Tag Archives: Charles Street

More development planned for Church-Isabella site where controversial highrise addition will be built

66 Isabella Street Toronto

January 21 2012: These trees and the snow-covered lawn will soon disappear given that the City has approved a 23-storey addition to the 66 Isabella Street apartment building at left. The City is now being asked to approve construction of a 3-storey walk-up apartment building just a few feet north of the trees — on the site of the 1-storey podium that sits at the base of the Town Inn Suites (right).

 

620 Church Street Toronto development proposal sign

January 21 2012: This development proposal notice has been posted outside the Town Inn Suites podium next to Church Street

 

Town Inn Suites apartment building addition site plan

This site plan illustration shows how the proposed apartment building structures will wrap around the east, south and west sides of the Town Inn Suites property

 

Town Inn Suites apartment building proposed site

January 21 2012: These trees on the west side of the Town Inn Suites,  seen here looking south from Charles Street, will have to be destroyed to permit construction of one of the proposed walk-up apartment buildings

 

New infill trend?:  I’ve heard some downtown Toronto residents joke that surface parking lots should be declared an endangered species before they all get redeveloped into highrise condominium complexes. But parking lots aren’t the only pieces of prime real estate beginning to disappear from downtown streetscapes. Spacious private lawns and gardens surrounding  apartment towers built 30 to 50 years ago are also now being targetted by developers for lucrative apartment and condo infill construction projects.

On October 24 2011, Toronto City Council approved a developer’s proposal to build a 43-storey rental tower at Isabella and Sherbourne Streets, on the site of a 3-tower apartment and retail complex constructed on the western edge of the St James Town neighbourhood in the late 1970s. As I reported in an October 3 2011 post, the new tower will rise from the location of what is currently a No Frills grocery store as part of a major building overhaul that will redevelop the retail podium for the rental towers, as well as add townhouses to the east side of the complex along Bleecker Street. (The developer has not yet announced when construction will commence.)

Similar redevelopment plans are in the works just a few blocks west along Isabella, at the northwest corner of Church Street. On January 10 of this year, Toronto and East York Community Council (TEYCC) approved a developer’s proposal to construct a 23-storey addition to a 40-year-old apartment building at 66 Isabella Street. The proposal will be considered by Toronto City Council on February 6; however, Councillors are expected to rubber-stamp the plan now that it has already been given the nod by TEYCC.

 

Developments increase city’s supply of rental housing

In a December 13 2011 report, city planners had recommended that the addition to the east side of the existing 26-floor highrise be approved because it was an “appropriate … mixed-use development on an underutilized site and adds to the supply of purpose-built rental housing.” Many neighbourhood residents, on the other hand, were upset that the redevelopment would eliminate a stand of mature shade trees as well as a large private lawn — a treasured green space in an urban neighbourhood that City politicians and planners admit is sorely lacking in public parks. As I reported in a January 5 2012 post, many residents of 66 Isabella were angry not only because that they would lose their popular yard, but also since dozens of their neighbour tenants would be displaced during construction of the highrise addition.  Two Saturdays ago, they protested the development plan by organizing a “lawn occupation” that drew several dozen participants and attracted wide media attention (a photo and report on the event was published in the online edition of the Toronto Star on January 7).

Now, the bealeaguered residents and neighbours of 66 Isabella have yet another infill development proposal to deal with — right next door. In an application filed with the City on December 22 2011, a developer is seeking approval to build two 3-storey walk-up apartment buildings on green space surrounding the Town Inn Suites, a 26-storey hotel tower that is literally a twin to 66 Isabella, and stands only several dozen metres to its northeast. One of the rental buildings would wrap around the southeast corner of the hotel’s one-storey podium, which presently houses a swimming pool and outdoor sundeck. The second rental building would be constructed on the west side of the Town Inn Suites, currently the location of a tree-shaded side yard as well as the entrance/exit ramp to the hotel’s underground parking garage. The two apartment buildings would contain a total of 43 units.

 

Downtown residents fear loss of greenery

During conversations with a number of neighbourhood residents in recent days, people have told me they fear that the infill projects at Church & Isabella, along with the redevelopment proposal for Isabella & Sherbourne, could have a domino effect, encouraging more apartment building owners to seek to replace ground space on their properties with low- and high-rise additions. Lush gardens and tree-shaded lawns that presently beautify dozens of downtown rental buildings would be at risk if more property owners sense the potential for increased rental income and profits, and jump on the redevelopment bandwagon. “In just a few years, it might be rare to see trees and gardens downtown,” one worried neighbour told me. ” We could lose most of our greenery to look-a-like glass towers and building additions that extend right to the edge of the property line,” she said ruefully.

Below is a series of photos I shot this afternoon, showing the Town Inn Suites property that is proposed for redevelopment into low-rise apartments.

 

66 Isabella Street Toronto

This private yard at the northwest corner of Church & Isabella Streets will disappear when construction starts on a 23-storey addition to the building at left

 

Town Inn Suites at 620 Church Street Toronto

Looking toward the Town Inn Suites from the northwest corner of Church & Isabella Streets. The yard space and the 1-storey podium for the hotel are both slated for redevelopment into separate apartment housing projects.

 

Town Inn Suites Toronto

Looking from the east side of Church Street toward the hotel podium that would be redeveloped into a 3-storey walk-up apartment building

 

Town Inn Suites Toronto

The 46-storey Casa condominium tower soars skyward just half a block west of the proposed apartment development site, in this view from Church Street. Another condo skyscraper, Chaz.Yorkville, is currently under construction right next door to Casa, and will block much of this view of Casa once it is built. The City approved 39 storeys for Chaz.Yorkville; however, its developer subsequently sought zoning changes that would permit it to build 47 floors. It has since appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board because the city didn’t reach a decision on its request within the timeframe prescribed by provincial planning law.

 

Town Inn Suites Toronto

The 1-storey podium is a hotel amenity space that includes a swimming pool as well as outdoor terraces and sundecks

 

Town Inn Suites Toronto

A street-level view of the podium, from its southeast corner

 

Town Inn Suites Toronto

A development proposal sign on the east side of the hotel podium

 

Town Inn Suites Toronto

A view of the podium, looking southwest along the Church Street sidewalk. The apartment building at 66 Isabella Street rises in the background.

 

Town Inn Suites 620 Church Street Toronto

The Town Inn Suites main entrance at 620 Church Street. The hotel, which has 200 suites, will remain as part of the proposed new development.

 

Town Inn Suites Toronto

The north side of the Town Inn Suites, looking west from the corner of Church and Charles Streets. Repairs to the building exterior are underway.

 

Town Inn Suites Toronto

A development proposal sign at the southwest corner of Church & Charles

 

Town Inn Suites Toronto

The north side of the Town Inn Suites along Charles Street. A city planner last summer said that the developer initially had been planning to build a row of townhouses along this side of the property. Now, two apartment buildings are being proposed on the south and west sides of the hotel instead.

 

Town Inn Suites Toronto

This yard on the west side of the hotel is the proposed site for one of the new apartment buildings. That’s 66 Isabella  in the background.

 

Town Inn Suites Toronto

A view of the “back” of Town Inn Suites from Charles Street  to the northwest

 

Town Inn Suites Toronto

This ramp leads from Charles Street into the hotel’s underground parking garage. The ramp would be relocated and accessed from the laneway to the right once the new low-rise apartment building is constructed.

 

Town Inn Suites Toronto

The underground garage has parking for 163 vehicles

 

Town Inn Suites Toronto

The addition to 66 Isabella will block this view of the sky from Charles Street, while the proposed 3-storey apartment building will dominate the foreground

 

 

Public meeting tonight for proposal to boost Chaz condo tower height from 39 to 47 storeys

Rendering of Chaz on Charles condominium tower

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.

Chaz on Charles was designed by Sol Wassermuhl of Page + Steele IBI Group Architects.

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.

 

Chaz on Charles condo tower

From the Chaz on Charles website, a rendering of the two-storey Chaz Club, a private social club on the 36th and 37th floors

 

Chaz on Charles condo tower

Another website image of the south-facing Chaz Club

 

Chaz on Charles condo tower

Another website image of the tower and its glass exterior

 

45 Charles Street East Toronto

November 5 2011: The 8-storey office building that currently stands on the Chaz on Charles site was constructed in 1966.

 

45 Charles East Toronto

November 5 2011: The west side of the 45-year-old office building

 

45 Charles East Toronto

 November 5 2011: Triangular terraces on upper floors

 

45 Charles East Toronto

 November 5 2011: Rows of windows on the building’s east wall

 

45 Charles East Toronto

November 5 2011: Rear laneway view of the building’s south side

 

45 Charles East Toronto

November 5 2011: The angled east wall

 

Casa Condominium and 45 Charles East Toronto

 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.

 

apartments on Isabella Street Toronto

Chaz will soar above these Isabella Street apartment buildings

 

40-42 Isabella Street Toronto

Built in 1931, the Brownley apartments at 40-42 Isabella Street sit directly south of the Chaz site.

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Classy curves rise above downtown U of T campus as 77 Charles West condo climbs past 10th floor

77 Charles Street West Toronto condo

July 3 2011: The gracefully curved southwest side of the 77 Charles condo midrise

 

77 Charles Street West Toronto condo

July 3 2011: Construction progress viewed from the site’s southwest “corner”

 

77 Charles Street West Toronto condo

June 21 2011: Two of the newly-constructed balconies on the southwest wall

 

77 Charles Street West Toronto condo

From the 77 Charles website, a rendering of the building’s elegantly curved southwest side. The architect is Yann Weymouth of HOK.

 

 

Curves above the campus: The 77 Charles luxury condo midrise is roughly two-thirds of the way to its final 16-storey height with construction of the 11th floor well underway. The north side of the building now holds a commanding presence at the foot of St Thomas Street and has been stealing attention from One St Thomas Residences, its 29-storey black and white limestone condo tower neighbour on the north side of Charles Street.

77 Charles would be turning even more heads if it were situated on a busier street with two-way traffic where passersby could get a better look at its unique design. What I think is the building’s most appealing architectural feature is its distinctive southwest side, featuring gracefully curved glass walls and balconies overlooking the leafy University of Toronto campus. But you actually must be on the campus to take a close look, and the road with the best vantage point — St Mary Street — is a cul-de-sac terminating just a few dozen metres to the southwest of 77 Charles at the university’s Burwash Hall. Since St Mary is not heavily-travelled as a result, it will be mainly university students and staff who will get to admire 77 Charles’s curves — and even then many might not notice, unless they glance up the driveway between Rowell Jackman Hall and Loretto College on the north side of St Mary. The curves are obvious from Charles Street, too, but since it’s a westbound one-way road, only eastbound pedestrians will see them.

Below are photos I’ve taken in recent months of construction progress at 77 Charles. Earlier construction photos can be viewed in my April 7 2011 post and my February 15 2011 post, which also includes detailed information about the condo building’s neighbourhood. A project of Aspen Ridge Homes, 77 Charles was designed by Yann Weymouth of HOK Architects.

 

77 Charles West Toronto condo

April 22 2011:  77 Charles rising at the south end of St Thomas Street

 

77 Charles West condo Toronto

April 22 2011: Construction viewed from Charles Street, looking southeast

 

77 Charles West Toronto condo

April 22 2011: The ground floor at 77 Charles. The first three floors will be the new home for Kintore College, a residence and cultural centre for female university students.

 

77 Charles Street West Toronto

June 21 2011: 77 Charles now totally dominates the view down St Thomas Street

 

77 Charles Street West Toronto luxury condo

June 21 2011: Some suites are still available — for prices starting at $1.2 million

 

77 Charles Street West Toronto condo

June 21 2011: Street-level view from the north side of Charles Street

 

77 Charles Street West Toronto luxury condo

June 21 2011: The curved southwest side as seen from St Mary Street, between U of T’s Rowell Jackman Hall (left) and Loretto College (right). The One St Thomas Residences condo tower rises to the northeast.

 

77 Charles Street West Toronto luxury condo

June 21 2011: St Mary Street view of the curves on 77 Charles

 

77 Charles Street West luxury condo

July 3 2011: Street-level view from the north side of Charles Street

 

77 Charles Street West luxury condo

July 3 2011: Looking up from the north side of Charles Street

 

77 Charles Street West condo

July 3 2011: The curved wall viewed from the northwest on Charles Street

 

77 Charles Street West condo midrise

July 3 2011: A closer view of the building’s angles, seen from the northwest

 

77 Charles Street West condo midrise

July 3 2011: Lower levels on the south side of 77 Charles, behind Loretto College

 

77 Charles West condo midrise

July 3 2011: Looking up from the southwest corner of the building

 

77 Charles West condo midrise

July 3 2011: South view of condo floors above the 3-storey Kintore College podium

 

77 Charles West condo midrise

July 3 2011: Looking up at the southwest side of the building

 

77 Charles West condo midrise

July 3 2011: Another view of construction from behind Loretto College

 

77 Charles West condo midrise viewed from the south

July 3 2011: Curved balconies and upper floors on the building’s southwest side

 

77 Charles West condo midrise viewed from the south

July 3 2011: The walls and balconies will be sheathed in glass

 

77 Charles West condo midrise viewed from the south

July 3 2011: Another south view of the curves on 77 Charles. The brown brick wall at right is the west side of Loretto College.

 

 

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.