Toronto City Council has accepted a settlement offer from Antorisa Investments, the owners of 280 Jarvis, who submitted an application in December of 2016 for the construction of a 25 storey tower at the Gerrard and Jarvis intersection, wrapping around the downtown core's most infamous Harvey's. The 2016 proposal included 298 condo units, 8 rental replacement units, 1,382 m² of retail and 1,774 m² of office space, and was shot down by City Council in 2017 citing shadowing on the nearby Allan Gardens as a primary concern. 

Aerial view, looking south-west, image courtesy of Gianonne Petricone Architects

The LPAT settlement offer includes a number of changes to the plans to appease Toronto Planning's demands. Firstly, the height of the building has been reduced to 22 storeys (69 metres), to remove any Allan Gardens shadowing in the months of March and September when shadows are at their most intrusive. The number of units has been reduced from 306 to 256, with the developer agreeing to designate a 10% provision of three bedroom units within the tower. The majority of the units will still be 1 bedroom, however, due to the tower's proximity to Ryerson University and its growing student population.

Heritage buildings along Jarvis Street, image courtesy of Gianonne Petricone Architects

The original proposal called for the two heritage mansions to be integrated within the lobby, the settlement offer calls for the restoration of these buildings but ensures that they will be integrated through sympathetic and compatible openings set within the existing building fabric. 

New massing diagrams of the Giannone Petricone Associates-designed building have been released, revealing a change in the design direction for the building. While previously set with a typical rectangular elevation, the new massing diagrams indicate diagonal shifts in the facade - adding visual interest, and reducing the bulk of the building. Stepping back at the second and ninth storey levels, the building will concentrate the majority of its weight on the Gerrard Street frontage at the south-west corner of the site.

Floorplate of the revised tower within its context, image courtesy of City of Toronto

The settlement offer includes Section 37 benefits for the city. A $1,000,000 payment will be made prior to the issuance of any construction or demolition permits. This money will be used for affordable housing construction or parkland and streetscape improvements at the City's discretion.

Now that a rezoning settlement has been accepted, we may soon see more detailed architectural drawings and material choices in a forthcoming site plan approval application.

Additional information and images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.

* * *

UrbanToronto has a new way you can track projects through the planning process on a daily basis. Sign up for a free trial of our New Development Insider here.