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Proposed to rise over the Union Station Rail Corridor, the Rail Deck District is a highly ambitious proposal of mixed-use towers south of The Well. Its complicated conception has seen multiple hurdles and revisions, with the latest submission adding over 1,800 new residential units, and towers that now soar as high as 72 storeys. Designed by Sweeny &Co Architects Inc. and McMillan Associates Architects, the project is driven by a consortium including Craft Development Corporation, Kingsmen Development Corp, Fengate Properties, and LIUNA, under the banner of CRAFT Acquisitions Corp.
The site’s history is intertwined with the Rail Deck Park proposal by former Toronto Mayor John Tory, who envisioned a sprawling green space built over the rail corridor, akin to Chicago's Millennium Park, aimed at addressing the shortage of public green space in Downtown Toronto. It sought to capitalize on the unused airspace above the rails, stretching from Blue Jays Way to Bathurst Street. Craft Acquisitions Corporation and PITS Developments Inc. had, however, already purchased the air rights from CN Rail.
The dispute escalated to the Ontario Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT), which initially sided with the City by rejecting the developers' proposal. However, this decision was later reversed, allowing the consortium to move forward with their proposal.
The site at 595 Front Street West spans over 17 acres, generally bounded by Bathurst Street to the west, Blue Jays Way to the east, Northern Linear Park to the south, and Front Street West to the north with some exceptions. The development also incorporates a portion of the Front Street West right-of-way.
First submitted in May, 2017, the proposal underwent a technical review process with several major concerns raised, including the need for better tower separation and an improved mix of uses to support community services. The most recent previous application was submitted in March, 2023, and now, the City has received another Zoning By-law Amendment application as of September 9, 2024.
The towers across the development are now proposed to range in height from 126.24m to 239.43m, or 36 to 72 storeys, increased from the range of 20 to 65 storeys in the previous proposal. Its West, Centre, and East Blocks would each rise from a shared podium. The Gross Floor Area (GFA) for the entire design is 531,250m², up from the previous total of 410,503m². There would be 494,133m² for residential use, 14,970m² dedicated to retail, 11,009m² for commercial-office use, 3,058m² for daycare facilities in the West and Centre Blocks, and 8,079m² for a 210-room hotel in the East Block. The Floor Space Index (FSI) would be 7.54.
There would be 15,971m² of indoor and 8,075m² of outdoor amenities. Parking would entail 1,181 total vehicular spaces hidden within the deck. For cyclists, there is a provision of 7,882 long-term and 1,598 short-term spaces, along with 1,615 short-term non-residential spots.
There are two proposed unit counts for the project, representing maximum and minimum numbers depending upon how many studio units are built compared to how many two and three bedroom units are built by combining smaller units. If the maximum smaller suites are built, the project's residential space would result in 7,986 units (still with at least 15% two-bedroom and %10 three-bedroom layouts). If the maximum larger suites are built, the project's residential space would result in 7,313 units (with more than 15% two-bedroom and 10% three-bedroom layouts). The final count as built would fall in between the minimum and maximum numbers.
The West Block would feature 36 and 40-storey towers, separated by a gap of 44.8m, with 994m² of retail in the base. The West Block's 928 to 1,056 units towers would be served by eight elevators for a range of one elevator to every 116 to 132 elevators. Both results indicate longer than preferable wait times.
The Centre Block, now housing five towers instead of four in the previous design, would range from 45 to 72 storeys, separated by gaps of between 27.5m and 42m, maintaining more than the 25m minimum set by the City’s guidelines. The Centre Block towers would each boast eight elevators for a total of 40 elevators serving its 4,958 to 5.360 suites, and a range of one elevator for every 124 to 134 suites. Both results indicate linger than preferable wait times.
The East Block would include towers of 61 and 65 storeys, separated by a 30m gap, with six and eight elevators respectively for a total of 14. With between 1,427 and 1,570 suites, each elevator would serve a range of between 102 and 112 suites. Both results are closer to preferred service levels for elevators. The 210-suite hotel would be served by a further four elevators.
The development includes 8.63 acres of potential parkland in total, situated north of the existing Northern Linear Park and south of the proposed West and Centre Blocks. This parkland would span over 600m in length, bridging the gap between Bathurst Street and Spadina Avenue, assuming the City builds out the areas indicated as Potential Park Expansion Area in the image below. The developer would only fund the area labeled Potential Priority Park Area. Each development block would also feature developer-funded POPS (Privately-Owned Publicly-accessible Spaces) totalling 2,824m².
Currently, the site is served by the TTC's Spadina and Bathurst streetcar lines, while the King streetcar is a few minutes walk north. The site is also within several minutes walk of Union Station. Looking to the future, the planned Spadina-Front GO station on the Barrie Line will be located adjacent to the site, and the under construction King-Bathurst TTC station on Ontario Line 3 will be within 500m, opening around 2030. Nearby cycle lanes on Wellington Street, Blue Jays Way, and Dan Leckie Way tie into the broader city cycling grid, including the Martin Goodman Trail along Toronto’s waterfront.
There are plenty of other projects and proposals nearby. Immediately to the east of the Centre Block above the planned Spadina-Front GO station are 43 and 51-storey towers proposed at 433 Front West. To the south, 150 Queens Wharf is proposed at 29 storeys. Recently completed directly to the north, The Well’s seven buildings range from 14 to 46 storeys. Also to the north, construction is close to done at the 15-storey Portland Commons office complex, with nearby mostly residential proposals at 18 Portland Street for an 18-storey building, 485 Wellington Street West at 14 storeys and both 467 and 488 Wellington Street West at 16 storeys each. The scale intensifies east of Spadina Avenue with 400 Front West featuring four buildings with the two tallest reaching 57 and 59 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: | RJC Engineers, RWDI Climate and Performance Engineering, SvN, Sweeny &Co Architects Inc. |
