Following an OMB appeal, CentreCourt's Downtown Toronto proposal for Grid Condos has been revised. A taller, more slender tower is now planned for the site, with the OMB deeming that the amended proposal for a 50-storey tower satisfies the conditions of Provincial growth policies as well as the City of Toronto's Official Plan and Tall Building Design Guidelines.
The revised design, looking southeast, image courtesy of CentreCourt
First proposed as a 47-storey tower with 528 condominium units, the Page + Steele / IBI Group design has been modified to fit a reduced flooplate. Although the floorplate has shrunk from the typical 750 m² to an uncommonly slender 620 m², a three-storey height increase will see the tower rise to a height of 158 metres. Via a reconfiguration of the layouts, the number of suites has also increased to 563.
A closer look at the podium, image courtesy of CentreCourt
While the massing of the podium remains largely unchanged (with previous setbacks maintained), the form of the tower has been altered to fit the slimmer floor plate—balconies have been replaced with juliet balconies to help narrow the profile—with a setback of 12 metres from the south property lines now in place. In keeping with the optimal 25-metre tower separation distance outlined in the City's Tall Buidlings Guidelines, the setback from the south property line ensures a 24.5-metre distance between Grid Condos and Grand Hotel Redevelopment immediately to the south. (The OMB appeal was also reviewed with regard to the helicopter flight paths to St. Michael's and Sick Kids hospitals).
The site as it appears now, viewed from the southwest with the Grand Hotel at right, image by Craig White
Catering to the student housing market, Grid Condos' amenity areas have remained largely unchanged from the previous proposal. The tower will join Ryerson's new 'Learning District' neighbourhood, where upcoming projects—including the new Sciences Building and the MLSE Sport for Development Centre—will integrate the area into the Downtown campus.
A closer look at the tower's upper levels, image courtesy of CentreCourt
Reflecting the increasingly student-dominated area, the revised tower will is set to retain the expansive communal study space initially proposed on the second floor of the podium (seen below). Above, the tower levels are configured with 12 units per floor, reflecting the compact living spaces typical of student housing.
A rendering of the study space from the project's previous iteration, image courtesy of CentreCourt Developments
While the earlier proposal (below, left) also featured 12 units per level—ranging in size from 415 to 640 ft²—the tower's reduced floorplate means we can expect the sort of small units more exclusively geared to the student market.
A side-by-side comparison of the previous (left) and current (right) floorplates
We will keep you updated as the project continues to advance. In the meantime, make sure to visit our associated dataBase file for more information. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.