Jack Landau – Urban Toronto

A year ago at this time we ran several stories covering growth to watch out for over the course of 2014, each for a different Toronto neighbourhood. With a new year upon us, we are looking again at what to expect across the city over the next twelve months.

This year we are starting with the Yonge-Eglinton area, and you can compare the situation now with that from a year ago in last year’s article. The Yonge and Eglinton area has grown to become one of Toronto’s hottest development nodes. With construction progressing on the Crosstown LRT, many developers have this area in their sights, looking to take advantage of the transportation improvements coming to this already vibrant midtown hub. From fresh proposals to developments currently under construction, there are now 25 projects in the planning stages or already under way in the neighbourhood, and that number is expected to grow as countless new residents are attracted to one of the most desirably urban and walkable areas of Toronto outside of the Downtown core.

Comment: Already dense with apartments, it makes sense to continue with condos. At the intersection of the 2 longest streets in Toronto, it only makes sense. And now, with the Crosstown LRT coming, it will be the nexus of two transit lines. What better spot to development and add more residential, commercial and office space?

Bazis, Metropia and RioCan’s E Condos, now in its shoring phase, is a big one to watch this year. With its prominent position right on the northeast corner of the Yonge and Eglinton, the taller of the two Rosario Varacalli-designed towers will rise 58 storeys, making it easily the highest profile redevelopment currently under construction in the neighbourhood.

Comment: It is amazing how obvious that stretch of Yonge Street was, looking at it now. It stuck out as being so low-rise. This only makes sense, the space was not being used to its full potential.

The E Condos site grew in size in November with the addition to the existing land parcel of the adjacent property at 31 Roehampton, currently the site of a walk-up apartment building. This increase in the site’s footprint is bringing about a redesign of the shorter north tower at two-tower development, the results of which we expect to see later this year. The original plan for the north tower, seen below at left, was particularly slim.

Just across Yonge Street from the E Condos site, work is ongoing on the renovation and expansion of RioCan’s Yonge Eglinton Centre, a mid-sized shopping centre serving the surrounding community with shops, restaurants, a large multi-plex cinema, and a food court. The renovation of the mall’s interiors has already added new lighting and finishes, set to match the interiors of the new four-storey ‘cube’, now topped off at the former site of an underutilized outdoor plaza. The cube will add new stores and new VIP cinemas to the existing complex. A landscaped rooftop will be accessible to the public.

Comment: And no matter what anyone says, having lived and worked around there for years – including a stint working in one of the office towers – that square was only ever used for a couple of smokers, a few lunches and mainly people just walking through. This is a MUCH better use of the space.

One block to the southwest of the Yonge and Eglinton intersection, construction is wrapping up on Andrin Homes and The Brown Group of Companies’ The Berwick, a 17-storey condominium and townhome development located at the corner of Duplex and Berwick. The tower portion of the Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects-designed development is nearly fully clad now, and work continues on sealing off the townhome section from the elements.

Not far behind The Berwick’s progress, Pemberton Group and Camrost-Felcorp’s Neon Condos is topped out and largely clad at the corner of Orchard View and Duplex, just northwest of the Yonge-Eglinton intersection. Once complete, the 20-storey, Graziani + Corazza Architects-designed development will add 566 condominium units to the area.

Comment: This one was a LONG time coming. Those old houses on Orchard View had been boarded up for years. Can’t wait to see this done and that street finally complete, without construction or boarded up houses.

A couple blocks east of Yonge Street, Madison Homes’ The Madison will be adding a significant amount of new retail space to Eglinton Avenue, including a new Loblaws supermarket. Cladding installation recently got under way on the development’s hefty podium, which is already making a noticeable impact on its surroundings as it rises. With the podium levels of the Kirkor-designed development almost fully formed, we can expect to see the 33- and 36-storey towers start to rise in the near future, both likely to be topped out before the end of 2015.

Comment: Sorely needed. But for restaurants and gyms, there isn’t much retail along Eglinton.

Just northeast of the Yonge and Eglinton intersection, construction is now a few levels above ground on the podium of Minto30Roe, a 34-storey Wallman Architects-designed condominium tower that will add 397 units to Roehampton Avenue, just east of Yonge Street. It should top out before the end of 2015 too.

Comment: Which replaces a parking lot that was only ever half-full.

Further east on Roehampton, KG Group’s 15-storey rental development, 299 Roehampton, is now topped off with cladding sealing off most of the building from the elements. The residential rental project is located directly across the street from Northern Secondary School, and joins a row of existing rental buildings also owned by KG Group.

Early site prep work is under way at the site of Tridel and Beaux Properties’ 101 Erskine, a 32-storey, CS&P Architects-designed development that will add 421 condominium units and 10 townhomes to Erskine Avenue, just west of Redpath Avenue. Excavation will begin in the coming weeks, with construction continuing through 2016.

There are a handful of proposed developments in their planning and marketing stages around the Yonge and Eglinton area as well, ensuring that this part of the city will be seeing new growth for some time.

In marketing, Tower Hill Development Corporation’s 2221 Yonge has the potential to become the next major project built in the immediate vicinity of Yonge and Eglinton. Designed by Pei Partnership Architects with Quadrangle Architects, the most recent plans call for a 56-storey tower containing 566 condominium units.

Just south of the 2221 Yonge site, Freed Developments and CD Capital have big plans for the former Art Shoppe furniture store on Yonge Street at Soudan, which closed late last year. They are proposing to build 28 and 12-storey architectsAlliance-designed condominium towers. The development has recently gone into its registration phase, being marketed as Art Shoppe Lofts + Condos.

Menkes’ The Eglinton will add 444 residential units and ground level retail to the southeast corner of Redpath and Eglinton. Designed by Giannone Petricone Associates, the 33-storey tower will replace an existing 9-storey, Class B office building of mid-century Modernist stock.

Just a block to the north, construction is soon to begin on Freed Developments and CD Capital’s 155 Redpath following City Council’s approval of the project during a marathon meeting at the end of Summer 2014. Once complete, the 34-storey, architectsAlliance-designed development will add 446 condominium units to the corner of Redpath and Roehampton.

Not too far away, the Pemberton Group has now begun marketing a twin 34-storey condo tower development at 95 Broadway called CityLights Condominiums.

Rockport Group’s Montgomery Square will bring a 27-storey tower by RAW Design to Yonge Street at Montgomery, which would retain and preserve the Art Deco facade of the historic Postal Station K. Like 155 Redpath, this was one of the many developments given the green light during last year’s marathon City Council meeting, but here a rental tower is planned.

2013 proposals are currently sleeping at Yonge and Helendale and on Eglinton west of Yonge, but we may be hearing more about those soon. In the meantime, 2014 brought us a handful of new proposals for the area as well, including Shiplake’s Gallery Park rental towers at 45 Dunfield, and Lash Group’s 11 Lillian proposal. Also proposed was Freed Developments, CD Capital’s 150 Redpath, the second phase of the already-approved 155 Redpath. It is not known if these three proposals will launch in 2015.

Two major proposals came in right at the end of the year, with plans for a 68-storey residential tower to replace the existing 8-storey office building at 1 Eglinton East, and most recently a 47-storey residential tower at 55 Eglinton East which would replace another existing 8-storey office building. Both of these are early in the planning process and no changes to the existing sites would be expected in 2015.

The adjacent Davisville area to the south is also home to much construction, with residential developments Life Condos by Chestnut Hill Homes on Merton Street and Shiplake Management Company’s Balliol Park rental development on Balliol Street. Life Condos should rise above ground by spring and top off by the end of the year, while Balliol Park will continue excavation during early 2015 and then start to build upwards.

Just to the east, and now under construction, is the Greenwood College School Expansion, which will vastly expand the footprint of the existing private school located at the southeast corner of Mt. Pleasant and Davisville.

Finally, nearby on Yonge Street a short walk north of Davisville, Greenpark Homes’ latest project is finishing up, and the Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects-designed Allure will soon be ready to welcome the latest new residents to Midtown Toronto.

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Contact Laurin Jeffrey for more information – 416-388-1960

Laurin Jeffrey is a Toronto real estate agent with Century 21 Regal Realty.
He did not write these articles, he just reproduces them here for people who
are interested in Toronto real estate. He does not work for any builders.
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