- What QuadReal submitted a development application for a 527-unit rental high-rise in Toronto
- Why The tower would replace several single-family homes and a four-storey building
- What next The application is awaiting Toronto City Council approval
QuadReal is looking to replace an assemblage of largely single-family homes in Midtown Toronto with a 45-storey, purpose-built rental tower.
A development application submitted to the City of Toronto calls for 527 rental units on the northeast corner of Brownlow Avenue and Soudan Avenue in Midtown Toronto.
The proposed redevelopment site, at 214-226 Soudan Avenue and 19-21 Brownlow Avenue, also includes a four-storey building that is part of the Briton House Retirement Centre.
The assemblage, though close to many single-family homes, is in a prime transit-oriented area. It is just west of Mount Pleasant Road and is 800 m from the Eglinton subway station. It is less than 300 m south of Eglinton Avenue, offering access to the future Eglinton Crosstown LRT’s Mount Pleasant station.
The 33,000 sq m tower would include 40 studio, 275 one-bedroom, 159 two-bedroom and 53 three-bedroom units.
Nearly 1,600 sq m of amenity space is planned, including a rooftop terrace. A 430 sq m privately owned, publicly accessible space would be built along the Soudan and Brownlow frontages.
A shifting landscape
The assemblage received rezoning approval for a 21-storey residential building in 2022. However, a number of factors have changed since then, QuadReal’s application notes.
“The circumstances prompting this change [to 45 storeys] include the economics of development and construction, and the evolving Provincial legislation and Provincial and City policies regimes, strongly promoting the expeditious production of more housing units,” planning documents said.
A number of other high-rise towers have been approved for the surrounding area: 55 and 59 storeys at the adjacent 55-74 Brownlow Avenue and 21 storeys at 8 Brownlow Avenue.
There are active lease agreements on one of the units in the Briton House building and one of the houses, both expiring in April 2025. The development application is now under review by the city.
This is QuadReal’s second high-rise, purpose-built rental proposal in recent weeks. The developer also filed an application to build 27 storeys with 367 units along Toronto’s Queen Street West.
