10-minute walk away. The 250 Yonge Street office tower at the Eaton Centre is the tall building visible at rear left.

 

200 Dundas Street East Toronto

January 6 2012: The rear of the Hilton Garden Inn, viewed from George Street

 

200 Dundas Street East Toronto

January 6 2012: The upper east side of the Hilton Garden Inn

 

Filmores Hotel 212 Dundas Street East Toronto

January 12 2012: The infamous Filmores Hotel and its notorious “Gentlemen’s Club” is the Hilton Garden Inn’s neighbour to the east at 212 Dundas

 

Dundas Street East at George Street

 January 6 2012: Looking east along Dundas from George Street

 

200 Dundas Street East Toronto

January 6 2012: This laneway on the north side of the hotel runs between Jarvis and George Streets. At left is the 10-storey Jarvis-George Co-Op.

 

200 Dundas Street East site plan illustration

 This 200 Dundas Street East site plan illustration appears in the city planning department’s November 10 2011 preliminary report on the condo tower proposal

 

200 Dundas Street East Toronto illustration

This illustration from the November 10 2011 planning report shows the various stepbacks proposed for the 48-storey west tower

 

200 Dundas Street East Toronto illustration

 This illustration, also from the city planners’ preliminary report, shows the various setbacks proposed for the 35-storey east tower

 

SE corner of Dundas and Jarvis Streets Toronto

January 6 2012: Area residents expect the strip of low-rise retail buildings on the southeast corner of Dundas and Jarvis will be redeveloped with condo towers

 

Northwest corner of Dundas and Jarvis Streets Toronto

January 6 2012: The northwest corner of Dundas and Jarvis. The building at left is the Merchandise Lofts condo at 155 Dalhousie Street. At right is the Brutalist-style Ontario government office building at 222 Jarvis. A large parking lot behind the hoarding along the sidewalks may be sold for redevelopment as condo towers.

 

222 Jarvis Street Toronto

February 3 2011:Designed by Maxwell Miller as head office for Sears Canada, 222 Jarvis Street is undergoing a major “green” retrofit as it is renovated into offices for the Ontario government. The 9-storey building was constructed in 1971. WZMH Architects of Toronto designed the new Ontario Public Service workplace.

 

222 Jarvis Street Toronto

March 22 2011: A sign on hoarding lining the sidewalks around 222 Jarvis Street. Renovation and retrofitting of the 455,000 square foot edifice commenced in late 2009 and is expected to conclude sometime this fall. Government workers could begin moving into the building as early as December.

 

222 Jarvis Street Toronto

March 22 2011: Looking north from Dundas Street. This view could someday be dominated by condo towers if the parking lot in front of 222 Jarvis (blocked from view by the hoarding and construction trailers) is sold for redevelopment.

 

222 Jarvis Street Toronto

March 22 2011: Southwest view of 222 Jarvis from Mutual & Dundas Streets. Some neighbourhood residents call the building “the upside-down wedding cake” in reference to its distinctive inverted-pyramid shape.

 

southwest corner of Dundas and Jarvis Streets

January 6 2012: The southwest corner of Dundas and Jarvis Streets, looking west

 

southwest corner of Dundas and Jarvis Streets

January 6 2012: A small retail plaza once occupied this site, which has a municipal address of 155 Dundas East. The dingy, low-rise buildings were demolished last summer, as I reported in my July 1 2011 post.

 

southwest corner of Dundas and Jarvis Streets

January 6 2012: Looking to the northwest, from Jarvis Street, across the vacant 155 Dundas East property where Pace Condos will be constructed

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Pace Condos Toronto

Great Gulf Homes initially proposed a 46-storey condo tower for this site, as I reported in a March 22 2011 post. On November 29 2011, the City approved a 42-storey tower instead, and construction of Pace Condos could begin this spring.

 

Pace Condos Toronto

A rendering of Pace Condos, designed by Toronto’s Diamond Schmitt Architects.

 

203 Jarvis Street Toronto

April 21 2011: The northeast corner of Jarvis and Shuter Streets. The City has approved construction of a 20-storey Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel on the site, currently occupied by a surface parking lot.

 

203 Jarvis Street Toronto

February 3 2011: A planning notice posted at the 203 Jarvis Street site for the proposed Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel

 

203 Jarvis Street Toronto

April 21 2011: Looking east across Jarvis Street toward the parking lot where the 260-unit all-suites hotel will be constructed.

 

203 Jarvis Street Toronto

February 3 2011: Looking north from Shuter Street at the site for the proposed all-suites hotel. The 13-storey Grand Hotel & Suites, half a block to the north, was originally the downtown Toronto headquarters for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The building was converted into a hotel in 1993.

 

203 Jarvis Street proposed hotel illustration

 This illustration, from a July 22 2010 city planning department report, depicts the south elevation of the proposed 20-storey hotel. The Homewood Suites by Hilton is being designed by Toronto’s Page + Steele/IBI Group Architects

 

203 Jarvis Street proposed hotel west elevation

 This illustration, also from the July 22 2010 city planning report, depicts the west (Jarvis Street) elevation for the proposed all-suites hotel

 

102 Shuter Street Toronto

May 8 2011: A view of the 102 Shuter Street site where the 14-storey O2 Maisonettes on George condo will be built.

 

102 Shuter Street Toronto

May 8 2011: Looking north from Shuter Street toward the proposed O2 Maisonettes condo site. This is the former location of the historic Walnut Hall heritage townhouses, which collapsed and were demolished in 2007.

 

102 Shuter Street Toronto

May 8 2011: The original proposal was for a 20-storey condo with 69 units. The O2 Maisonettes, currently in the sales phase, will be 14 floors with 50 units.

 

102 Shuter Street

July 1 2011: The O2 Maisonettes site viewed from George Street, looking west

 

102 Shuter Street

July 1 2011: Another George Street view of the O2 Maisonettes condo site, looking west toward the downtown Financial District

 

02 Maisonettes on George condo illustration

This illustration of the 02 Maisonettes on George midrise appears on the condo project website. Designed by Brian Sickle of Page + Steele/IBI Group Architects Inc., O2 is a project of Empire Communities, Identity Developments and Stal Inc.

 

02 Maisonettes on George building amenities illustration

Also from the O2 condo website, this illustration shows the layout for the building’s indoor and outdoor amenities

 

02 Maisonettes on George condo building rear view

This illustration, depicting a rear view of 02 Maisonettes, also appears on the 02 project website. The building will boast 36 two-level units ranging from 1,100 to 1,417 square feet. 

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Demolition of former retail plaza underway at Jarvis/Dundas site for 46-storey Pace condo tower

PACE Condos site

July 1 2011: A view of the southwest corner of Jarvis and Dundas Streets …

 

PACE Condos site at Dundas and Jarvis Streets

…  where half of the small strip plaza that once occupied the site has been demolished to make way for construction of the 46-storey Pace Condos tower

 

Pace Condos site at Dundas & Jarvis

March 22 2011: This is what the plaza looked like before demolition started

 

 

Strong sales: There isn’t much left of the small retail plaza that formerly sat at the southwest corner of Dundas and Jarvis Streets, home to a convenience store, coin laundry and restaurants until late last year. This week, a demolition machine began to destroy the single-storey structures that used to occupy the property on which developer Great Gulf Homes plans to construct Pace Condos. According to the rezoning application that Great Gulf filed with the city in March, the proposed 46-storey tower will have a 10-storey podium and five underground levels, and will contain 417 condominium suites. The Pace Condos website indicates that 27 different floor plans are available for units ranging from small studios to 1- and 2-bedroom apartments, along with “family suites” offering 3, 3.5 or 4 bedrooms. Design-wise, Pace Condos will be “a paragon of architectural brilliance,” the website gushes. “Pace is a shimmering glass tower artfully placed on a podium comprised of dark charcoal-coloured bricks. This is urban elegance at its best. This is eye-catching, eye candy design the likes of which the city has never seen,” it adds. Curiously, the website doesn’t credit Toronto’s Diamond + Schmitt Architects, the firm behind the tower design it lauds so highly, although it does mention that “custom kitchens” will be designed by Ciccone Simone.

When I first wrote about the Pace Condos project in my March 22 2011 post, I noted that the building location is a seedy area on the edge of one of Canada’s poorest residential districts. While I personally wouldn’t want to live in the neighbourhood, nor would any of the friends with whom I have discussed the condo project, I did acknowledge that Great Gulf would probably find plenty of eager buyers willing to pay to live there. It looks like that has indeed been the case: According to the project website, 14 of the condo’s 27 floorplans have already sold out.

Below is a screenshot — from the Pace Condos website — showing how the proposed tower will look, along with several more photos I took today of demolition progress on the building site.

 

architectural illustration of the Pace Condos tower

From the Pace Condos website, an architectural illustration of the glass tower and its 10-storey dark charcoal-coloured brick podium

 

Pace Condo tower site at Dundas & Jarvis

July 1 2011: A view of the Pace Condos site from outside the Hilton Garden Inn Toronto/City Centre on the northeast corner of Dundas & Jarvis

 

Pace Condo tower location at Dundas & Jarvis Streets Toronto

July 1 2011: The former convenience store building has been reduced to rubble

 

Pace Condo tower location at Dundas &amp; Jarvis Streets Toronto

July 1 2011: Only the south wall of the former retail businesses is left standing

 

Pace Condo tower location at Dundas and Jarvis Streets Toronto

July 1 2011: The former coin laundry building is partially demolished

 

Pace Condo tower location at Dundas and Jarvis Streets Toronto

July 1 2011: A view of the Pace Condos site from the north side of Dundas Street. The Grand Hotel & Suites Toronto is the tower at left, while the highrise at right rear is a condominium; both are located on Jarvis Street just south of Dundas.

 

Pace Condo tower location at Dundas and Jarvis Toronto

July 1 2011: Another view of the site from the north side of Dundas Street

 

Pace Condo tower location at Dundas and Jarvis Streets in Toronto

July 1 2011: Demolition will resume after the Canada Day holiday weekend

 

Pace Condo tower location at Dundas and Jarvis STreets Toronto

July 1 2011: A view of the site from Jarvis Street, looking west

 

 

Community meeting tonight will review plan for 46-storey Pace Condos tower at Dundas & Jarvis

Pace Condos at Dundas and Jarvis

Great Gulf Homes is proposing a 46-storey condo tower for this site at the SW corner of Dundas and Jarvis Streets, seen here on March 22 2011.

 

Public feedback: A community consultation meeting this evening will give city residents the opportunity to voice their views about a Toronto developer’s proposal to build a 46-storey condo tower at the southwest corner of Dundas and Jarvis Streets. The meeting about Pace Condos, scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Metropolitan United Church, was recommended in a March 22 2011 preliminary report by the city’s Planning Division.

Great Gulf Homes is proposing a 46-storey mixed-use building for the corner site, which includes municipal addresses at 200 Jarvis Street and 155 – 163 Dundas Street East. The tower would have five underground levels and a 10-storey podium, and would contain 417 residential units in studio, 1-bedroom, 1-bedroom + den, 2-bedroom and 2-bedroom + den configurations. Prices start at $209,990.

An article on the Great Gulf website claims that Pace Condos “offers unbeatable downtown Toronto value in new condo living,” and raves that its prime location — which is just a “leisurely pace” from leading downtown attractions and key city transit services — will be ideal for people seeking “a new urban lifestyle.” The article further boasts that the condo building itself will be “a paragon of architectural brilliance. This shimmering, sleek and streamlined glass tower designed by Diamond + Schmitt Architects Inc. will artfully rise from a podium comprised of dark charcoal-coloured bricks. Pace will embody urban elegance at its best — and will define a new generation of urban elegance. Landscaping by Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg will frame the building in startling greenery and colour.”

What the article doesn’t describe is the gritty neighbourhood; as I mentioned in a March 22 2011 post, the Pace Condos location is on the edge of one of the poorest residential areas in the city, if not the entire country. Within mere minutes’ walking distance are dozens of hostels, homeless shelters, subsidized housing apartments, soup kitchens and social service agencies for the poor. From my experience, it has been difficult to walk past the Dundas/Jarvis intersection, or along nearby streets, without encountering numerous panhandlers, street people, and a slew of sketchy people openly selling and doing drugs or drinking alcohol. Despite the neighbourhood’s seedy character, the condo tower proposal has generated tremendous local interest — from excited potential buyers, from citizens who think Pace could kickstart wider urban renewal in the immediate area, and from nearby residents who are alarmed by the height and size of the building that could soon become their new neighbour.

Given wide interest in Pace Condos, tonight’s meeting could attract a large turnout and spark colourful discussion, both positive and negative.  I’m keen to hear if the Pace Condos proposal generates reactions similar to those expressed at other public meetings I have attended recently. A community consultation for a massive condo project planned for the St James Town area drew overwhelmingly negative feedback from the audience, while a Jarvis Street resident read an emotional and strongly-worded three-minute speech blasting the Pace Condo proposal at another public meeting about proposed guidelines for tall buildings in the downtown area. Unfortunately, I can’t attend the meeting, but I will continue to track further developments.

 

Pace Condos marketing billboard

City Scene: A very Modern new view to the east along Richmond Street

The Modern on Richmond condo midrise

April 3 2011: Construction of The Modern on Richmond, a  condo midrise on Sherbourne Street, viewed from Richmond West at York Street

 

Focal point: Condo construction constantly changes views in the downtown area, particularly while a new skyscraper climbs higher on the skyline. But it isn’t just highrise towers that profoundly impact views and sightlines, as construction of The Modern on Richmond shows.  The midrise condo complex going up at the northeast corner of Sherbourne and Richmond Streets will be just 17 storeys tall when finished, but the building is already giving pedestrians in the Financial District a whole new perspective when they look east along Richmond. Just glance down Richmond from as far west as University Avenue, and your eyes will be drawn to a big red and white construction crane perched atop a concrete structure that looks like a giant wall blocking the road. That part of the condo actually extends along the east side of Sherbourne Street, but because Richmond Street jogs half a block to  the northwest as it crosses Jarvis Street, it creates the illusion that The Modern is being built right across Richmond. There’s more pics of The Modern’s construction progress in my February 3 2011 post.

The Modern on Richmond condo midrise

March 17 2011: The Modern viewed from the intersection of Church & Richmond