Toronto’s condo-filled Liberty Village could see yet another towering residential development.
According to a development application submitted to the City of Toronto by Shiplake, the real estate at 70 and 86 Lynn Williams Street could house a 43-storey mixed-use, purpose-built rental building with a six-storey podium and a tower.
The site sits north of East Liberty Street, at the intersection of Lynn Williams Street and Western Battery Road. The space is currently occupied in part by the former A.R. Williams Machinery building at 86 Lynn Williams Street and a paid surface parking lot at 70 Lynn Williams Street. The A.R. Williams Machinery building – now known as Liberty Storage Warehouse – was built in 1929 and was most recently used as a condo sales centre. The building’s north side would be demolished and the south side would be incorporated into the base of the tower.
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Designed by architects gh3, the building would stand out from its Liberty Village counterparts thanks to a red exterior that will offer a contrast to the current slew of glassy structures. At a height of 143.5 m, it will also stand taller than its immediate neighbours.
In addition to 588 rental units – which will range from studios to family-friendly, three-bedroom units – the building will feature retail at grade. The star of the show, however, is a view-filled 365-sq.-m rooftop outdoor amenity space that will wrap around the southern portion and connect to a 179-sq.-m indoor amenity area. Furthermore, the seventh floor will feature a 127-sq.-m amenity space with an outdoor terrace. Finally, levels two, three, and four will each boast 293 square metres of indoor amenity space.
gh3
The development will bring with it a new privately owned, publicly accessible road and a new public park at the southern portion of 70 Western Battery Road. A welcome addition to the neighbourhood – which is notoriously known for its traffic woes – the road will run along the northern edge of the site.
The development will offer two levels of underground parking, with a total of just 181 parking spots. Both Liberty Village’s self-containment– it has everything you need within a few-block radius – and its proximity to transit, however, removes the need for a car for its residents. The site is just minutes from the King West streetcar and the Exhibition GO station. For the cyclists, the building will offer 588 bicycle parking spots.
The 43-storey building is just another example of the large-scale densification taking place throughout the city. It comes after a 2015 proposal called for a development of just 16 storeys. Just to the west of the new development, the upcoming Liberty Yard will feature three towers ranging from 32 to 36 storeys.
So, get ready for longer lines at the local brunch spots, Metro, and LCBO stores.
