The south-west corner of Lansdowne and Bloor could look a lot different in the coming years.
In July, RioCan submitted an Official Plan Amendment, a Zoning By Law Amendment, and a Site Plan Control application to the City of Toronto in hopes of redeveloping the piece of land at 1293 Bloor Street.
The vision involves a 28-storey mixed-use development that would replace a one-storey BMO bank branch that currently occupies the corner, several properties along Bloor Street West and Lansdowne Avenue, a laneway-facing warehouse property, and existing rental units on site.
Image: RioCan
The proposed project would feature 247 sq. m of retail space at grade and 230 residential units above. The building will apparently include a handful of both indoor and outdoor amenities, with bicycle and vehicular parking provided underground.
According to RioCan, the building has been designed to preserve sky views, limit shadow impacts on low-rise neighbourhoods, and integrate with the character of the community while improving the adjacent public realm.
“The proposal considers the site’s well-connected location near to several major transit lines and embodies key principles of sustainable and transit-oriented communities,” reads the project’s website.
As for the next steps, an applicant-led public meeting is currently scheduled for the fall, says RioCan.
The proposed development is far from the only one that could drastically change intersections near TTC stations along Bloor Street, west of Yonge.
Last year, First Capital REIT submitted a Zoning By-law amendment to City planners to construct a 37-storey, mixed-use, infill, residential building with 366 units at the heart of Bloor and Spadina. Earlier in 2021, a narrow 28-storey mixed-use building on the north side of Bloor Street West between Avenue and Bedford roads was also proposed to replace a nine-storey commercial building that currently occupies the space.
