Slowly coming into service, the Eglinton Line 5 Crosstown LRT will provide a much-needed boost to public transit in Toronto’s Midtown. This in turn means further potential for intensification and development, including a new proposal submitted for a tower over the line’s Leaside station at Bayview and Eglinton. Condor Properties Ltd. has retained IBI Group for the proposal design for 1779-1787 Bayview Avenue, while Bousfields has filed a request for an official plan change and zoning bylaw change on behalf of Country Wide Homes (Bayview) Inc., the owner of The Site.
Looking southeast down Bayview Avenue from 1779-1787 designed by IBI Group for Condor Properties Ltd
The proposed structure would be 118.27 m high and have 35 floors. There would be a seven-story podium, with a two-story transition section before the tower begins. The mixed-use building would have a total of 373 residential units and 541 sqm of retail gross floor area (GFA) on the ground floor.
There would be 108 rental units from floors two through seven. The design would have a step back from the second floor, and the fourth level would float on pillars above the entrance to Leaside Station. The podium would recede again on the fifth floor, and another step would recede at the bottom of the tower section on the eighth floor. This floor would also contain a 239 m² skylobby with an elevator to allow residents to move between the podium and the tower.
An oblique aerial view of the site near the southeast corner of Bayview Avenue and Eglinton Avenue, image from the City of Toronto filing
The area currently consists of two multiplex buildings, each with two floors. Both buildings date from the mid-1930’s and the Bayview Avenue building from 1783-1785 is a designated Heritage Site. The demolition of these two sites for the proposed tower is recognized in the Heritage Impact Statement, which explains that there are other similar buildings in the area.
The current two-story buildings on the site, facing southeast on Bayview Avenue, image retrieved from Google Street View
Under the podium would be a four-story garage with 138 spaces, 9 of which would be for visitors and retail. The proposal would also include 488 mezzanine and ground floor bicycle parking spaces, 10 of which are for short-term use by non-residents.
Looking northeast at 1779-1787 Bayview Avenue on the ground floor designed by IBI Group for Condor Properties Ltd
The main entrance to Leaside (already built if not already open) would be incorporated into the proposed tower to allow direct access for residents. The building would be the first example of Transit Oriented Development to be built in conjunction with new Metrolinx-built light rail stations, some specifically for the Ontario Line.
UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of this development, but in the meantime you can learn more from our database file linked below. If you wish, you can join the discussion in the dedicated project forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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