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A Site Plan Approval application has been submitted for rental housing focused on Indigenous seniors in Toronto’s Davisville neighbourhood, bumping the proposed height from 28 to 29 storeys. Designed by Montgomery Sisam Architects for the partnership of Missanabie Cree Elders Care and EllisDon Community Builders, 140 Merton Street is led by CreateTO under the Housing Now initiative. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has approved funding for the site, with a target construction launch of September, 2024.
The rental development will include affordable options, along with dedicated community spaces. The commitment to serving Indigenous elders is a first for the City in partnership with the Indigenous Missanabie Cree Elders Care organization under the Housing Now program. The design also incorporates the heritage-listed War Amputations of Canada Building, preserving its facade through alterations approved by the Toronto Preservation Board contingent on a Heritage Easement Agreement.
Spanning 3,408m², the site is home to the two-storey heritage building constructed between 1959 and 1960. Situated on the north side of Merton Street, roughly halfway between Yonge Street and Mount Pleasant Road, the immediate surroundings include the Geneva Centre for Autism to the east, a cluster of residential developments to the south, as well as the Kay Gardner Beltline and Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
In July, 2022, CreateTO announced the partnership with Missanabie Cree Elders Care, setting the stage for the first non-profit developed site led by an Indigenous organization. The initial proposal, adopted by the Planning and Housing Committee in November, 2020 at 18 storeys, was subsequently revised to a 28-storey tower in 2023 to better align with the area’s density and proximity to Davisville station.
The latest iteration reaches a height of 99.8m, an increase from the previous 93.6m. It maintains a total of 294 residential units but with an increased residential Gross Floor Area (GFA) from 19,987m² to 20,330m². Modifications to the podium have resulted in a decreased community GFA from 2,150m² to 1,618m². Overall, despite the added storey, the total GFA proposed has slightly decreased from 22,139m² to 21,948m².
The design entails 570m² of indoor amenities, increased from 492m², and 126m² of outdoor amenities. There will be two levels of underground garage maintaining the previous provision of 15 residential, 16 visitor, and 15 community parking spaces. Bicycle parking is to include 317 long-term and 35 short-term spaces.
Three elevators are to serve the residential floors and an additional elevator will extend to the third floor, primarily for community spaces. This results in one elevator for every 98 units, indicating reasonable wait times for residents.
Architecturally, the design retains and incorporates the heritage site’s southern facade and about 12m of its returns, with the rear portion demolished. The retained portion will be integrated into the community space of the double-height podium. The conservation efforts include masonry repairs, the replacement of doors and windows, and the addition of new accessible entrances.
The site is situated just an 800m walk east of Davisville station on Yonge Line 1 and is also served by bus routes along Davisville Avenue and Mount Pleasant Road.
140 Merton Street’s increased height is aligned with the scale of surrounding projects. To the north, proposals include the 33-storey 141 Davisville Avenue, as well as 185 and 155 Balliol Street, at 35 and 37 storeys respectively. To the east, the 27-storey 265 Balliol Street is under construction, with 289 Balliol Street and 214 Merton Street proposed at 31 and 40 storeys respectively. To the west, 30 Merton Street is proposed at 37 storeys, along with the 39-storey 60 Balliol at 33 Davisville. In addition, 22 and 45 Balliol Street are both slated for 40 storeys, and 50 Merton Street is proposed at 46 storeys.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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| Related Companies: | EllisDon, LEA Consulting, RWDI Climate and Performance Engineering |
