Category: UrbanToronto

Sunnybrook Plaza Redevelopment: Virtual Meeting April 2

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An update brought to you by the Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA)

Rendering for proposed mixed-use development of three towers at a height of 32, 37 and 43 storeys at 660 Eglinton Ave E. View: Looking north from the park (by Turner Fleischer Architects Inc. for CONCERT PROPERTIES) /City of Toronto

SUNNYBROOK PLAZA (VIRTUAL) PUBLIC MEETING APRIL 2nd AT 6 P.M.

The City of Toronto will hold a virtual public meeting to hear community input on the updated proposal for the redevelopment of the Sunnybrook Plaza site at the northeast corner of Bayview & Eglinton on Wednesday, April 2 at 6:00 p.m.

You can join online or by phone. Register anytime in advance here to be able to attend next Wednesday’s meeting.

The developer had originally proposed two mid-rise mixed-use buildings of 11 and 16 storeys. Following the subsequent changes to the city’s official plan made by the Ontario government, a revised application for three towers of 32, 37 and 43 storeys has since been submitted.

The Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA) and the Leaside Residents Association (LRA) are encouraging area residents to participate in the public meeting and make their concerns known to city planners.

BROADWAY PARKETTE CHALLENGE

The city’s plan to designate three lots adjacent to the planned redevelopment of the Esso station site at Broadway and Eglinton as future green space is being challenged by the property owners. The original motion, passed by Toronto City Council, was one of the last initiated by the late area Councillor, Jaye Robinson.

Designed to increase the amount of public park space amid the massive redevelopment plans for both the Esso site and the adjacent Glazebrook Ave. townhouses, the measure is being challenged at the Ontario Land Tribunal, a provincial body which can override municipal decisions. BARA is seeking party status for the proceedings, to support the city’s argument against the appeal and in favour of keeping the future parkette plan in place.

The Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA) is a volunteer organization of Bayview/Eglinton residents who care deeply about their neighbourhood.

We work hard to ensure that our concerns about the impact of new developments on the history and character of our neighbourhood are fully and fairly considered. BARA opposes inappropriate redevelopment in our area, such as 25 to 46-storey towers abutting 2-storey houses and buildings with inadequate parking for residents and guests.

Stay informed by joining the Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA) Facebook Group, or mailing list. Input your e-mail address below to subscribe:

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Stay informed by joining the Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA) mailing list. Input your e-mail address below to subscribe:

Davisville’s next high-rise? 45 storeys in the works

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A 45-storey rental tower is planned for Merton Street in Davisville Village, blending high-rise development with heritage preservation. The proposed development site consists of two properties: a heritage-designated commercial office building at 170 Merton Street and a 12-unit townhouse condominium complex at 180 Merton Street. The proposal from Graywood Developments would retain part of the 1969 modernist low-rise on-site, transforming it into the lobby and outdoor space for the new tower. Located near Davisville Station, the project includes 517 rental units and ground-floor retail.

📌 More details: UrbanToronto

OLT approves 46 storeys at Bayview Car Wash site

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An update brought to you by the Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA)

Bayview Carwash, March 2025 /Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA)

On March 19th, the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) gave its approval for a 46-storey mixed-use building on the site of the Bayview Car Wash at the corner of Bayview Ave and Roehampton Ave (1802 Bayview Avenue).

The proposal was challenged at a December hearing by city planning and legal staff, and the Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA). Key to BARA’s position was the fact that the city’s Official Plan states that the tallest buildings around Crosstown LRT stations should be closest to those stations, with all surrounding developments transitioning into the neighbourhood.

City council previously approved a 35-storey building directly atop the Leaside LRT station entrance on the southeast corner of Bayview and Eglinton.

“According to the city’s Official Plan, everything outside the actual corners of Bayview and Eglinton should therefore be less than 35 storeys,” said BARA Co-President Jesper Thoft. “We are very frustrated by this decision.”

The Toronto Star recently reported an analysis of OLT rulings which found that 97 per cent go in favour of developers’ applications. The OLT is a provincial body, and its decisions on development applications are final and binding.

One of the few alterations ordered by the OLT on the car wash site development is for a slightly bigger setback from Bayview Ave than the developer had proposed, something BARA and city planners had advocated for at the hearing.

The Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA) is a volunteer organization of Bayview/Eglinton residents who care deeply about their neighbourhood.

We work hard to ensure that our concerns about the impact of new developments on the history and character of our neighbourhood are fully and fairly considered. BARA opposes inappropriate redevelopment in our area, such as 25 to 46-storey towers abutting 2-storey houses and buildings with inadequate parking for residents and guests.

Stay informed by joining the Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA) Facebook Group, or mailing list. Input your e-mail address below to subscribe:

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Stay informed by joining the Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA) mailing list. Input your e-mail address below to subscribe:

Skyline in motion: The Frederick & Viva Leaside progress

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The Frederick, a 28-storey condo tower, is progressing steadily after replacing its crane following a collapse last fall. The building, part of the Upper East Village community, is now seeing glazing and cladding installation as it nears its full height. See photos on UrbanToronto.

Meanwhile, Viva Leaside, a retirement rental development at 150 Laird Drive, has topped off its two towers at seven and eight storeys. The project incorporates the preserved heritage facades of the former Durand Cars administrative building and is now in the final phases of exterior work. Learn more and see photos on UrbanToronto.

Glazebrook townhouses get reprieve as demolition paused

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An update brought to you by the Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA)

GLAZEBROOK TOWNHOUSES TO STAY – FOR NOW

A bid by the developer of #2-20 Glazebrook Ave to demolish the existing townhouses has been rejected by North York Community Council. Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA) and Leaside Residents Association (LRA) both spoke against the proposal, which would have seen the site sit vacant for an indeterminate amount of time – possibly years – before construction begins on an approved 31-storey tower. Don Valley West Councillor Rachel Chernos-Lin made a motion to refuse the application and North York Community Council agreed that the townhouses should remain in place until a building permit is issued for the new development.

BAYVIEW CAR WASH TOWER RULING EXPECTED

We are awaiting word from the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) on the final height and mass of the new tower proposed for the Bayview Car Wash site at 1840 Bayview at the corner of Roehampton Ave. A hearing was held in December, at which BARA had official party status and spoke against the developer’s bid to construct a 46-storey building – by far the highest of any approved project for the Bayview-Eglinton area. Concerns were also expressed about the proposed width of the sidewalk on Bayview being too narrow. City staff objected to a tower in excess of 40 storeys. The OLT’s decision – which will be final and binding – is expected in the coming weeks.

HIGH RISE DEVELOPMENT PUSHING WEST OF BAYVIEW INTO NEIGHBOURHOOD

A public meeting was recently held to hear views on a proposed 39-storey condo building on Glenavy Ave stretching south from Glazebrook. BARA and a sizeable number of area residents told city planning and legal staff that while intensification along the major arteries of Bayview and Eglinton makes sense, tearing out houses on a side street and putting a 39-storey tower in the midst of single-family homes is poor planning. Further, it contradicts the city’s Official Plan, which calls for a “transition down in height and scale” from high-rise buildings on the main streets into the existing neighbourhood. Councillor Rachel Chernos-Lin also attended and echoed the concerns of area residents.

The Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA) is a volunteer organization of Bayview/Eglinton residents who care deeply about their neighbourhood.

We work hard to ensure that our concerns about the impact of new developments on the history and character of our neighbourhood are fully and fairly considered. BARA opposes inappropriate redevelopment in our area, such as 25 to 46-storey towers abutting 2-storey houses and buildings with inadequate parking for residents and guests.

Stay informed by joining the Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA) mailing list. Input your e-mail address below to subscribe:

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Stay informed by joining the Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA) mailing list. Input your e-mail address below to subscribe:

Construction progress: Leaside Common taking shape

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Construction progress: Leaside Common taking shape (February 27, 2025)

The Leaside Common condominium project on Bayview Avenue between Soudan Ave and Eglinton Avenue East is showing significant exterior progress, suggesting that completion is on the horizon. The development, which expanded its original plans to include 216 residential units and 12 live-work spaces, has transformed the streetscape from single-family homes to a modern mid-rise.

For more background, check out past coverage:
Leaside Common Development History
Urban Toronto Project Database

Major redevelopment proposed for 609 Roehampton Ave

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Block Context Plan prepared for Starbank Developments 609 Corp. by MHBC – MacNaughton Hermsen Britton Clarkson Planning Limited /City of Toronto

A rezoning application has been submitted for 609 Roehampton Ave, proposing two 15-storey residential buildings on the site, which is currently home to commercial properties, including The Beer Store and the recently closed The WORKS Craft Burgers & Beer.

If approved, the development would bring 209 residential units, ranging from studio to three-bedroom apartments. The proposal includes 837 square metres of indoor and outdoor amenity space, with additional private balconies or terraces for south-facing units.

Vehicular parking will be limited to 11 spaces, primarily for visitor and pickup/drop-off use, while 231 bicycle parking spaces will be provided. The plan also features a north-south private driveway, which could eventually become a public road if the shopping centre to the south undergoes redevelopment.

Proposal for 1840 Bayview Ave (Esso) revised to 29 storeys

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The redevelopment proposal for 1840 Bayview Avenue has been updated, reducing the height of the mixed-use building from 34 to 29 storeys. The revised plan now includes 303 residential units, down from 377, plus 202 square meters of ground-floor retail along Bayview.

For background on the site and earlier proposals, see previous coverage:

Public Meeting to discuss 39-storey Glenavy Ave proposal

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Public Meeting on Proposed 39-Storey Development on Glenavy Avenue

A public meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to discuss a new proposal for a 39-storey residential building at 17-29 Glenavy Avenue, a residential street in the Bayview-Eglinton area. This development would include 398 rental dwelling units.

The Official Plan Amendment Application proposes to redesignate the block which includes the lands at 590-592 Roehampton Avenue, 7-29 Glenavy Avenue, and 7 Glazebrook Avenue from Neighbourhoods in the Official Plan to Mixed Use.

This development is part of the growing trend of high-rise buildings in the area and raises concerns about the impact on local infrastructure and the surrounding community. The public meeting will offer residents the opportunity to learn more and voice their concerns.

For details on how to join the virtual meeting or to register, visit the City’s Planning Consultations page.

Thank you to the Broadway Area Residents Association (BARA) for highlighting this important update.

UPDATE

Link to archived video of meeting: https://toronto.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/toronto/recording/0df24a09b5c7103db885a61c04b8c537/playback

Revised proposal for 660 Eglinton (Sunnybrook Plaza)

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Dec. 2023 – 660 Eglinton Ave E (Sunnybrook Plaza) /South Bayview Bulldog archive photo

A revised redevelopment proposal has been submitted for the former Sunnybrook Plaza site at 660 Eglinton Ave E and 278 Bessborough Dr. The updated plan, led by Concert Properties, seeks rezoning approval for a mixed-use development featuring three residential towers at 32, 37, and 43 storeys. The project includes 1,201 residential units — a mix of rental and condominium housing — and 419 parking spaces, along with retail spaces fronting Eglinton and Bayview.

Building B (43-storeys) is anticipated to be built first introducing 460 rental apartments that will be managed and marketed by Concert. Approximately 43% of the rental apartments are expected to be 2 and 3-bedroom suites. Buildings C (37-storeys) and D (32-storeys) are anticipated to be condominium ownership and may be built independently or together, depending on market conditions.

The proposal also dedicates 278 Bessborough Dr as a new public park, expanding the adjacent Bessborough Parkette. Since the previous 2020 planning approval, Concert acquired the residential property at 278 Bessborough Drive adjacent to the existing public park on the northeast corner of Eglinton Avenue East.

Vehicle access will be provided from Bayview and Eglinton, with parking integrated both underground and within podium levels.

The revised plan marks a significant departure from earlier approvals in 2016 and 2020, reflecting evolving city planning priorities and a stronger focus on transit-oriented development. For a detailed history of past applications and planning decisions for the redevelopment of 660 Eglinton Ave E and 278 Bessborough Dr, including key milestones from 2016, 2020, and the revised 2024 proposal, readers can refer to the Planning Rationale document available on the City of Toronto’s Application Details page.

Mount Pleasant development proposal bumped to 61 storeys

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A revised proposal for 808 Mt Pleasant Road has been submitted to the City of Toronto, featuring a significant height increase from 35 to 61 storeys. The updated proposal places the development among the tallest in the area.

More info:
urbantoronto.ca/news/2024/12/proposal-bumped-61-storeys-near-crosstown-lrts-mount-pleasant-station.57604

A thirty-plus storey tower on Glenavy Ave @ Glazebrook?

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📷 elysiuminvestments.ca

Elysium Investments has told the STOREYS real estate news site that they are in the process of filing official plan, zoning by-law amendment, and site plan applications for a tower slated for 17-29 Glenavy Avenue.

APPLICATION DETAILS:
https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/application-details/?id=5506388&pid=282069
Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment application to permit the redevelopment of the subject site with a 39-storey rental residential building (134.5 metres, including the mechanical penthouse). The proposed building will have a total gross floor area of approximately 30,410 square metres, resulting in a density of 14.5 FSI. The development will include 398 rental dwelling units along with 2,399 square metres of amenity space.