495 
A new 27-storey mixed-use rental tower planned for 1153 Queen Street West would be one of the tallest buildings in Toronto's West Queen West area. Designed by Turner Fleischer Architects for QuadReal Property Group, the project would rise a couple blocks east of Dufferin Street. The site is approximately 200m north of the future King-Liberty GO station putting it within its Protected Major Transit Station Area (PMTSA) where greater density is encouraged.
At the southwest corner with Abell Street, the assembled site of 1149 and 1153 Queen Street West spans 2,560m². Currently occupied by two low-rise commercial buildings (with ten residential units above 1153), the proposal would see these structures demolished to make way for the new development. The surrounding West Queen West neighbourhood features a mix of retail, institutional, recreational, and residential uses, with low- to mid-rise buildings along the north side of the street and taller developments concentrated to the south.
Goldberg Group has submitted Zoning By-law Amendment and Rental Housing Demolition applications to the City of Toronto on behalf of the developer for a tower rising 99.35m. The building would house 357 market-rate rental units and ten rental replacement units. The proposal’s Gross Floor Area totals 24,843m², including 763m² of ground-floor retail space and 24,080m² of residential space, resulting in a Floor Space Index of 9.71.
The building would include 577m² of indoor and 525m² of outdoor amenities, located on the 2nd and 9th floors. The design features a 6-storey podium, with step-backs from levels 5 to 8 to ease the transition to neighbouring properties, while ground-level retail activates the Queen Street West frontage. Residents would access the building via a lobby on Abell Street, serviced by three elevators, resulting in a ratio of approximately one elevator per 122 units, indicating longer than preferable wait times.
A two-level underground garage would house 133 vehicular parking spaces, with 113 for residents and 20 for visitors, accessible from Abell Street. Bicycle parking would be distributed across the first two levels, with 407 spaces comprising 333 long-term and 74 short-term spots.
The 501 Queen Streetcar passes directly in front, linking to subway lines, while the nearby bus routes on Dufferin Street and Ossington Avenue provide north-south connections. Cyclists have access to nearby bikeways and sharrows on Dufferin, Gladstone, and Argyle streets, all within 400m. Future transit improvements include the King-Liberty GO station, which will be a 4-minute walk from the site, and the Ontario Line 3, with a station at Queen and Spadina approximately 3km to the east.
At 27 storeys, 1153 Queen Street West is the second-tallest proposal in its immediate surroundings. To the east, 1117 Queen West is proposed at 29 storeys, with a mix of low- and mid-rise developments further along the corridor. West of Dufferin Street, proposals include 6 Noble Street at 13 storeys, 1266 Queen Street West at 23 storeys, and Radiator calling for two towers of 21 and 25 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.
* * *
UrbanToronto has a research service, UTPro, that provides comprehensive data on development projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe — 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.
| Related Companies: | Aercoustics Engineering Ltd, Goldberg Group, Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists, LEA Consulting, QuadReal Property Group, Turner Fleischer Architects |
