Tag Archives: Bloor Street Neighbourhood condos

Proposed 62-storey “Casa 2” condo tower would soar 202 metres high at 42 Charles Street East

42 Charles Street East condo proposal

42 Charles Street East condo development proposal notice

 

Drawing of condo tower proposed for 42 Charles Street East

This drawing of the proposed 62-storey condo tower appears on the project development notice outside 42 Charles Street East

 

Going tall on Charles: Area residents had been hearing rumours for months, and knew it was only a matter of time before a condo development application for 42 Charles Street East would be filed with the city planning department. What they didn’t know for certain was how tall the  condo tower proposed for the site — presently occupied by a a nine-storey YMCA building — would be. While real estate websites had been claiming that Cresford Developments was going to announce plans for a spectacular 64-storey skyscraper, some people who live in two recently-built Cresford condos on Charles Street told me they had heard it would be “only” 50 to 55 floors instead. But the May 13 development application put all speculation to rest. It proposes a 58-storey tower rising 186.7 metres atop a four-storey (16-metre) podium.The tower would have 570 condo units, two lobbies (one off Charles Street, the other off Hayden Street to the north), five levels of underground parking with spaces for 215 vehicles, and 230 bicycle parking spots. Building amenities would be provided in the podium and atop of the podium’s roof.

Cresford is the developer that recently built two other condo towers on Charles: the 46-storey Casa Condominium tower at 33 Charles Street East, and the 32-storey Bloor Street Neighbourhood (BSN) condo at 38 Charles Street East. When word got out that Cresford had purchased the YMCA property, condo tower fans and foes alike immediately started speculating that a “Casa 2” was in the works. If approved by the city, Cresford’s latest condo won’t be the only new tower rising on the one-way street in the popular Bloor-Yorkville area. Demolition of an eight-storey office building at 45 Charles Street East is expected to commence next month, to make room for construction of the 39-storey Chaz on Charles condominium. But if Cresford gets the go-ahead, its tower will easily dwarf the 138-metre Casa, as well as the 163-metre, 51-storey Manulife Centre two blocks west. Looks like Charles Street is destined to become the “condo canyon” I wondered about in my March 1 2011 post after all.

 

42 Charles Street east YMCA building

June 11 2011: The YMCA building that currently occupies 42 Charles Street East

 

Silhouettes of Toronto skyscrapers at sunset

June 6 2011: The silhouette of the 46-storey Casa Condominium tower dominates the Bloor-Yorkville area in this sunset photo I shot from my balcony. If approved, the 62-storey tower proposed for 42 Charles St. E. would soar high above Casa barely a stone’s throw to its east.

 

 

Neighbourhood Watch: Photos of Bloor-Yorkville area condos and construction activity (Part 2)

Casa condominium tower on Charles Street West

May 5 2011: The 46-storey Casa condo on Charles Street West, viewed from a driveway between the Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo (left) and the St Charles Court apartment building (right)

 

Bloor Street Neighbourhood condos

May 5 2011: looking up at the L-shaped Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower

 

Bloor Street Neighbourhood condos

May 5 2011: Balconies on the west side of Bloor Street Neighbourhood

 

driveway betwen Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower and Charles Court apartments

May 5 2011: South view toward the Casa condo tower from a driveway linking Hayden Street and Charles Street between the Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower and Charles Court apartments

 

walkway between Charles Court apartments and Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower

May 5 2011: Pedestrians take a short-cut north to Hayden Street along the driveway between the Charles Court apartments (left) and the Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower

 

Uptown Residences and Crystal Blu condo towers

May 6 2011: A driveway just two vehicles wide is all that separates The Uptown Residences (left) and Crystal Blu Condos, new condo towers on Balmuto Street

 

Uptown Residences condo tower

May 6 2011: Construction on the exterior of The Uptown Residences is complete — except for the condo tower’s main entrance on Balmuto Street

 

Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences

May 6 2011: Construction of the Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences, viewed from outside The Uptown Residences

 

Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences

May 6 2011: Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences viewed from Balmuto Street

 

Four Seasons Toronto hotel + residences

April 30 2011: Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences tower viewed from the northwest corner of Bloor and St Thomas Streets

 

Four Seasons Hotel + Residences Toronto

May 5 2011: Four Seasons Hotel + Residences Toronto construction viewed from Church Street near Park Road

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

April 23 2011: Looking south at the excavation progress for the Milan condo tower under construction at Yonge & Church

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

April 23 2011: View toward the southeast corner of the Milan condo tower excavation site, from the Canadian Tire store parking lot next door

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

April 23 2011: Deep excavation in the site’s southeast corner on Church Street

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

April 23 2011: Excavation activity near the Yonge subway line at the north side of the Milan condo tower construction site

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

April 23 2011: The Milan condo tower excavation entrance ramp off Church Street

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

May 5 2011: A view of the Milan excavation from the site’s southeast corner on Church Street, as a subway train passes the east side of the construction area.

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

May 5 2011: Church Street view through security fencing toward the northeast corner of the Milan condo tower construction site

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

May 5 2011: Looking north from Church Street toward the Canadian Tire store next to the Milan condo construction zone

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

May 5 2011: view toward the east side of the Milan site from the Church Street construction entrance ramp

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

May 5 2011: Church Street view of the Milan site, looking northeast

 

Seventy Seven Charles West condos

April 30 2011: Construction progress at the Seventy Seven Charles West condos viewed from Charles Street

 

Seventy Seven Charles West condos

April 30 2011: Seventy Seven Charles West condos viewed from the corner of St Thomas and Charles Streets

 

Seventy Seven Charles West condos

April 30 2011:  Looking south on St Thomas Street at the Seventy Seven Charles West condos

 

One St Thomas condo tower

April 22 2011: A window washer descends the south side of the 29-storey One St Thomas condo tower, which sits directly across Charles Street from the Seventy Seven Charles west condo construction site

 

One St Thomas condo tower

April 22 2011:  The cleaner works his way down the limestone-clad wall

 

One St Thomas condo tower

April 22 2011: His job perk is a view inside some of the city’s most exclusive luxury condos

 

One St Thomas condo tower

April 22 2011: The tower, which evokes highrise buildings from 1920s and 1930s-era New York City, was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects

 

Nicholas Residences condo construction site

May 6 2011: Hoarding is installed along St Nicholas Street and heavy machinery positioned on St Mary Street as crews prepare to demolish buildings where the Nicholas Residences condo tower will be constructed

 

Nicholas Residences condo tower construction site

May 6 2011: This building was formerly home to Regis College, the Jesuit Graduate Faculty of Theology at the University of Toronto. The interior has been gutted, and demolition of the brick exterior is imminent

 

Nicholas Residences condo tower construction site

May 6 2011: Nicholas will rise 35 storeys next to the Church of Scientology Toronto building, left, at the corner of Yonge & St Mary Streets

 

U Condos construction site

April 30 2011: Bay Street view of excavation progress at the U Condos construction site, looking northwest toward hoarding along St Mary Street. The construction crane for the Seventy Seven Charles West condo building rises behind Loretto College, the 6-storey brick building toward the upper left of the photo.

 

U Condos construction site

April 30 2011: Looking from Bay Street toward excavation machinery at the northwest corner of the U Condos construction site

 

A shoring machine on the U Condos construction site

April 30 2011: A shoring machine on the U Condos construction site

 

U Condos foundation construction

April 30 2011 A steel I-beam sunk into the ground to help shore up the huge U Condos site for excavation and foundation construction

 

U Condos construction site excavation

April 30 2011: Southward view from St Mary Street of excavation progress on the U Condos construction site

 

U Condos construction site excavation

April 30 2011 St Mary Street view toward the southeast corner of the U Condos construction site

 

U Condos construction site

April 30 2011 St Mary Street view toward the southwest corner of the U Condos construction site

 

U Condos construction site

April 30 2011 St Mary Street view toward the southwest corner of the U Condos construction site

 

U Condos construction site

April 30 2011: A shoring machine in the SW corner of the U Condos site

 

Will Chaz and a proposed new 64-storey tower turn Charles Street East into a condo canyon?

Charles Street Toronto

West view down Charles Street from Church Street on February 23 2011. The Casa condo (rear left, 46 floors) and the Bloor Street Neighbourhood (BSN) condo (right, 32 storeys) soar high above all other buildings on the block.

 

42 Charles Street East

A developer purportedly has plans to build a 64-storey condo tower on this location at 42 Charles Street East, currently a YMCA child care centre.


Too many towers? According to an old proverb, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. That’s supposed to describe the weather for a month that begins in the dead of winter but ends with the welcome arrival of spring. According to some Toronto real estate agents, however, there won’t be anything sheepish about this month at all. They’re fully expecting March to come in with a giant roar and keep on roaring — all the way through spring and for many months beyond. But the king of beasts whose arrival they are anxiously anticipating isn’t an animal, and doesn’t have anything to do with stormy weather. Instead, it’s a highrise building project for which the realtors are forecasting a fast and fierce storm of sales to condo-craving buyers eager to pounce on what’s being aggressively promoted as an incredible not-to-be-missed investment opportunity.

The project: a 64-storey condo tower that’s supposed to launch sometime early this month with spectacular gala preview sales events for VIP purchasers. The location: 42 Charles Street East, a property occupied by a nine-storey office building currently home to a YMCA child care (some years ago, it was more famous as the location of CTV headquarters and broadcasting facilities; back in the 1990s a developer — Harry Stinson, if I recall correctly — even proposed converting the building into condos, but that project never got off the ground). The developer: Cresford Developments, already a highly familiar presence on this block, having just recently built the Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower right next door at 38 Charles St. E. as well as the critically-acclaimed Casa Residenza Condominio tower across the street at 33 Charles East.

Interestingly, the city hasn’t approved a 64-storey tower for the site; in fact, as of this morning, the city’s development application and planning website didn’t even show any listings for 42 Charles East. But residents of Casa and Bloor Street Neighbourhood (BSN) have been buzzing about the condo tower project for weeks — especially BSN owners with east-facing suites who are pissed at the prospect of losing their views if a skyscraper gets built right next door.  And dozens of “in the know” real estate agents have been hyping the project on their blogs and websites and even in videos posted on youtube.com, urging interested buyers to contact them ASAP for “exclusive” invitations to upcoming “preconstruction” VIP sales extravaganzas. Those agents have been quick to point out that units in Chaz on Charles, a 39-storey condo tower that’s going to be built directly across the road at 45 Charles East (currently the site of an eight-storey office building), have been selling briskly, and already earning impressive investment returns for their buyers. That’s great news for those agents and their lucky clients, of course. But is a 64-storey tower on the north side of the block, along with the new Chaz highrise on the south, going to be good for Charles Street, too? Will four towers crowded so close together in the middle of the block improve the immediate neighbourhood and nearby streets? Or could they encourage even more tower proposals for elsewhere on the block, ultimately creating a condo canyon on Charles?

I admit I’m not happy that Charles Street will be developed more densely. Although I’m not fond of BSN’s design, I’m glad it’s an L-shape that accommodates the charming Charles Court apartment building below it.  On the other hand, I love Casa; it’s been one of my favourite downtown condo towers since it started construction in 2007 and then opened for occupancy last year. Its striking design is simple yet sophisticated, and I find it fascinating to watch how its streamlined windows and glass balconies change colour and texture under different sunlight and sunset conditions. But those two towers are enough for this block of Charles Street. Two more will be too many. Frankly, I’m not looking forward to seeing Chaz become Casa’s neighbour because I believe its close proximity will detract from Casa’s appearance, and I’m even more dismayed by the prospect of an even taller tower rising right behind them. Although the skyscraper cluster would undoubtedly create an impressive skyline, I fear a row of tall towers will spoil the streetscape and ruin what is presently a pleasant downtown residential street.

Since BSN and Casa were built, I’ve noticed a sharp increase in the volume of pedestrians and vehicles on the one-way road; the street feels particularly congested around the two condos because of the additional traffic from service, delivery, resident and visitor vehicles. Even the sidewalks feel too narrow. The tight feeling will only get worse once Chaz is built because its podium, regrettably, has been designed to “synch” with Casa’s, “adding significantly to the street wall,” to quote from the Chaz project website.

“Street wall?” Ugh. Sounds as bad as it will probably look and feel once it’s constructed. One of the redeeming features of the office building that Chaz will replace is its generous setback from the street; a taller new building with a podium closer to the sidewalk will likely make strolling down Charles Street as appealing as walking down Bay Street in the heart of the Financial District; in other words, not something you’d really want to do unless you had to do it. The skyscraper planned for 42 Charles will only make things worse. And if other developers jump on the “let’s build Charles Street” bandwagon, I think the low-rise apartment buildings and post office on the eastern half of the block will become targets for future highrise development. Last thing the neighbourhood needs is for Charles Street to become a busy, narrow and shadowy wind tunnel. Below are some of my photos of 42 Charles East and its neighbours which, I think, will help put the proposed developments and my comments about them in context. What do you think?

 

Toronto's Bloor Yorkville skyline

The Bloor-Yorkville skyline on April 4 2010. The Casa condo tower — still under construction, with the developer’s Cresford.com banner on its east penthouse level — already dominates the area. The BSN condo building stands at Casa’s right, blocking most views of The Bay office tower at Yonge & Bloor.


Toronto's Bloor Yorkville skyline

On this photo, shot today, I’ve marked my “guesstimate” of where Chaz and the 64-floor tower proposed for 42 Charles St. E. will stand on the skyline.

 

Charles Street West

February 23 2011: This view from Charles Street West shows BSN and Casa towering above Charles Street just east of Yonge Street. The tower at center rear is the X Condo building at the northeast corner of Jarvis and Charles.

 

Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower

December 3 2010: Charles Street view of the south and west sides of BSN

 

Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower

November 1 2010: A west view of BSN and the YMCA building at 42 Charles Street East. If the rumoured 64-storey skyscraper goes up, it will soar high above BSN.

 

Charles Court apartments

February 28 2011: Charles Court apartments and Bloor Street Neighbourhood

 

Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo

January 9 2011: BSN’s streetscape presence

 

Bloor Street Neighbourhood and 42 Charles Street East

February 12 2011: BSN and 42 Charles Street East

 

42 Charles Street East

February 12 2011: 42 Charles Street East

Casa condominium tower

December 3 2010: Looking up Casa’s sleek 46 storeys

 

Bloor Street Neighbourhood and Casa condos

December 21 2010: Southwest view of BSN and Casa

 

Casa condo tower

November 1 2010: BSN’s image reflects off Casa’s lobby facade

 

Casa condominium

November 1 2010: Northwest view of Casa’s podium and the brick building that houses the Sanctuary Toronto ministry, to its immediate west

Casa condominium

November 1 2010: Casa’s glass facade along Charles street, looking west

Casa condominium

April 19 2010:  A sidewalk-level perspective of Casa’s presence on Charles St.

Casa condominium

November 1 2010: BSN reflects in Casa’s main entrance

42 Charles Street East and Bloor Street Neighbourhood condos

October 3 2010: Casa’s facade reflects images of 42 Charles and BSN

 

42 Charles Street East and Bloor Street Neighbourhood condos

August 29 2010: Another Casa reflection of 42 Charles and the BSN condos

42 Charles Street East

February 28 2011: 42 Charles Street East

Charles Street postal station

February 28 2011: Charles Street postal station next to 42 Charles St. E.

42 Charles Street East

February 12 2011: Northwest view of the proposed condo tower site

42 Charles Street East

February 23 2011: Hayden Street view of the rear of 42 Charles Street East and the east side of BSN. I don’t know if this parking area, used by the postal station next door, is part of the property on which the 64-storey tower may be built.

42 Charles Street East

Another Hayden Street view of the rear of 42 Charles & BSN

Hayden Street

February 23 2011: This brick house on Hayden Street sits in the northwest corner of the lot directly behind 42 Charles Street East and BSN.

Casa condos left and Bloor Street Neighbourhood condos

January 10 2011: Hayden Street view of Casa, left, and BSN. Part of the building at 42 Charles is visible in the bottom left corner of the photo.

45 Charles Street East

February 28 2011: The Chaz on Charles condo site at 45 Charles Street East

45 Charles Street East

Another view of the Chaz site at 45 Charles Street East

Chaz condo site

January 29 2011: Isabella Street view of the Chaz condo site at 45 Charles St. E.

The Bromley apartment building

The 39-storey Chaz on Charles will tower above The Bromley apartment building on Isabella Street, seen here January 29 2011

Charlesview apartment building

February 28 2011: The Charlesview apartment building next door to the Chaz site

The Star apartment building

February 28 2011: An apartment building next door to the Charlesview

62 and 64 Charles Street East

February 28 2011: The heritage houses at 62 and 64 Charles Street East

66 Charles Street East

February 28 2011: The house at 66 Charles St. E., left, dates from the late 1880s

Manhattan apartments

February 28 2011: The Manhattan apartments at the corner of Charles and Church

Charles Street East

February 23 2011: Looking west on Charles Street from outside the Town Inn Suites at the southwest corner of Charles & Church

Charles Street East

February 23 2011: This middle section of the block could become a virtual condo canyon once the Chaz on Charles condo highrise is constructed on the left, followed by another tower where the YMCA building sits on the right.