December 8 2011: The first floor of the new ETFO headquarters starts to take shape at the northeast corner of Huntley & Isabella Streets
December 8 2011: As the office building begins to climb above grade, passersby no longer have to peer through the security fence to follow construction progress
Teachers’ HQ on the rise: From June through November, passersby had to walk right up to a security fence to see how far construction had progressed on the new Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) headquarters being built at the corner of Huntley and Isabella Streets. Now that the office building’s ground floor has started taking shape, people can watch what’s happening as they walk past on the opposite side of the street — or drive by in the comfort of their cars and SUVs.
Construction has begun rising above grade at the southwest corner of what will be a 4-storey LEED-certified building, designed by Toronto’s KPMB Architects and built by Bird Construction. Crews are expected to finish pouring concrete for the building early next spring; if that goes according to plan, the headquarters will be on schedule for its anticipated May 2013 staff move-in.
Below are a few more pics I took of the ETFO building this afternoon. Photos of earlier building progress as well as pre-construction site preparation and demolition activity can also be viewed in my November 6 2011, June 2 2011, and May 9 2011 posts.
December 8 2011: Construction viewed from the SE corner of Huntley & Isabella Streets. The tall building at right rear is James Cooper Mansion condominium.
December 8 2011: Construction commenced in June and is expected to finish in early 2013, with staff move-in anticipated for May of that year.
December 8 2011: North view of ground floor progress from Isabella Street
December 8 2011: An excavator loads a dumpster with rubble collected from inside the entrance to 45 Charles Street East. The mid-1960s-era office building is being demolished to make way for construction of the Chaz.Yorkville condo tower
December 8 2011: Sections of windows and concrete walls have been removed from the north side of the office building
Coming down: Demolition crews have begun dismantling a distinctive Modernist office building on Charles Street East to make way for a sleek glass condo tower — the third new skyscraper to rise on the block between Church and Yonge Streets in the past several years.
The angular concrete building at 45 Charles East was designed by architect Macy Dubois, who died in 2007 at age 77. The 8-storey office complex, which was built 45 years ago, will be replaced by a condo that could be anywhere from 39 to 47 storeys tall. I say “could” because the final height is literally still up in the air. The project developers, 45 Charles Ltd. and Edenshaw Homes Limited, initially obtained city approval to build a 33-storey condo. Two years ago, City Council approved a request for permission to add six more floors, for a total of 39. In July, the developer sought approval to construct 8 more storeys, for a total of 47. As I reported in a November 8 2011 post, Toronto and East York Community Council (TEYCC) ordered city planners to hold a community consultation meeting last month to get public feedback about the proposal. The planners are expected to report back to TEYCC early in 2012.
The final floor tally for the tower isn’t the only part of the project that has changed — so has its name. Initially marketed as Chaz on Charles, the condo is now being sold as Chaz.Yorkville, reflecting its proximity to the tony Yorkville neighbourhood just two blocks to the north. The Chaz sales centre also has changed, recently moving from 45 Charles to 101 Yorkville Avenue.
Chaz.Yorkville was designed by Sol Wassermuhl of Page + Steele IBI Group Architects. The tower, however tall it winds up, will be built by PCL Constructors Inc., the developers revealed in a November 28 2011 annoucement.
Below are some building illustrations from the revamped Chaz.Yorkville website, along with several photos I shot this afternoon of demolition activity at 45 Charles.
December 8 2011: A portable crane stands outside 45 Charles, where crews have begun interior demolition work
December 8 2011: Another view of the crane and sections of the building where windows have been removed
December 8 2011: The Chaz condo sales centre has been relocated from this building to 101 Yorkville Avenue
December 8 2011: An excavating machine enters the former front door of the building to collect another load of rubble
This was how the building entrance, seen here on February 28 2011, used to look
December 8 2011: A closer view of one of the floors where demolition crews have begun dismantling the building
This rendering of the tower’s 5-storey, limestone-clad podium appears on the recently-revamped Chaz.Yorkville website
This rendering, also from the Chaz.Yorkville website, depicts the 2-storey Residents’ Private Chaz Clubon the 36th and 37th levels of the tower’s south side
Also from the Chaz.Yorkville project website is this illustration of the condo tower, which was designed by Sol Wassermuhl of Page + Steele IBI Group Architects.
November 30 2011: Overlooking the MaRS Centre Phase 2 construction site at the corner of University & College on a rainy Wednesday morning
November 30 2011: Workers walk on rebar two levels above University Avenue
November 30 2011: Workers assemble a form to prepare for a concrete pour
MaRS rising: People passing through the intersection of University Avenue and College Street have been able to get glimpses of life on MaRS, now that construction of the MaRS Centre Phase 2 building has risen above hoarding around the southeast corner site.
Since PCL resumed construction on the project in August after a nearly 3-year-long hiatus, workers have poured concrete for most of the second level, and have been making fast progress as they prepare to add the third floor of what will ultimately be a 20-storey tower.
Below are two building renderings by B + H Architects, followed by a photo comparing the mothballed construction site — as it appeared after a snowstorm in January — to the progress that had been reached as of this morning. Those pics are followed by a series of photos tracking construction progress since early September.
This illustration by B + H Architects depicts a southeast view of the MaRS Centre Phase 2 building from the corner of University & College
This rendering by B + H Architects suggests how the Phase 2 building could look at night when viewed from the University of Toronto campus to the northwest
Work on Phase 2 stopped in November 2008 not long after construction had reached grade. This is how the vacant site looked back on January 18 …
… while this photo, shot this morning, shows how much progress has been made since work resumed in late August
November 30 2011: Construction rises above hoarding at the site’s NE corner
November 30 2011: Construction viewed from College Street to the northeast
November 30 2011: One of the construction entrances on College Street
November 30 2011: Work has started on the third level of the 20-storey structure
November 30 2011: Forms for supporting walls and columns being readied for concrete pouring
November 30 2011: Overlooking the southeast corner of the site from the top floor of Toronto General Hospital
November 30 2011: Looking down on the southern half of the Phase 2 site
November 30 2011: When complete, the building will add 750,000 square feet of space to the MaRS Centre Discovery District
November 30 2011: The property sat vacant for nearly three years before building resumed this past summer. Three cranes and dozens of construction workers are now active on the site.
November 30 2011: Support columns for the 3rd level soar above University Ave.
November 30 2011: Workers assemble steel bars as another floor takes shape
November 25 2011: Phase 2 construction viewed from the southwest, from the University Avenue median
November 25 2011: A view of two of the three cranes operating on the site
November 25 2011: The south side of the building, next to Toronto General Hospital. Construction in the southeast corner has reached the third floor.
November 25 2011: The second level and support columns for the third floor seen looking northeast from the University Avenue median
November 25 2011: The view through the construction entrance at the site’s southwest corner off University Avenue
November 25 2011: The second level takes shape above hoarding along the University Avenue sidewalk
November 25 2011: Another construction entrance off University Avenue
November 25 2011: Construction progress near the northwest corner of the site
November 25 2011: Looking southeast from the University Avenue median toward the Toronto General Hospital building next to Phase 2
November 25 2011: Progress at the northwest corner of the building
November 25 2011: Phase 2 construction progress viewed the University Avenue median on the north side of College Street
October 29 2011: Phase 2 construction is more visible to passersby as the building begins to rise above the hoarding
October 29 2011: Building activity above a University Avenue entrance
October 29 2011: The main floor takes shape near the southwest corner of the site, along University Avenue
October 29 2011: Phase 2 viewed from the University Avenue median, looking northeast. The Burano condo, under construction three blocks away on Bay Street, is visible behind the crane.
October 29 2011: Construction progress at the northeast corner, viewed from the north side of College Street
September 3 2011: Looking northeast from the intersection of Gerrard Street & University Avenue, soon after work resumed and cranes were re-installed
September 3 2011: Construction resumed in August, and is expected to finish sometime in 2013. The building will have direct links to the subway, Toronto General Hospital and the rest of the MaRS Centre
November 25 2011: Construction of the Residences at RCMI condo tower continues to quickly approach street level
November 17 2011: Looking across the Residences at RCMI condo construction site from a small window in hoarding along University Avenue
This rendering of the 42-storey Residences at RCMI on University appeared on hoarding next to the construction site
RCMI set to rise again: Only 11 months ago, construction workers were still in the early stages of preparing to excavate the University Avenue site for the 42-storey Residences at RCMI condo tower. As of last week, crews were just several meters below grade as they continued filling in the building’s underground levels. Soon, they’ll be visible working above ground.
A project of Tribute Communities, Residences at RCMI is rising on a narrow site that extends from the west side of University Avenue to Simcoe Street, just below Dundas Street West. The property itself had been home to the Royal Canadian Military Institute for more than 100 years, whose Edwardian-style heritage building that formerly occupied the site is perhaps best remembered by passersby for the two British army cannons (from the Napoleonic wars) outside its main entrance. That building was demolished in late 2010 to make way for condo construction, but part of its historic facade will be rebuilt into the tower’s base. The Institute itself will be returning to the site, occupying the first six floors of the new complex. (The canons will be coming back, too.)
Most of the building’s 312 units have been sold; however, the project website shows that several 1-bedroom and 1-bedroom + den condos are still available, ranging from a 494-square-foot 1-bedroom priced at $386,660 to a 763-square-foot 1-bedroom + den going for $504,450.
Residences at RCMI was designed by Toronto’s Zeidler Partnership Architects.
Below are some of my photos of the condo tower’s construction progress, along with building illustrations that appear on the project website. The “about us” page of the Royal Canadian Military Institute website has links to illustrations and renderings depicting its new library, bar and dining room. My January 12 2011 post includes photos of the former RCMI building as well as early stages of the new tower’s construction.
From the Tribute Communities website, this illustration depicts a view of Residences at RCMI from the southeast on University Avenue
From the Royal Canadian Military Institute website, this illustration shows how the facade of the former RCMI headquarters will be rebuilt into the condo tower base
November 17 2011: RCMI condo foundation progress viewed from the northeast corner of the construction site, looking west toward Simcoe Street
November 17 2011: A concrete truck delivers a load on Simcoe Street
November 17 2011: Construction activity viewed through a small window at the southwest corner of the hoarding along the University Avenue sidewalk
November 17 2011: Construction is closing in on street level
October 8 2011: Crews made substantial progress on the building foundation in the five weeks since this photo was taken
October 8 2011: Looking west across the condo tower excavation
September 3 2011: Excavation viewed from Simcoe Street, looking east
September 3 2011: Another Simcoe Street view of the RCMI condo site
September 3 2011: Construction crew entrance off Simcoe Street
August 12 2011: A view of the RCMI condo site from the east side of University Avenue. The tower will soar above the office buildings that bookend the north and south sides of the construction site.
July 17 2011: Simcoe Street view of the condo tower excavation
July 17 2011: Another site view from Simcoe Street
July 17 2011: The military institute will occupy the first six floors of the building; the private condos will occupy the upper 36
July 17 2011: Looking west to east across the condo tower excavation
February 18 2011: Ten months ago, excavation was just in the early stages
November 23 2011: Installed yesterday, the new Maple Leaf Gardens marquee has a retro look befitting the historic hockey arena building, which opened in 1931. Below are two more photos of the marquee.
November 20 2011: Crews prepare to install a Loblaws sign on the south side of Maple Leaf Gardens at the corner of Church Street…
… a similar sign had earlier been installed just around the corner on the building’s east facade along Church Street …
… while yet another sign listing all the new tenants of the renovated heritage building sits on a flatbed truck, awaiting installation at the Gardens’ northeast corner at Church and Wood Streets
Month-end opening: The public will get its first peek inside the revitalized Maple Leaf Gardens on November 30 — the day the new flagship Loblaws grocery store will officially open its doors for business.
Scores of construction crews have been buzzing around the inside and outside of the building this week, hurrying to finish the store in time for its much-anticipated and months-overdue opening. Today, crews were installing Loblaws signage atop a new canopy at the southeast corner of the Gardens, where the grocery store entrance is situated, as well as working on the underground parking garage entrance at the southwest corner of the building. Work also is continuing on the new Maple Leaf Gardens marquee along Carlton Street, and inside the upper levels of the Gardens, where the new Ryerson University Athletics Centre is being built. (Unlike the grocery store, the sports & recreation complex is not scheduled for completion until next spring.)
8 a.m. opening on November 30
In a press release issued today, Loblaw Companies Limited said “Toronto’s new crown jewel of food stores” will open at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, November 30. Although the company is keeping most details about the new store under wraps for now, it did drop “some delectable tidbits about the food experiences that will be found on Food’s Greatest Stage™ under the legendary roof located at 60 Carlton Street.” The media release said some of the store’s highlights include a complete ACE Artisan Bakery, an 18-foot-tall “Amazing Wall of Cheese” boasting more than 400 varieties of cheese from around the world, a patisserie featuring handcrafted chocolate and a huge assortment of pastries baked in-store, a tea emporium, an omelet station, a sushi Bar, and an open kitchen preparing take-home breakfast, lunch and dinner meals.
From what I’ve heard, the Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws will be the most impressive grocery store in downtown Toronto, providing an unrivalled shopping environment that will dazzle and delight foodies who have been starved for alternatives to the congested and dumpy-looking food stores currently serving the fast-growing condo and apartment neighbourhood. Last week, I spoke to several newly-hired Loblaws employees who had just received their first tour of the historic building where they soon will be working. Since the site is still a construction zone, with crews putting finishing touches on the building’s interior and exterior, they had to wear hard hats and safety boots throughout their orientation tour. But they said the store basically looks set to open, with all shelves already fully stocked with merchandise. Describing the Loblaws as easily “the nicest grocery store” they’ve seen “in all of downtown,” they said customers will be amazed by both the look and feel of the interior as well as the extensive product line-ups that will tempt their tastebuds and pocketbooks.
Below are more photos I took outside Maple Leaf Gardens this afternoon. Photos of earlier construction activity at the iconic hockey shrine can be viewed in my posts on November 3, June 14, April 14, March 29 and February 2.
November 20 2011: Crews working outside the parking garage entrance at the southwest corner of the Gardens on Carlton Street
November 20 2011: Workers on a portable crane attend to details on the wall above the underground parking garage entrance.
November 20 2011 There is one level of parking underneath the grocery store
November 20 2011: Work continues on the Carlton Street marquee. The entrance to the Ryerson University Athletics Centre will be here.
November 20 2011: Sign installation above the Loblaws entrance
November 20 2011: The new canopy above the Gardens’ southeast corner
November 20 2011: Workers prepare to erect a vertical sign on the northeast corner of the building, at Church & Wood streets. A Joe Fresh clothing shop, an LCBO liquor outlet and a medical clinic will also be opening soon in the Gardens.
November 20 2011: The Gardens’ northeast corner, at Church & Wood Streets
November 20 2011: Construction cranes and elevators along Wood Street
November 20 2011: A crew prepares to install a vertical sign at the northeast corner of the building
November 20 2011: The slender sign is set in place
November 20 2011: The service entrance on the north side of the Gardens, along Wood Street, was punched into the brick wall of the historic building.
November 17 2011: Construction activity on the north and east sides of Maple Leaf Gardens. On weekdays, the building is constantly surrounded by cranes, equipment supply vehicles, and concrete delivery trucks and pumpers.
Construction of the Parade condo complex at Concord CityPlace in mid-September. Rising on the railway lands west of the Financial District, the Parade project is just one of approximately 130 condo highrises currently being built in Toronto.
‘Failure’ in 5 to 15 years?: How long will Toronto’s glass-walled condo towers last? That’s one of the intriguing questions being examined in a special three-part investigative series airing this week on CBC News.
The reports, being broadcast on morning radio and early evening news programs, will examine what some experts believe will be the “short-term durability” and potentially staggering long-term maintenance costs for the scores of glass-walled condo towers rising on the Toronto skyline.
In a story posted today on CBC.ca, “Toronto’s glass condos face short lifespan, experts say,” the network quotes a developer who describes glass-walled condos as “‘throw-away buildings’ because of their short lifespan relative to buildings with walls made of concrete or brick.”
Enormous potential repair expenses
“We believe that somewhere between, say, year five and year 15, many, many, many of those units will fail,” David House of Earth Development told CBC. Major problems expected to arise include insulation failures, water leaks and “skyrocketing energy and maintenance costs,” for which condo unit owners would be on the hook. Fixing those problems will entail enormous expense — experts say the glass “skin” of condo towers could have to be completely replaced at a cost of millions of dollars per building. Meanwhile, unit resale values could plunge, further exacerbating condo owners’ financial woes.
The series began on CBC News Toronto at 6 p.m. today with an introduction by reporter John Lancaster. On tomorrow’s TV report, the CBC will visit a Toronto condo highrise with an infrared camera to show how much energy is lost through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls. A similar investigative series by Mary Wiens is being featured this week on the CBC Radio show, Metro Morning.
Toronto’s next ghetto?
The CBC report follows on the heels of a provocative November 10 2011 feature story in The Grid TO in which writer Edward Keenan examined concerns that CityPlace could become “Toronto’s next ghetto.”
“This is the nightmare many foresee for CityPlace: Once the blue-green tinted glass buildings begin to age and no longer feel like the cutting edge in urban design, the development will no longer seem attractive to the young, mostly single and childless professionals who are currently moving in. Whoever replaces them will find a densely populated neighbourhood with little to recommend it. Cut off from the city by highways and rail lands, without much in the way of street life, the fear is the buildings will fall into disrepair and the only people who will live in the tiny apartments are families who can’t afford housing anywhere else,” Keenan writes.
According to the CBC, owners in the CityPlace Optima condo highrise at 81 Navy Wharf Court (seen here in November 2010) are suing the building developer, Concord, for alleged defects in the 9-year-old tower’s glass window wall system
November 4 2011: Looking up the west side of the Couture Condominium tower (center) from nearby Hayden Street. Now 21 storeys, Couture will soon overtake the 28-storey Residences on Bloor apartments to its north (left) and ultimately rise nearly as high as the 44-floor X Condominium tower to its south.
November 4 2011: Couture Condominium viewed from the southwest. Cladding installation has commenced on the second floor.
November 4 2011: Newly-installed grey cladding on the tower’s southwest corner
November 4 2011: Another view of cladding on the tower’s west side
Halfway up: The Couture Condominium tower continues its ascent half a block south of the intersection of Bloor & Jarvis Streets. When I passed by the project site last Friday, a construction supervisor told me that crews were working on the 21st floor — almost the halfway point for the luxury condo highrise. (The Couture website states that the tower will have 44 floors, but the supervisor and a construction worker both insisted the building will be topping off at 42. However, a September 2011 construction update on the website says “the project consists of a 2 level podium, from which the 42 storey tower emerges.” )
It won’t be long before Couture climbs higher than its next-door neighbour to the north, the 28-storey Residences on Bloor rental apartment building at 235 Bloor Street East. But it still has a few more months of construction to go before it begins drawing serious attention away from its next-door neighbour to the south, the 44-storey X Condominium Tower at 110 Charles Street East.
A highly successful project of Monarch Group, Couture is 97% sold with only 9 suites remaining for sale. They include a 558-square-foot, 1-bedroom 1-bath “Tokyo” unit going for $349,340, and a 665-square-foot 1-bedroom + den with 1 bathroom “Milan” suite on the second floor, listed at $360,990 on the project website. (Interestingly, when I last reported on Couture’s progress in a September 3 2011 post, I noted that the website had listed a slightly larger “Tokyo” suite for a considerably lower price — $292,490 for 590 square feet.)
Below are more photos from last Friday afternoon. Photos of Couture’s earlier progress can be viewed in my posts on September 3, June 23, March 5, and January 25 of this year.
November 4 2011: Looking up from Ted Rogers Way (aka Jarvis Street) at the X Condominium (left), Couture Condominium, and the Residences on Bloor (right)
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November 4 2011: Street-level view of Couture’s northwest corner, where the entrance to the tower’s underground parking garage is situated
November 4 2011: Looking up the tower from the northeast, along Ted Rogers Way
November 4 2011: Couture Condominium viewed from the northeast
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November 4 2011: Lower east side of Couture Condominium
November 4 2011: Couture hoarding along the west side of Ted Rogers Way
November 4 2011: Upper east floors (so far) overlooking Ted Rogers Way. Last Friday, construction crews were working on the 21st floor.
November 4 2011: Construction entrance at the site’s southeast corner
November 4 2011: Southeast view of Couture (left), and the 28-storey Residences on Bloor apartment buildings at the corner of Bloor & Jarvis Streets.
November 4 2011: Looking up the tower’s south side from the laneway between the Couture Condominium and X Condominium properties.
November 4 2011: Residents on the south side of Couture and the north side of X Condominium will be close enough to compare each others’ interior decorating tastes through their living room and bedroom windows
November 4 2011: Cladding on the second floor’s southwest corner suite
November 4 2011: Another view of the cladding on the southwest corner unit
November 4 2011: Glass panels above the balcony on the southwest corner unit appear to be tinted a substantially darker shade than the grey cladding
November 4 2011: West view of Couture and X Condominium
November 4 2011: West view of Residences on Bloor, Couture and X Condominium.
November 4 2011: Couture was designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects Inc. of Mississauga, while X Condominium was designed by Toronto’s architectsAlliance
November 4 2011: The upper floors (so far) on Couture’s west side
November 4 2011: The exterior construction elevator rises only to the 10th floor, but the tower itself has reached 21 storeys
November 4 2011: The west side of Couture viewed from Hayden Street, outside the entrance to the Bloor Walk condominium building. Couture residents will have access to Bloor Walk’s indoor pool, which is situated between the two condos.
November 4 2011: Charles Street view of Couture rising to the north of X
November 4 2011: Another Charles Street view of Couture and X
One of the development proposal signs that has been posted on each side of the 501 block of Yonge Street since last spring
November 6 2011: The 501 Yonge Street block seen from the southwest
November 6 2011: The 501 Yonge Street block viewed from the northwest
Glass wall: Toronto residents get their chance tonight to tell city planners what they think of a controversial proposal to build two 58-storey condo point towers atop a 7-storey rectangular glass podium on the east side of Yonge Street, between Alexander and Maitland Streets.
The community consultation is the second meeting city officials scheduled for this week to get public input on a major condo tower development plan by Lanterra Developments, a 10-year-old Canadian company that boasts sales of more than 6,000 condo units in downtown Toronto.
At the first, held two nights ago, Lanterra and architect Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance were on the hot seat during a community consultation over Lanterra’s ambitious plans for a massive 4-tower condo complex that would revitalize three blocks of long-neglected property along Bloor and Howard Streets in North St James Town. During that meeting (which I’m planning to report soon in TheTorontoBlog), at least 30 people stood up to speak their mind with overwhelmingly negative comments and observations. Tonight, city planners and Lanterra’s team face Toronto residents again at a session that many people expect will be equally raucous and critical.
Tonight’s community consultation was requested by Toronto and East York Community Council, one of four groups of city councillors that make recommendations and decisions about local planning and development, as well as neighbourhood-specific issues within their jurisdiction. The session will give city residents an opportunity to review, ask questions about and express their opinions on Lanterra’s application to redevelop the low-rise 501 block of Yonge Street with a condo project that is vastly taller and denser than present zoning bylaws permit.
As noted in a May 30 2011 background report by city planners, Lanterra wants to build two 58-storey residential towers that would rise from one 7-storey podium. The podium would include two levels of retail space with five floors of parking above them (parking must be built above grade because the Yonge subway line runs diagonally beneath the entire 501 Yonge site). Each tower would contain 480 condo units and have its own lobby entrance; the north tower’s would be off Maitland Street, while the south tower lobby would be accessed from Alexander Street. The towers would soar 192 meters (including mechanical penthouse) and would be constructed in two phases, with the podium and south tower being built first.
Under current zoning regulations for the 501 Yonge site, the maximum permitted density is 3 times the lot area, with 2 times the lot area for commercial uses and 3 times the lot area for residential uses,” the city planners’ report notes. “The maximum height permitted is 18 metres.” However, Lanterra’s proposed condo complex would be 20 times the permitted density, with the height “significantly” exceeding what is presently allowed.
The size and height of the project horrifies many area residents, who fear that the podium’s enormous glass wall and the soaring towers above it will ruin the historic low-rise character of north Yonge Street (the section between College and Bloor Streets), destroy the pedestrian ambience on the street, and wreck what they consider to be “gateways” to the nearby Church-Wellesley Village neighbourhood — the tree-shaded outdoor dining and bar patios on the Alexander and Maitland ends of the block.
The consultation starts at 6.30 pm in the 2nd-floor auditorium at the Grosvenor Street YMCA.
Below are drawings, from the city planners’ report, that show the proposed elevations for the 501 Yonge complex, along with some photos and a video I have taken of the project site.
This illustration, from city planning documents, depicts a west elevation for the proposed two-tower complex
From the city planners’ report, this drawing depicts a south elevation for the rectangular 7-storey podium and 58-storey point towers
A view of Yonge Street looking north from Alexander Street on June 30 2011. Many neighbourhood residents fear the Lanterra project would overwhelm and destroy the historic low-rise character of Yonge Street.
The tree-shaded outdoor patios for Kokyo Sushi and Pi-Tom’s Thai Restaurant on Alexander Street would be replaced with the south tower’s lobby.
Two more patios would be lost at the north end of the block …
… including the Cocina Lucero restaurant patio at the corner of Yonge & Maitland …
… and the terrace for Lo’La martini bar to the east, at the corner of Maitland Street and Maitland Terrace
From the Chaz on Charles website, a rendering of the condominium tower and its signature 2-storey Chaz Club on the 36th & 37th floors
Taller tower: The city’s planning department is holding a community consultation meeting this evening to get feedback on a developer’s proposal to add eight floors to the Chaz on Charles condominium tower — the second height increase since the project was approved by City Council two years ago.
A venture of 45 Charles Ltd. and Edenshaw Homes Limited, Chaz on Charles will rise on a site presently occupied by an eight-storey concrete and glass office building constructed in 1966.
33 to 39 to 47?
In their original 2008 application to build the condo, the developers proposed a 33-storey tower with 325 units. City Council approved the project in a site-specific zoning bylaw, but the developers subsequently obtained Committee of Adjustment approval to increase the tower’s height to 39 storeys with 417 residential units. In July, the developer proposed adding 8 more storeys with 94 units to the middle of the tower — ultimately resulting in a 151.4-meter, 47-floor building with 511 suites. City planners and local Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam expressed concerns about the extra density and whether neighbouring roads could handle increased traffic, so they sought direction from Toronto and East York Community Council (TEYCC). At its November 2 meeting, TEYCC asked the planners to hold a public meeting to get community feedback.
An October 5 2011 background report by the city planning department describes the history of the tower project proposal, and identifies eight planning issues that must be resolved, including the proposed height in the context of the Bloor-Yorkville/North Downtown Planning Framework area; shadow, overlook and privacy impacts on adjacent properties; parking and amenity space.
City planners expect to issue a final report on the project, for TEYCC consideration, in the second quarter of 2012.
The community consultation meeting is being held at 7 pm in the auditorium at the Grosvenor Street YMCA.
Below are some building illustrations that appear on the Chaz on Charles website, along with some photos and a videoclip I took recently of the 45 Charles Street East office building that will be demolished to make way for condo construction. Additional photos can be viewed in my March 1 2011 and January 30 2011 posts about the project.
From the Chaz on Charles website, a rendering of the two-storey Chaz Club, a private social club on the 36th and 37th floors
Another website image of the south-facing Chaz Club
Another website image of the tower and its glass exterior
November 5 2011: The 8-storey office building that currently stands on the Chaz on Charles site was constructed in 1966.
November 5 2011: The west side of the 45-year-old office building
November 5 2011: Triangular terraces on upper floors
November 5 2011: Rows of windows on the building’s east wall
November 5 2011: Rear laneway view of the building’s south side
November 5 2011: The angled east wall
November 5 2011: The 46-storey Casa Condominium looms high above the Chaz on Charles site. But if the city approves the proposed height increase, Chaz will soar 151 metres — 13 meters higher than Casa. Residents on the east side of Casa are probably peeved by the prospect of losing their views.
Chaz will soar above these Isabella Street apartment buildings
Built in 1931, the Brownley apartments at 40-42 Isabella Street sit directly south of the Chaz site.
At daybreak today, sunshine reflects on the Radio City south condo tower (right) as well as the RBC Centre and Ritz-Carlton Toronto below the CN Tower.
From a City of Toronto planning department background report, this illustration outlines the various parcels of land that Lanterra Developments is proposing to redevelop into a condo complex featuring four tall towers
Feedback forum: A daring proposal to dramatically redevelop the scruffy North St James Town neighbourhood with four new condo skyscrapers, several low-rise buildings and seven restored heritage houses is headed for a showdown with the public tonight at a community consultation meeting being held by Toronto’s City Planning Division.
The meeting, the second to be held this year, will give the public an opportunity to hear revised plans for the massive condo project that Lanterra Developments has proposed for three blocks of a long wedge-shaped area bounded by Bloor, Parliament, Howard and Sherbourne Streets. In a rezoning application filed with the City on August 25 2010, Lanterra outlined bold development plans that would revitalize three separate blocks of land at the northern perimeter of the St James Town district with four towers designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance.
Block 1: Northeast corner of Sherbourne and Howard Streets
For this area, the developer proposed a 390-unit condo complex featuring a 50-storey tower, 7-storey podium and 5 levels of underground parking with 288 spaces. The tower would rise next to the Anson Jones House, a Queen Anne-style heritage building designed by Edmund Burke that sits on the corner of Sherbourne and Howard at 603 Sherbourne. The podium would include retail space along Sherbourne Street, while a 3-story mixed use building located along Howard Street would be linked to the complex. The plan would require the demolition of three heritage properties: two semidetached houses at 605 and 607 Sherbourne, next to the Anson House, along with a standalone house at 4 Howard Street. Vehicular access to the complex would be off Red Rocket Lane, which runs north-south between Howard and Bloor Streets one block east of Sherbourne.
Block 2: Glen Road between Howard and Bloor Streets
The west side of this leafy one-block-long section of Glen Road is noteworthy for six semidetached brick houses which have been boarded and bricked up for decades. Under Lanterra’s proposal, these homes would be restored for residential use, though rear portions of the buildings would be demolished to allow for construction of a 5-storey apartment building with 41 units along with 15 above-ground parking spots and 17 below-ground spaces.
Block 3: From Edgedale Road to Parliament Street
This long stretch of land between Howard and Bloor Streets would feature three condo towers on the eastern end of the property along with a 2-storey amenity and service building at the site’s southwest corner at Edgedale and Howard. The west tower would be 56 storeys tall with 630 units; the middle tower would be 46 floors with 425 units, and the east tower would rise 53 stories and contain 348 units. The complex would have 5 levels of underground parking with 869 spaces. A heritage building at 76 Howard Street would have to be demolished to make way for the three skyscrapers.
Public consultation and working group meetings
In a December 8 2010 background report, city planners said they could not support Lanterra’s proposal “in its current form.” They wrote: “Of considerable concern to staff is the appropriateness of the proposed land use redesignation, along with the proposal’s significant scale, density, massing and transition towards the existing adjacent Neighbourhoods in the centre of the North St. James Town neighbourhood and Apartment Neighbourhoods to the south, as well as the provision of open space.” They also identified 26 specific planning issues that would have to be considered and addressed before they could give their blessing to the condo plan.
As mentioned previously, city planners then held a public community consultation session to gather feedback about Lanterra’s proposal. The first meeting, attended by more than 150 people on April 5, drew sharp and overwhelmingly negative criticism from the audience, which objected to the proposed project’s height and density in particular, as well as to the impact that 1,840 new condo units could have on the heavily-populated low-income St James Town neighbourhood to the south.
The proposal was subsequently considered during an April 19 meeting of the city’s Design Review Panel, and during a series of working group meetings that city planners organized between neighbourhood representatives, professional advisors for the developer, and staff from the city’s planning and transportation departments. (Draft minutes from the meetings held on May 24, May 31, June 7 and October 5 can be viewed online at the links provided from the community group-run Smart Development in North St James Town website.)
Tonight’s meeting, from 7 to 9 pm at St Simon-the-Apostle Anglican Church on Bloor Street, is being held to update the public on the status of the rezoning application, and give the community a change to review and ask questions about revised project plans.
Below are some of my photos showing how the three development sites currently look, along with three videoclips showing each of the three blocks proposed for development and revitalization. (Note: The photo captions describe the original development proposal, not the revised plans which will be unveiled at tonight’s meeting.)
The 50-storey tower proposed for Block 1 would rise to the right of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church on Sherbourne Street
From left: 607, 605 and 603 Sherbourne Street. The two buildings on the left would be demolished and only the corner building, the Anson Jones House, would be kept and incorporated into the new tower project.
607 and 605 Sherbourne Street, which would be destroyed to make room for the proposed 50-storey condo tower
The Anson Jones House at 603 Sherbourne Street, which would be restored and incorporated into the condo development
The Anson Jones House at 603 Sherbourne viewed from Howard Street
This heritage building at 4 Howard Street would be demolished and replaced with a 3-storey mixed-use building
The east side of 4 Howard Street, viewed from Red Rocket Lane
Looking northwest from Bleecker Street to the site for which a 50-storey condo tower had been proposed. The Filipono food store building visible at right is not part of the redevelopment plan.
The proposed tower site is less than a minute’s walking distance from Bloor Street and the Sherbourne subway station
Another view of the site, off Red Rocket Lane, where the developer has proposed building a 50-storey tower
Southeasterly view down Red Rocket Lane of the site for the proposed tower
This architectsAlliance illustration of the proposed 50-storey tower for Sherbourne & Howard appears in documents filed with the city planning department
Looking north along Glen Road. The six semidetached houses that would be restored sit on the left side of the street.
The houses that would be restored at 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 Glen Road
A view of the rear of the houses at 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 Glen Road
The proposal called for part of the back of these buildings to be demolished. A 5-storey apartment building would be constructed in the area behind the houses, along with above- and below-ground parking.
Bloor Street view of Glen Road, looking south toward Howard Street
This architectsAlliance illustration of the Block 3 tower elevations appears in application documents filed with city planners. These towers would stand between Edgedale Road at the west and Parliament Street to the east.
Edgedale Road, looking north from Howard Street toward Bloor Street
Looking west along Howard Street toward Edgedale Road. The amenities and service building for the towers would be situated near this spot.
This illustration, from a planning rationale report filed with the city planning department by Bousfields Inc., shows how the view west along Howard Street could appear once the towers are constructed
This house at 76 Howard Street was built in 1887. It sits near the middle of the proposed site for the three towers, and would have to be demolished to permit construction.
Bloor Street view of the heritage house at 76 Howard Street
A view of the 3-tower site, looking east along Bloor Street toward Parliament Street from behind the house at 76 Howard.
Looking east toward the Bloor-Parliament intersection, from the field next to 76 Howard Street.Two of the towers would be built here.
View toward Bloor Street and the Rosedale ravine from the field next to 76 Howard Street
West view from Parliament Street of the development site along Howard Street
The property between Parliament Street and 76 Howard Street currently is home to trees, a grassy lawn, billboards and dozens of squirrels
Looking west toward the development site from the Bloor-Parliament intersection
Looking west along Bloor Street from the sidewalk opposite the Castle Frank subway station. If built, the four condo towers would dominate this view.
November 6 2011: My balcony view of the Burano condo tower, under construction on Bay Street between Grosvenor and Grenville Streets, at sunset today …
… and during another striking sunset on Wednesday November 2.
November 6 2011: Looking north from Hayden Street across the One Bloor condo construction site at the SE corner of Yonge & Bloor
November 6 2011: Looking northeast across the site from Hayden Street
Site preparation: Drilling and shoring work continues at the construction site for the One Bloor condo tower at the southeast corner of Yonge & Bloor Streets. The work, which prepares the site for excavation, has been underway for over four months now.
A project of Great Gulf Homes, One Bloor was designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects of Toronto. Information about the building site and design, along with a selection of tower renderings and illustrations, is available at the One Bloor East profile page on the Hariri Pontarini website.
Below is an illustration of the 70-storey tower that appears on the One Bloor website, along with some of my recent photos of the construction site. Earlier photos can be viewed in my posts on August 13 2011, July 15 2011 and January 10 2011.
November 5 2011: The west half of the foundation for the new ETFO office building at Huntley & Isabella Streets has reached street level …
… while the east half of the building site still has some catching up to do
This rendering, courtesy of KPMB Architects, shows how the building will look
Filling in: The underground parking level for the new The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) headquarters is filling in fast as construction of the 4-storey office building at Huntley & Isabella Streets moves along. Construction reached grade on the west half of the building in October, and is gradually catching up on the east side. When finished, the garage will have room for 50 vehicles.
KPMB Architects designed the ETFO building to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification. It will feature a green roof and storm water management, and will have several exterior deck terrace areas. Construction commenced during the summer and is expected to conclude in May 2013.
Below are photos of construction progress since September. Earlier construction photos and additional information about the project are available in my posts on June 2 2011 and May 9 2011.
November 5 2011: Looking north across the west half of the ETFO site. The condo, apartment and office towers in the background are all on Bloor Street East.
November 5 2011 The location is in a predominantly residential neighbourhood, with some office, education and health care buildings close by, including the Rogers Communications head office and the Casey House hospice
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November 5 2011: Entrance to the 50-car garage will be here, off Isabella Street
November 4 2011: The building’s main entrance also will be on Isabella Street …
… as seen in this rendering provided courtesy of KPMB Architects
October 14 2011: Construction on the west half of the office building site reached street level in early October
October 14 2011: Foundation filling in around the middle of the ETFO site
October 14 2011: Construction progress on the east half of the property
October 14 2011: Excavator on the ramp at the east side of the site
September 24 2011: Crews will soon begin pouring the concrete floor for the one-level underground garage
September 24 2011: North view across the middle of the ETFO site
September 24 2011: Supporting walls under construction on the east side
September 24 2011: The view from the ramp at the southeast corner of the site. The Rogers Communications head office is the large building at upper left.
