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Along with some much needed sunshine, the month of May, 2023 brought with it a number of new proposals after a slow start to the year, signalling a return to more confidence in the development industry as it looks to address continued demand for new housing. Beyond planning, construction in May made strides as well, seeing a new crop of projects begin construction while highly anticipated milestones were reached on active projects cross the region. Here is the latest roundup of the hottest news stories, Database files, and Forum threads on UrbanToronto from the month of May.
Our Top 10 Most Read News Stories:
Our Most Read News Stories list begins with an update on the progress of a project that everyone in Toronto should know about; the Lower Don Lands Redevelopment will change the way this city thinks about the urban park, and after a busy winter of construction, we are starting to get a sense of what is in store.
13. Lower Don Lands Records Busy Winter of Construction
Moving on to the the Top 10 News Stories from the month of May, the uptick in proposals is clear, with planning stories seeing high engagement compared to the last few months, during which construction stories have enjoyed more traffic. Taking the number one spot, a photo tour of the now accessible public spaces of The Well's retail galleria was a treat for the UT audience, previewing some inspiring design from a project that has been close to the top of the charts for years.
10. Revisions Add Significant Height But No New Density at Chelsea Green
9. 45-Storey Tower Proposed at Church-Wellesley's Cawthra Square
8. Proposal on Sherbourne South of Bloor to Retain Heritage Elements
7. Rental Housing with Mass Timber Frame Proposed in Leslieville
6. Residential Skyscraper Proposal Evolves Near Yonge and Eglinton
5. 64-Storey Tower Proposed at Yonge and Hayden
4. BDP Quadrangle Has A Vision for 1.5 Million More Toronto Homes
3. Lakeview Developers Request MZO to Double Density, Eliminate Limits
2. 53-Storey Infill Rental Tower Proposed at Brookfield Place
1. Wandering The Well: Some Galleria Spaces Now Accessible
Our Top 10 Most Searched Database Files:
Just outside the Top 10 in the Database rankings, we have M2M Condos at number 12. The first phase towers are now virtually complete on the exterior, but it doesn't end there as two more phases of development are still in store to complete the master-planned community.
12. M2M Condos
Looking over our Top 10 Most Searched Database Files, only one new project has been able to break into the elite group this month; the proposed Bahá’í National Centre and Temple in Markham, has climbed all the way into the fourth spot. The other projects featured are mostly recurring staples of the Top 10 list, headlined by The One, while The Well was able to snag the second place spot after an exciting month that saw access to the retail galleria begin.
10. Lower Don Lands Redevelopment
9. Forma
7. 88 Queen
6. CIBC SQUARE
4. Bahá’í National Centre and Temple (Markham)
2. The Well
1. The One
Our Top 10 Busiest Threads:
Opening up our Busiest Threads section, we peer in on Phase 1 and 2 of Sugar Wharf Condominiums. These have booth made frequent appearances in our Top Ten, especially Phase 1. As it has looked virtually complete for a few months now, it has fallen to spot #26, while Phase 2, where demolition is proceeding to prepare the site, has now risen about Phase 1 to claim spot #24.
26. Sugar Wharf Condominiums (Phase1)
24. Sugar Wharf Condominiums (Phase 2)
In our Top 10 Busiest Forum Threads list itself, the top building developments have been of more interest to the UT audience this month than the roster of ongoing transit projects that normally share top billing. Both the Crosstown LRT and Union Station Revitalization were still able to retain their spots on the list, but with interest rising in KING Toronto and Love Park, the Ontario Line was pushed off the leaderboard; however, with four years of construction taking place on Queen Street alone, we are pretty confident it will regain its ranking in the top 10 soon enough.
10. Love Park
9. KING Toronto
7. Union Station Revitalization
5. CIBC SQUARE
4. Lower Don Lands Redevelopment
2. The Well
1. The One
We will be back at the beginning of July for a recap of June's top news stories, Database files, and Forum threads!
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UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
