Toronto's ever-changing skyline could be reworked yet again if a proposal to build a soaring mixed-use tower in the Entertainment District is approved by City planners.
Last month, Toronto-based Reserve Properties, Westdale Properties, and Rockport Group submitted a Zoning By-law Amendment to redevelop the site located at the southeast corner of Wellington Street West and Blue Jays Way and build a 66-storey mixed-use building.
Reserve and Westdale are also the developers behind the Pharrell Williams-endorsed Untitled Toronto project slated for Yonge and Eglinton.
Currently, the site, municipally known as 277 Wellington Street, is occupied by an existing 9-storey glass and steel office building -- which once housed Toronto's popular Cora's restaurant before it shuttered its doors amid the pandemic.
As per the developer's application, the proposed development consists of tearing down the existing office building and constructing the new 232.30-metre residential and commercial mixed-use building with one retail unit at grade.
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If approved, the narrow structure, designed by IBI Group, would house 116 square-metres of retail use at grade, 9,169 square-metres of office space housed within a 9-storey podium, and 37,170 square-metres of residential gross floor area within the tower above.
At the ground level, new landscaping treatments are proposed along Blue Jays Way and Wellington, including planter beds and outdoor furniture zones.
The vertical tower portion would rise from the ninth floor and include various structural setbacks, while the residential component above would house 645 condo units, ranging from bachelor to larger two- and three-bedrooms. The units are broken down by 54 bachelors, 376 1-bedrooms, 149 2-bedrooms, and 66 3-bedrooms.
The proposed development would also house a combination of indoor and outdoor amenity spaces that would meet the needs of residents of all ages.
In total, 1,849 square-metres of indoor and outdoor amenity space is proposed for the 10th, 40th, 41st, and 42nd floors, with the 10th floor providing the majority of the outdoor amenity space with a south-facing terrace that would connect to 226 square- metres of indoor amenity.
The proposed outdoor amenity area would also serve as a dedicated play area for children, with the play area located in such a way that it could be observed from the indoor amenity space.
The proposed development would also have five levels of underground parking, accessible via a ramp from the existing public laneway, that would have space for 93 parking spaces -- 71 of which would be for resident use, while 22 would be shared visitor and commercial spaces that would be available on a first-come-first-serve and ongoing basis.
Car share services have also been proposed for the garage, along with 687 bicycle parking spaces throughout the development.
