Tag Archives: Parliament Street

4-tower condo proposal for North St James Town faces 2nd public feedback meeting tonight

North St James Town proposed condo development site

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.)

 

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church Sherbourne Street

The 50-storey tower proposed for Block 1 would rise to the right of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church on Sherbourne Street

 

607 605 and 603 Sherbourne Street  Toronto

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 Toronto

607 and 605 Sherbourne Street, which would be destroyed to make room for the proposed 50-storey condo tower

 

603 Sherbourne Street Toronto

The Anson Jones House at 603 Sherbourne Street, which would be restored and incorporated into the condo development

 

603 Sherbourne Street Toronto

The Anson Jones House at 603 Sherbourne viewed from Howard Street

 

4 Howard Street Toronto

This heritage building at 4 Howard Street would be demolished and replaced with a 3-storey mixed-use building

 

4 Howard Street Toronto

The east side of 4 Howard Street, viewed from Red Rocket Lane

 

Bleecker Street view of site for proposed 50 storey condo

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.

 

site for proposed 50 storey condo tower

The proposed tower site is less than a minute’s walking distance from Bloor Street and the Sherbourne subway station

 

Red Rocket Lane Toronto

Another view of the site, off Red Rocket Lane, where the developer has proposed building a 50-storey tower

 

southeast view down Red Rocket Lane

Southeasterly view down Red Rocket Lane of the site for the proposed tower

 

architectsAlliance illustration of Block 1 tower elevations

This architectsAlliance illustration of the proposed 50-storey tower for Sherbourne & Howard appears in documents filed with the city planning department

 

North view of Glen Road Toronto

Looking north along Glen Road. The six semidetached houses that would be restored sit on the left side of the street.

 

6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 Glen Road

The houses that would be restored at 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 Glen Road

 

the rear of 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

 

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.

 

Glen Road viewed from Bloor Street

Bloor Street view of Glen Road, looking south toward Howard Street

 

architectsAlliance illustration of Block 3 tower elevations

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 Toronto

Edgedale Road, looking north from Howard Street toward Bloor Street

 

property along Howard Street near Edgedale Road

Looking west along Howard Street toward Edgedale Road. The amenities and service building for the towers would be situated near this spot.

 

illustration of west view along Howard Street

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

 

76 Howard Street Toronto

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.

 

76 Howard Street Toronto

Bloor Street view of the heritage house at 76 Howard Street

 

looking east along Bloor Street toward 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 Bloor & Parliament intersection

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 from the field next to 76 Howard

View toward Bloor Street and the Rosedale ravine from the field next to 76 Howard Street

 

Looking west along Howard Street from Parliament Street

West view from Parliament Street of the development site along Howard Street

 

west view across the site for 3 proposed towers

The property between Parliament Street and 76 Howard Street currently is home to trees, a grassy lawn, billboards and dozens of squirrels

 

Bloor Parliament intersection

Looking west toward the development site from the Bloor-Parliament intersection

 

Bloor Street view toward downtown Toronto

Looking west along Bloor Street from the sidewalk opposite the Castle Frank subway station. If built, the four condo towers would dominate this view.

 

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Regent Park revitalization creates massive construction zone on Dundas Street East

Regent Park Toronto

May 2 2010:  A view from the northwest of apartment and condo buildings constructed during Phase 1 of the multi-year Regent Park revitalization project

 

Regent Park revitalization

February 15 2011: Parliament-Dundas street view of apartment and condo buildings completed during Phase 1 of the Regent Park revitalization

 

Regent Park revitalization

February 15 2011: Revitalization project activity next to the Paintbox Condos and Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre construction site on Dundas Street East

 

Regent Park revitalization

A rendering of the Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre and Paintbox condo tower currently under construction on Dundas Street East

 

Tearing down & building up: One of the biggest construction zones in the city is along Dundas Street, east of Parliament Street, where the 50-year-old Regent Park neighbourhood is undergoing a tremendous transformation from an outdated social housing project into a modern “mixed-income, mixed-use community.” Regent Park Revitalization is an ambitious project that will take between 10 and 15 years to complete in six separate construction phases.  Multiple city blocks of old low- and mid-rise public housing buildings are being systematically razed and replaced with new social housing units, rental apartments, townhouses and condominiums, as well as cultural and recreational centres, and retail shops and services. At the same time, the “long-isolated” Regent Park neighbourhood is being re-connected to the surrounding community with new through-way streets that replace the former warren of lanes that dead-ended in apartment parking lots.

Phases 1 and 2 involve a 30-acre area bounded by Gerrard Street at the north, Shuter Street at the south, Parliament Street at the west, and Sumach Street at the east. Phase 1 got underway in 2005 when tenants were relocated and demolition of several old apartment buildings began.  In 2006, construction commenced on three new rental buildings: the Dundas-Sackville apartments at 246 and 252 Sackville Street, designed by Toronto’s architectsAlliance, the midrise Oak-Parliament Apartments at One Oak Street, designed by Toronto’s Kearns Mancini Architects Inc., townhouses along Oak and Cole Streets, and the One Cole condominium complex — a 19-storey east tower with 201 suites, and a nine-storey west building with 92 units — designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects in association with Graziani & Corazza Architects Inc. Last year construction got underway on another new condo building, One Park West, at the northwest corner of Sackville and Oak Streets, as well as on 40 Oaks, an 87-unit affordable housing project of the Toronto Christian Resource Centre.

When I rode my bike around Regent Park last spring, the new apartment buildings were finished construction and fully occupied, people were moving into their brand-new One Cole condominiums, RBC had just opened its new bank branch in the One Cole complex on Dundas, and construction workers were busy building townhouses on Oak and Cole Streets. When I returned for a repeat visit just over two weeks ago, I was astounded by the scope of construction activity that was both recently completed, and in progress. The One Cole condo complex is fully sold out and completely occupied; dozens of the townhouses are occupied while even more are nearly finished construction; the One Park West boutique condo building is in the final stages of construction; the steel frame for 40 Oaks has been built; and the new Freshco supermarket, Rogers Communications retail outlet and Tim Hortons coffee shop are all open for business at the corner of Dundas and Parliament.

Meanwhile, Phase 2 construction activity is going gangbusters on both the north and south sides of Dundas Street. Several blocks of buildings are being demolished; large swaths of land are being excavated for more new apartment buildings and an aquatics centre; and the Paintbox Condominium highrise and the new Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre are both under construction. It’s an incredible amount of building activity happening all at once. A school crossing guard on Dundas Street told me she still can’t believe the pace of change; I could understand where she was coming from since I, too, felt stunned by the extent of construction since the last time I saw the area.  Below are photos I took that morning.

 

Regent Park revitalization

One of the Regent Park apartment buildings, dating to the 1950s, which will eventually be demolished and replaced with new housing

 

Regent Park revitalization

New apartments, townhouses and condos along Oak Street in Regent Park

 

Regent Park revitalization

New townhouses along Oak Street

 

Toronto Christian Resource Centre

Toronto Christian Resource Centre sign on Oak Street

 

Toronto Christian Resource Centre

West view of the Toronto Christian Resource Centre building construction

 

Toronto Christian Resource Centre

Southwest view of the Toronto Christian Resource Centre construction

 

Toronto Christian Resource Centre

Northwest view of the Toronto Christian Resource Centre construction

 

Toronto Christian Resource Centre

Oak Street view of the Toronto Christian Resource Centre construction

 

Regent Park townhouses

New townhouses along the south side of Oak Street

 

Regent Park apartments and townhouses

Apartments and townhouses on Oak Street east of Parliament Street

 

Regent Park townhouses

A block of townhouses along the north side of Cole Street

 

Regent Park townhouses

Townhouses at the corner of Cole and Regent Streets

 

Regent Park townhouses

Townhouses on the north side of Cole Street

 

Regent Park townhouses

Cole street townhouses and the One Park West boutique condo building

 

One Park West condo

The west side of the One Park West condo building under construction

 

One Park West condo building

Upper west floors of One Park West condo building

 

One Park West condo building

One Park West condo construction progress

 

One Park West condo building

One Park West condo building viewed from Sackville Street

 

One Park West condo building

Southeast view of One Park West condo building rom Sackville Street

 

One Park West condo building

Street-level view of One Park West condo from Sackville Street

 

One Park West condos

Balconies on the east side of One Park West condos

 

Sackville Street Regent Park

252 Sackville Street apartments and One Park West condos

 

Sumach Street construction Regent Park

Northwest view of construction along Sumach Street; an aquatics centre and a new neighbourhood park are supposed to be built at this location

 

Sumach Street construction site

Southwest view towards downtown Toronto’s Financial District towers from the construction zone along Sumach Street

 

Sumach Street construction site

Another view of the construction site along Sumach Street

 

Regent Park revitalization

An apartment building being demolished on Dundas Street near Sumach Street

 

Regent Park revitalization

West view of the apartment building being demolished

 

Regent Park revitalization

Two apartment buildings being demolished near Dundas & Sumach Streets

 

Regent Park revitalization

The top floor has already been removed from this building

 

Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre

Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre and Paintbox Condos construction

 

Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre

Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre billboard on Dundas Street

 

Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre

Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre and Paintbox Condos construction

 

Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre

Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre and Paintbox Condos construction

 

Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre

Apartment blocks that will be demolished stand behind the construction site for the arts and cultural centre and Paintbox condo highrise

 

Paintbox Condominiums

Paintbox Condominiums billboard on Dundas Street

 

Paintbox Condominiums

The Paintbox Condominiums construction site on the south side of Dundas St.

 

Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre

Condos go up while the old apartment blocks come down

 

Regent Park revitalization

Old apartment building being demolished on the north side of Dundas Street

 

Regent Park revitalization

Old apartment building being demolished on the north side of Dundas Street

 

Regent Park revitalization

Excavation activity just west of the Paintbox Condos construction site

 

Regent Park revitalization

Excavation activity just west of the Paintbox Condos construction site

 

Regent Park revitalization

Demolition, construction and excavation activity along Dundas Street

 

Regent Park revitalization

Excavator working on the construction site adjacent to Paintbox Condos

 

Regent Park revitalization

Red and white construction cranes above the arts & culture centre site

 

Regent Park revitalization

Huge excavation site at the corner of Dundas East and Pashler Avenue

 

Regent Park revitalization

Regent Park Phase 1 development at Parliament and Dundas

 

Regent Park revitalization

New Freshco supermarket at Dundas and Parliament

 

Regent Park revitalization

New Freshco supermarket entrance