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Two office buildings in the heart of North York are now on the chopping block and could soon be replaced by a vast new development that would bring four tall towers to a site just east of Yonge and Sheppard.
A December application filed with City planners could bring about the end of the existing office complex at 45-47 Sheppard Avenue East, just steps east of Sheppard-Yonge subway station on the TTC’s Lines 1 and 4.
The site is currently home to a pair of seven- and nine-storey office buildings with approximately 231,471 square feet of rentable space combined, all of which would be demolished to make way for the new housing.
Goldberg Group
The proposal comes amid waning demand for office space in Toronto and follows the relaxation of a City policy that mandated office replacement space in redevelopments.
According to an office demand report prepared for the development application, roughly one-quarter of the building currently sits vacant — a number expected to increase dramatically in the coming years.
“As the building has aged, demand and tenancies have weakened, with 24 per cent of the building being currently vacant,” reads the report, adding that “the continued viability of the current buildings is further eroded by the anticipated loss of the courthouse due to potential consolidation, which will likely result in the complementary legal uses vacating.”
“If this is the case, it is anticipated that the buildings will be nearly 90 per cent vacant by 2029.”
Goldberg Group
Developer Lev Living has proposed to raze the existing buildings and redevelop the site with towers rising 59, 53, 49 and 30 storeys, which would rise from a pair of mixed-use podiums.
B+H Architects
With heights of 194, 172, 159 and 105 metres, the quartet of new buildings would be some of the tallest buildings on the North York City Centre skyline.
B+H Architects
Their designs from B+H Architects are a departure from the typical glass-box aesthetic that dominates the local skyline, with geometric forms including curved brick elements that eschew the Toronto norms.
B+H Architects
Some apparent Art Nouveau influences are even present in the design.
B+H Architects
All four towers would be positioned toward the corners of the site, and would be linked via a central retail and pedestrian promenade featuring landscaped open space.
B+H Architects
The plan would add 2,386 condominium units to the area, along with 2,046 square metres of retail space spilling into the aforementioned promenade.
B+H Architects
Residents of these suites would be a quick walk from the interchange subway station at Yonge-Sheppard, though a decent share of residents would likely make use of the nearby Highway 401 as their primary means of transport.
A three-level underground parking garage is proposed to serve the four towers with 736 vehicular parking spaces — though motorists intending to get on the nearby Highway 401 would have to contend with one of the artery’s most overcrowded onramps at Yonge Street.
Complex residents and visitors would also have access to over 1,800 long-term and short-term bicycle parking spaces — with the potential to add a significant influx of cyclists to a part of the city that has traditionally been built out with cars top of mind.
