North York City Centre's high-density corridor of office and condo towers along Yonge Street will soon be getting a new addition, with early stages of construction progressing for Ellie Condos, a new mixed-use complex from developers G Group Development and Lalu Group. The Kirkor Architects-designed complex is bringing a 31-storey condominium tower and a ten-storey office building to the intersection of Yonge Street and Ellerslie Avenue, mid-way between Finch and Sheppard.

The site has been active for just shy of a year, with hoarding installed around the site perimeter in June, 2019, followed by demolition of a pair of two-storey brick buildings at the north end of the site, and the grading of a previous surface parking lot. These activities were followed by shoring, with drilling and insertion of vertical steel I-beams around the site perimeter marking the first steps in the site's pile and lagging shoring system. Several months later, shoring activity is a distant memory as a significant pit is being excavated to make way for the complex's foundations and parking levels.

Facing south across site of Ellie Condos, image by Edward Skira

Crews are digging down to a depth of four storeys, with work currently furthest along at the site's south end. At the north end of the pit, a soil ramp provides temporary access for crews and equipment until access stairs and a crane can be installed. Once no longer needed, the ramp area will be excavated to the same depth as the rest of the site. 

Bracing the site's shoring walls, rows of steel tiebacks have been installed by a horizontal drilling rig. Two rows of these rock anchors have been installed, pinning the steel soldier piles into the surrounding earth to keep the walls upright.

Facing southeast across site of Ellie Condos, image by Edward Skira

Once complete, the project will bring over 300 new homes and a significant boost of office and retail space to North York.

Looking southwest over Ellie Condos, image via G Group/Lalu

You can learn more from our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like to, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on 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.