Midtown Urbanist
Superstar
The project reduced from 50-storeys to 48-storeys but retains two mechanical penthouse floors, in case anyone was similarly confused at first when looking at the arch drawings.
Summary |
This report recommends that City Council state its intention to designate the listed heritage property at 355-359 Adelaide Street West, under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. The heritage property at 355-359 Adelaide Street West contains a six-and-a-half storey factory building, constructed in 1921-1922, for the Gelber Brothers, Moses and Louis, who contributed to the development of the King-Spadina neighbourhood as a manufacturing enclave and who were noted philanthropists and leaders in Toronto's Jewish community. The building was home to numerous clothing manufacturers who contributed to the establishment of Toronto's Fashion District. Designed by Benjamin Brown (1890-1974), one of Toronto's earliest Jewish architects, the building's low-rise brick and stone-clad massing, with its Renaissance Revival style, composition and details, maintains the architecturally rich quality of this down-town district. The building represents the factory building type that has accommodated the evolving industrial and commercial activity over the past century, giving the King-Spadina district its distinctive urban form and character. The property at 355-359 Adelaide Street West was identified as a contributing property in the King-Spadina Heritage Conservation District Plan, adopted by City Council in October 2017 and currently under appeal. It was listed on the City's Heritage Register in December 2017. Following city staff's additional research and evaluation under Ontario Regulation 9/06, the provincial criteria prescribed for municipal designation, it has been determined that the property at 355-359 Adelaide Street West merits designation under Part IV Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its design, associative and contextual values. |
The property being listed by Colliers is known as “Go-To Spadina-Adelaide Square.” On the company’s website it is identified as being at the southeast corner of Spadina Avenue and Adelaide Street West, which Go-To says it acquired in April 2019.
A site plan application was submitted in June 2020, the firm says, for a 50-storey mixed-use high-rise.
The bid deadline for this property is April 7.
KSV Restructuring declined to be interviewed by RENX, but the latest documents filed on its website indicate CBRE is aiming for a bid closing date in early to mid-April for the properties it is marketing.
Fengate announced the acquisition of 46 Charlotte St., 16 Oxley St., and 355 Adelaide St. W. on Tuesday morning. The 13,725-square-foot property in the Entertainment District currently contains a heritage-listed six-storey building and the most recent development proposal for the site includes retaining portions of the structure.
Zoning and site plan applications are “in progress” according to Fengate.
The most recent proposal for the site is to redevelop it with a 48-storey tower which would include about 400 multiresidential units, as well as commercial and retail space.
In an email exchange with RENX, Fengate managing director and group head of real estate Jamie McKenna said the firm is reviewing the proposal.
“We are reviewing opportunities to enhance the existing proposal to maximize the positive impact of the development to the surrounding community,” she wrote.
The current project would include a podium incorporating some aspects of the existing 28,000-square-foot structure and comprise about 328,000 square feet of floor space. The existing building links back to the expansion of Toronto’s garment industry in the 1920s and 1930s, which drove the revitalization of the area, according to information from Fengate.
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Fengate is managing the investment and development on behalf of its investors, including the LiUNA Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada.
“The site on Charlotte and Adelaide is a unique opportunity to simultaneously pay homage to Toronto’s entrepreneurial history and address the future housing needs of our growing city,” said Andrew Konev, Fengate’s senior vice-president, development, in the release.
“The proposed development will introduce new clients to businesses in the area and will provide housing options to a talent pool looking for convenient access to the world-class employment opportunities in the nearby Financial District and the expanding tech node of the area.”
He told RENX no timeline is available for the development.