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A settlement has been made public for 80 Lynn Williams Street, one of the last major undeveloped sites in Toronto's Liberty Village. The plan from Collecdev-Markee Developments and Shiplake Management Company, has been approved for a 44-storey mixed-use rental building, which would make it the tallest proposal in the neighbourhood. This includes the addition of an extra storey, and 13 new affordable housing units. An updated, detailed rendering offers a clearer vision of how the gh3-designed development will blend with the heritage Liberty Storage Warehouse, which dates back to the 1920s, on the southern portion of the site.
The shared site, spanning 3,315m² with 2,155m² represented by this application on the north portion, is located at the northwest corner of Lynn Williams Street and Western Battery Road. The warehouse’s northern portion will be demolished and replaced with a new structure, with tower setbacks adjusted for a compatible relationship with the retained southern portion of the warehouse, which is under separate ownership. ERA Architects is overseeing the design to join the new building into the heritage warehouse’s existing elevations.
Initially proposed in October, 2023 as a 43-storey mixed-use building comprising 588 rental units, the project faced a hurdle when Toronto City Council refused the Zoning By-law Amendment application in April, 2024. The refusal prompted the developers to appeal to the OLT, with the developers and City continuing to talk, leading to the settlement that has now been approved. Community benefits have been obtained as part of the settlement as per Section 37 of the Planning Act.
The revised 80 Lynn Williams plan will now achieve a height of 149.2m, an increase from the previously proposed 143.5m. The Gross Floor Area (GFA) has been expanded to 37,869m², up from 34,192m². The residential GFA will now total 34,192m². In the six-storey podium, the at-grade retail has decreased from 800m² to 453m². As part of the community benefits, the podium will now house a ground-floor daycare to be fully conveyed to the City, spanning 456m² indoors and 204m² outdoors. The Floor Space Index (FSI) will be 11.42.
The residential component of 80 Lynn Williams has been reduced to 520 units, down from the initial 588; the mix now includes a minimum of 10% three-bedroom and 15% two-bedroom units. Notably, the project now includes 13 affordable housing units, which are to remain affordable for a minimum of 99 years. The building will be served by five elevators, for a ratio of one elevator per 104 units.
The design entails 1,413m² of indoor and 1,054m² of outdoor amenities, compared to 1,285m² and 1,186m² previously. The settlement’s community benefits include a public park with a minimum area of 325m² at the southeast corner of the site, with improved local pedestrian connectivity via a new mid-block connection.
Two levels of underground parking will house 54 resident, 30 visitor, and 6 retail spots — a major reduction from the previous total of 181 parking spaces — and an acknowledgement that adding as few new private trips to the traffic-plagued area as possible is preferred. Instead, the 80 Lynn Williams development will favour pedestrian, bicycle, and transit trips.
While local transit options include bus services along Ossington Avenue to that station on Bloor Line 2 and the King streetcar for east-west travel, the site is located within walking distance of Exhibition GO station, which is currently being rebuilt to also serve as the western terminus of Ontario Line 3, the new subway line targeted for opening around 2030. Prior to that transit improvement, the area’s accessibility will be improved by the upcoming King-Liberty GO station which will provide new direct access to Union Station and points northwest.
The building will also host 468 long-term and 104 short-term bicycle parking spots, along with 12 for retail and daycare use. Less than 1km to the east, bike lanes on Strachan Avenue connect to the Waterfront Trail, while extensions are underway to bring the West Toronto Rail Path closer to the site.
Surrounding the 80 Lynn Williams site, Liberty Village’s skyline is marked by completions in the past decade like the 24 to 25-storey trio of towers at King West Life Condominiums, The Tower at King West at 26 storeys, Liberty Market Tower at 28 storeys, and Liberty Place at 32 storeys. To the north, the 17-storey 1071 King Street West is under construction. To the west are 10-storey proposals for 58 Atlantic Avenue and 85 Hanna Avenue, while the Liberty Yard proposal would bring three new buildings ranging from 32 to 36 storeys to the plaza site immediately to the west of 80 Lynn Williams.
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: | Arcadis, Bousfields, Collecdev-Markee Developments, EQ Building Performance Inc., gh3, Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, MCW Consultants Ltd |
