Toronto 159SW Condos | 118.87m | 36s | Alterra | Richmond Architects

[borgo100]

Not many

 

[borgo100]

I wonder how many Beaver gas stations are left in Ontario. To be honest it's kind of exciting to see one, they are so rare.

There is one in Alliston, Ontario, and one in Cookstown, Ontario but i think a couple of years ago Shell bought it..... ah those good old drives to Drysdale Tree Farm

 

[arath]

I'd love to see this place go. Three quick reasons: the eyesore factor of the gas station and its sadly-maintained "garden" on the corner of Sherbourne/Wellesely, the sketch factor of the Baker's Dozen, and the accident-prone conglomerate of gas station entrance/exit and pumps directly beside the bus stop on the Wellesley St. side. There's gas about 1.5 blocks away at Esso on Parliament or at PetroCan at Wellesley/Jarvis. Would love to see no more gas at Wellesley/Jarvis, too. That station just kills the NE corner and isn't open late.

 

[Danielinthecity]

I also go to that gas station, but...

As someone who frequents that gas station, I'd love to see Star of Downtown "go".

As someone who also frequents that gas station occasionally, I'd love to see it go and replaced by another condo!...as long as the new project meets the street well, this could add some much needed life and continuity along both streets.

As for my gas requirements, I'll just go somewhere else...and continue to seek a job downtown so I can free myself from my current burden of car ownership!

 

[whatever]

On the drive home tonight I noticed that this would be a perfect place for a strong podium that follows the curve of the street, taking its cues from the care facility on the north. Something 6-8 storeys high would really frame the view toward the Bay/College cluster nicely.

 

[Peepers]

I noticed tonight that the Beaver Gas station appears to be closed for good. They have erected a fence around the pumps and boarded up the kiosk.

 

[davidlivesintoronto]

Now to dig out the contaminated soil after all those years of having gas leak beneath. Perhaps we could dump it into the Gulf of Mexico...?
What are the chances of keeping the old beaver neon sign to hang for future retail? I believe there's a bar at Queen and Gladstone that might be interested...
Heck, name the condo itself 'The Beaver' and the developer can save by not having to hire a marketing team.

 

[UrbanFervour]

The Sherbourne corridor is becoming an interesting example of gentrification. Who would have thought (even 5 years ago) the immediate fringes of Regent Park would become hot real estate? From the South and North ends, scruffy down-and-out Sherbourne appears to be going upscale.

 

[Roy G Biv]

Can the zoning here be changed easily?

I guess my question is: How hard is it to buy a gas station and build a condo in its place?

 

[Mike in TO]

Can the zoning here be changed easily?

I guess my question is: How hard is it to buy a gas station and build a condo in its place?

Obtaining a zoning by-law amendment and/or official plan amendment follows a municipal planning approvals process based on land-use and local political conditions.

The gas station brownfield remediation dealing with various hydro-carbons etc follows a provicial process under the Environmental Protection Act and the amended Ontario Regulation 153/04. It's a very complex process. A Record of Site Condition will have to be obtained and given the previous use on the site it will likely require a Tier III Risk Assessment, a variety of remediation measures and filing to the brownfields environmental site registry as well as various additional off-site liability issues that will have to be resolved.

 

[urbandreamer]

Basically, the same issues Context's Home faced.

 

[Mongo]

From Urbanation:

Kilmer Group aquires former gas station at 159 Wellesley Street East (at Sherbourne) for $1.8 million - potential condo site.

 

[Big Daddy]

At .035 acres, assuming a 20 times coverage for condos, the best they can do is approx. 29 floors. (assuming a 9,000 square foot floor plate)

If the floor plate is larger, the height is less.

Not all that interesting.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Oh no, this is very interesting! Development continues eastward and a new project will replace this notoriously sketchy corner.

 

[davidlivesintoronto]

This would be terrific! Plans are already in the work to have the Sherbourne side of St. Jamestown get sidewalk level retail and residences. This new development can only aide in creating further demand for filling in even more of St. Jamestown's many blighted pockets.