Toronto’s Don River has been a hub of construction activity over the past few years, with new developments springing up in the nearby Corktown, Regent Park and Riverdale neighbourhoods. Now, another newly announced high-rise tower will add to the growing roster of projects situated near the shores of this East End river.
In a press release sent out last week, Montreal-based developer Broccolini unveiled details about LeftBank, its new 34-storey condo tower at 91 River Street, which is expected to launch next month.
The tower will bring 388 studio to three-bedroom residences to the River District, in addition to “new community infrastructure” that Broccolini says will include widened streets and retail spaces that are meant to house cafes and other mom-and-pop businesses. The building’s exterior, which is said to resemble a ship’s mast, takes inspiration from the Don River and the topography of the River District, the release explains.
A new pedestrian walkway will connect LeftBank to Bayview Avenue, providing access to the Don Valley River Trail and proximity to other local greenspaces such as Corktown Common and Evergreen Brick Works. The release notes that LeftBank’s launch will align with the eight-month closure of the Don Valley River Trail for revitalization and upgrades.
When complete, LeftBank will provide 15,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenity space, including a fitness studio, kids’ room, juice bar, gaming lounge, co-working space and an outdoor terrace with views of the east waterfront. The home interiors, created by Patton Design with “nature-inspired wellness and city-living in mind,” will feature retro-Italian-inspired kitchens, wood tones and colour-blocking designs. Future residents can also use the “Home by Broccolini” smart system app to lock doors, let in visitors, detect leaks and access amenity spaces.
The latest documents available on the City of Toronto development portal from May 2020 also show that the LeftBank tower will be supported by a five-storey building podium with ground-floor retail space fronting River Street. A 1,612-square-foot public park at the south end of the building and 105 parking spaces in a four-level underground garage would also be included in the project.
LeftBank will be the second Broccolini condo project near the Don River — the developer is currently constructing the 37-storey River & Fifth Condos near Bayview Avenue and Dundas Street East, which kicked off sales in spring 2019. This would also be Broccolini’s third time collaborating with architecture firm IBI Group, who previously worked on L’Avenue Condos and Victoria sur le parc with the developer, according to information on BuzzBuzzHome.
“The River District in Toronto’s Downtown East stood out to us right away as the perfect urban location to lay our roots in the GTA. It fit our vision for the kind of community we wanted to create that had both urban necessities and easy access to outdoor recreation,” said Phil Brennen, VP of Real Estate Development at Broccolini, in a press release.
“We are fortunate to have two projects that back on the Don, giving us the opportunity [to] create a complete community in one neighbourhood block, and make a strong visual impact to the east end skyline,” he added.
According to Brocolini’s website, LeftBank will reach completion in 2025. In the neighbourhood, construction is underway at Artworks Tower, while sales are continuing at Warehouse Lofts.
