Proponents of a group of new highrises just steps from the Rogers Centre and CN Tower are seeking a zoning change to allow more rental housing and less office space in the towering structures on Front Street West.
The project would change the downtown skyline, adding several new buildings that stand much taller than the existing development.
A request for a zoning bylaw amendment has been submitted for the previously approved project for two towers of 50 storeys, one of 60 storeys and one of 71 storeys.
Known as Union Park West, the towers would replace the current buildings at 315 and 325 Front St. West.
The site is on the south side of Front bounded by the Rob Robbie Bridge walkway to the east and Blue Jays Way to the west.
The land is currently occupied by a six-storey office building and a 17-storey office tower.
The new project envisions a public childcare facility, affordable rental housing units, and retail fronting on Front Street, according to correspondence submitted to the city.
The proposal was previously approved in 2022 as a mixed-use development that included office, residential and retail uses in four towers (two office and two residential) on top of a commercial podium.
'Market conditions'
"Due to changes in market conditions since the original 2019 submission and the 2022 approval, the need for rental housing across Toronto has increased significantly," Urban Strategies Inc. writes on behalf of owner Oxford Properties.
The company is seeking an amendment to a site-specific zoning bylaw to "properly accommodate changing market demand," switching a portion of the two previously approved office spaces to rental housing.
"This is the primary driver of this submission and the revised design scheme," Urban Strategies writes in a letter to the city's planning department.
The project is right next to the rail corridor, with the proposal noting Metrolinx's plans to switch trains from diesel to electric in the coming years. It is also beside a small city greenspace, Isabella Valency Park.
Architectural drawings are by Hariri Pontarini Architects.
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