7.1K 
An articulated mixed-use residential building, with a 4-storey podium, mid-rise elements, and a 57-storey tower could soon anchor the corner of Yonge and Isabella streets in Downtown Toronto. Colliers Strategy & Consulting recently submitted a redevelopment proposal on behalf of YI Developments Limited that would bring retail and 606 residential units to the site.
The 0.2-hectare site is on the southeast corner of Yonge and Isabella, 300m south of Bloor. It is currently occupied by three low-rise commercial retail buildings, constructed between 1905 and 1923, with several interior and exterior renovations since. The existing buildings would be demolished.
A portion of the site (625-637 Yonge and 1-9 Isabella) was previously approved at the OMB to permit a 46-storey mixed-use residential building, totalling 27,200m². Since then, the owners have purchased the adjacent properties to the South (619-623 Yonge St), which provides for an opportunity to revisit the previous approval and provide for a new development proposal that optimizes the larger site area in accordance with recent amendments to the Provincial Policy Statement, Growth Plan, and Toronto Official Plan as well as the ever-evolving surrounding neighbourhood context.
Designed by Core Architects, the proposal is a sculpted, 57-storey, mostly residential mixed-use building, inclusive of a 4-storey base in keeping with street wall heights. The building has a total gross floor area of 49,248m², including 46,114m² of residential floor area, and 3,133m² of retail floor area, with an overall density of 20.2 FSI.
The entire Yonge Street frontage of floors 1 and 2 would be exclusively retail space. A small lobby residential entrance area is tucked away on Isabella Street, and servicing, parking and loading uses are accessed via Gloucester Lane.
On the 3rd floor, 305m² of amenity space forms an open-air courtyard, surrounded by 962m² of indoor amenity space. Residential units wrap the north and east frontages.
As illustrated above, at the 5th floor, a large outdoor amenity terrace is located atop the the base building facing Yonge Street, contiguous with indoor amenity space. Residential dwelling units are face east.
A series of step-backs as the building rises result in a highly-articulated built form as the eye travels upward, with floors forming a ‘u’, then an ‘L-shape, and then a linear element oriented north-south beginning at floor 37.
The proposal has a total of 606 dwelling units in a mix of: 50 studios (8%), 310 one-bedrooms (51%), 171 two-bedrooms (28%), and 75 three-bedroom (12%) units.
Four levels of underground parking provide space for 137 vehicles spaces (77 for residents, 60 for visitors/retail), and room for 606 bicycles.
You can learn more from our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like to, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
* * *
This article has been republished to remove the name of a developer that was previously attached to the site.
* * *
UrbanToronto’s new data research service, UrbanToronto Pro, offers comprehensive information on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal right through to completion stages. In addition, our subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, drops in your mailbox daily to help you track projects through the planning process.
| Related Companies: | Bousfields, Colliers Strategy & Consulting, Core Architects, Counterpoint Engineering, Grounded Engineering Inc., STUDIO tla |
