DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
June 3, 2026 333
Increased heights at Two-Tower, Front and Parliamentary Proposal
An expansion is proposed for 281 Front Street East, on the southeast corner of Parliament Street, where revised plans have been submitted for two mixed-use towers. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects for BRL Realty, the latest proposal in Toronto’s Corktown neighborhood would be 50 or 54 storeys, replacing a previously floated concept for 44- and 46-storey towers. The site is just steps from the Ontario Line 3 Distillery District station, which is under construction.
Looking southwest at 281 Front Street East, designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects for BRL Realty
The site has remained undeveloped since the 2017 demolition of a former municipal building that housed administrative functions of the Toronto Public Library. The property is located at the meeting point of several downtown districts between Corktown to the north, the St. Lawrence district to the west, the Distillery District to the south and the Canary District to the east. The surrounding area includes a mix of residential, office, institutional, commercial, entertainment and cultural uses, with significant residential intensification occurring.
Looking southeast at the current location. The image was retrieved from Google Maps
The properties have been the subject of two renovation concepts in recent years. Previous plans in 2020 called for a 120-foot (38.5 m) data center expansion associated with the neighboring Equinix facility to the south.
View to the east of the originally planned data center building, image submitted to the City of Toronto
In 2025, the property owner BRL Realty changed its strategy and submitted a pre-application proposal for two residential towers with 44 and 46 floors or 145.5 m and 152 m, respectively, and replaced the data center concept with a transport-oriented, predominantly residential development.
A top view looking west at the previous plan designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects for BRL Realty
Now, Colliers Project Leaders has submitted official plan and zoning bylaw amendment applications to the City of Toronto on behalf of the project developer. The revised proposal calls for a redevelopment of the site with a mixed-use building consisting of a shared four-story podium and two north-south oriented residential towers. The east tower would rise 50 stories (163.5 m) along Front Street, while the west tower would reach 54 stories (175.5 m) at Front and Parliament.
Looking southeast at the podiums designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects for BRL Realty
The proposal has a gross floor area (GFA) of 80,025 m², including 79,360 m² of residential space and 665 m² of ground-level retail use, giving an area index of 20.7 times coverage of the 3,868 m² site. This represents a significant increase compared to the previous proposal’s 64,975 m² GFA and FSI with 16.83 times coverage. The number has also increased from 898 to 1,016 residential units, consisting of 196 one-bedroom apartments, 708 two-bedroom apartments and 112 three-bedroom apartments. Four elevators in the shorter 488-unit tower and five elevators in the taller 528-unit tower give a ratio of approximately one elevator per 122 units in the shorter tower and one per 106 units in the taller; High-speed motors would be required for adequate response times, while faster motors would be required in the shorter tower to provide comparable service.
Site plan designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects for BRL Realty
The towers would be 25 m apart and have a floor plate of approximately 820 m². The total area of ​​the indoor and outdoor facilities would be 3,706 m², of which 2,032 m² is indoors and 1,674 m² is outdoors. Below grade, a four-story garage would provide space for 280 parking spaces, including 268 resident spaces and 12 visitor spaces, an increase from the previously proposed 259 spaces. Bicycle parking spaces would increase from 990 to 1,119 spaces, including 915 long-term spaces and 204 short-term spaces. The site plan calls for a central POPS (Privately Owned Publicly-accessible Space) on Front Street between the two towers, although its size has been reduced from 526 m² to 498 m².
Ground floor plan designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects for BRL Realty
The site is located within the Corktown Protected Major Transit Station Area and is approximately 150 m from the future Distillery District station on Ontario Line 3. Existing TTC service is available directly adjacent to the site, while the 504 King streetcar operates approximately 200 m north. Cycling infrastructure includes protected facilities on Mill Street and the Esplanade, located approximately 150m south of the site, while the Adelaide Street East and Richmond Street East cycle paths are approximately 250m and 370m north respectively.
An aerial view of the site and surrounding area, image from submission to the City of Toronto
The proposal joins a growing group of high-rise projects near the future train station. In the northwest, construction of the 32-story Bauhaus Condos is being completed, while the 39-story King East Center is planned. To the east of the site, plans have been submitted for the 31-story Curio by Hilton Distillery District Hotel, while to the south, construction of the 46-story No. 31 Condos is currently being completed and the adjacent 31R Parliament Street proposal would add a 49-story tower. To the west, the Corktown Transit Oriented Community would introduce two towers of 46 and 54 stories at its north site, while three towers of 22 to 58 stories are proposed at the south site.
UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of this development, but in the meantime you can learn more in our database file linked below. If you’d like, you can join the discussion in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the designated area on this page.
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