Location: 15 Charles Street East, Toronto
Developer: Republic Developments
Architect: IBI Group
Just south of the major Yonge and Bloor streets intersection, a new development application could add another high-rise tower to the growing downtown skyline.
On December 24th, a zoning by-law amendment application was submitted to the City of Toronto to build a 54-storey, mixed-use tower at 15 Charles Street East and 16 Isabella Street. The developer on the application, Republic Developments, is also behind the master-planned Scarborough Junction project that would deliver more than 6,600 homes to Birchmount Park.
The slightly L-shaped development site is located between Charles and Isabella streets, abutting Biscuit Lane to the west and south, and George Hislop Park to the east. An 11-storey hotel occupies the Charles Street East lot, while the 16 Isabella Street site is used by a two-storey commercial building.
If approved, the application would redevelop the existing hotel to create a 54-storey tower with a six-storey podium. About 146 square metres of retail space with “with spill out uses,” would be added on the ground floor, along with indoor amenity space on levels three to seven. A 280 square-metre outdoor amenity area would be configured on the seventh floor, wrapping around the southern and eastern edges of the tower’s podium. The site at 16 Isabella Street would be removed and replaced with 150 square metres of parkland dedication.
The new building is designed as a slender point tower, stepping back from the 48th floor and up to form a 75-degree angled top. To improve the public realm, “decorative,” interlocked paving would be added along Charles Street East and the western frontage of George Hislop Park, in addition to deciduous trees and shrubs. The use of glazing on the ground floor would allow for “views into the tower and out to the public realm.”
Of the total 549 units proposed for the tower, the breakdown would consist of two studios, 197 one-bedroom, 193 one-bedroom-plus-den, 98 two-bedroom and 59 three-bedroom suites. The units would be tenured as condos according to the planning rationale.
Access to the tower’s five-level underground garage would be provided via an ingress-egress point from Biscuit Lane that would lead to the back of the building. A total of 65 parking spaces would be included, ten of which would be used for shared visitor and commercial parking spaces. On the second floor of the podium, 550 resident bicycle parking spaces would be made available.
In the neighbourhood, sales are ongoing at 55C Condos, while construction on The Gloucester on Yonge is said to wrap up in a few months according to information on BuzzBuzzHome.
