Ryerson New Student Residence Backgrounder
• The new student residence will be located at 186 & 188 Jarvis Street (west side of Jarvis between Queen and Dundas)
• The proposed building is 23 storeys, providing 500+ spaces for Ryerson students
• The addition of 500+ spaces increases Ryerson’s total residence spaces by 30%
• Initial building design includes a two-storey podium at grade offering a mix of services such as cafes, retail and service outlets
• The architect’s initial plan features a mixed configuration of 1 to 4 bed units
• 186-188 Jarvis comprises 14,000 square feet with 107 feet of frontage on Jarvis
• This property is owned by MPI Group
• Principal access is from Jarvis Street, initial designs incorporate access from the rear of the building via a laneway to Mutual Street
• The new residence will meet Toronto’s Green Building Standards
• The proposed building supports the principles of Ryerson’s Master Plan:
• Urban intensification;
• People first – pedestrianization of the urban environment; and
• A commitment to design excellence
• Ryerson’s Master Plan defined the Ryerson’s Housing Precinct as being a maximum 20 minute walk to Gould and Bond. The lot at 186-188 Jarvis falls well within this housing precinct and is:
• a two-minute walk to the George Vari Computing and Engineering Centre;
• a five-minute walk to Church and Gould Streets;
• less than a 10-minute walk to the Ted Rogers School of Management; and
• a 10 minute walk to the Peter Gilgan Athletic Centre at the Gardens;
• Ryerson will provide the student tenants for the building as well as the student residence life services (marketing, room assignment, administration, student life and programming). MPI will be responsible for the financial operations of the residence, including developing, designing and building the residence.
• The residence is expected to open in September, 2016
RYERSON UNIVERSITY DEVELOPING NEW STUDENT RESIDENCE TO MEET
GROWING DEMAND
Public private partnership will create more than 500 additional residence spaces
Toronto, ON. February 27, 2012 – To meet growing demand, Ryerson University has
announced a modern new student residence project in downtown Toronto that will create more
than 500 additional spaces. The residence, to be developed by the MPI Group and designed by
IBI Group Architects, will be located at 186-188 Jarvis Street, a five-minute walk from the heart
of the Ryerson campus. It is expected to open in September, 2016.
“Ryerson’s outstanding programs attract students from Ontario, across Canada and around the
world,†said Sheldon Levy, president of Ryerson University. “Our students have told us that they
want more and better housing options closer to campus. This new residence will do just that -
adding more than 500 beds, increasing the number of residence spots by 30% - and this is just
the first wave of 2,000 new residence spaces that we plan to add by 2020.â€
Demand for a Ryerson education is high – the university has more applications to available
spaces than any other university in Ontario.
The innovative public private partnership between Ryerson and the MPI group will see the
private company cover all of the construction and development costs while the university will
provide the student tenants for the building as well as a range of vibrant residence student life
services.
“This sleek student residence is a great addition to the Ryerson community,†said Julia
Hanigsberg, vice president of administration and finance. “Our new residence will build on the
strong reputation of Ryerson within the local community, assist with the ongoing transformation
of the neighbourhood and help meet the need for more residence space.â€
The proposed residence is in keeping with Ryerson’s approach to city building and reflects the
core principles of the Ryerson Master Plan: urban intensification, putting people first through
pedestrianization of the urban environment, and a commitment to design excellence.
While the design of the new student residence has not been finalized, preliminary plans feature
a two-storey podium at grade providing retail and other services, and a 20+ storey building
offering a mix of 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom units.
“As an urban university, Ryerson is already well integrated into the fabric of downtown Toronto.
The most effective wy we can meet the need for student housing near our campus is through
intensification and vertical expansion,†said Hanigsberg.
