A pair of large residential towers and potential production space could be in the cards for one of Toronto’s next new neighbourhoods.
The fledgling McCleary District of Toronto’s Port Lands exists as little more than a series of plans and drawings as of late 2024, but this quiet area — currently home to businesses including film production studios and self-storage lots — could soon extend the city’s skyline further to the east.
A new planning application for what would be among the first towers for this new neighbourhood landed with City planners this month, detailing plans for a pair of 45- and 40-storey buildings that would bring a mix of condo, rental, retail and even potential production space to the community.
Developer Tepfam Holdings’ plan for the site at 280 Commissioners Street features a design from Hariri Pontarini Architects that would replace an existing self-storage facility and bring new heights to this part of town.
The plan would help jumpstart the area’s vitality with a mix of uses that would breathe life into these blocks by populating 895 new condos and 42 rental apartments, while a sizeable retail component of 937 square metres would keep things animated down at street level.
One interesting aspect of the plan is the inclusion of proposed production, interactive and creative spaces in the podium levels, with the potential to include uses like a film production studio or a data centre, along with retail and a new integrated storage facility to replace what would be lost to demolition.
The plan for a potential film studio, however murky in these early stages, would give the project relevance to one of the key industries in the area by contributing new space complementing the nearby production studios to the south.
PIC spaces are planned to occupy portions of the podium’s first three floors, while the self-storage and data centre uses would extend across portions of levels 5 through 8.
Cementing the potential for a bustling street realm, the project proposes a surprisingly minimal parking component of just 287 spaces in its two-level underground garage. Even access to the parking component is via a pedestrianized street intended to be shared between motorists and foot traffic.
Instead, the project would provide the majority of residents with access to bike parking. A sizeable cycling component of 1,050 spaces is proposed, including 844 dedicated long-term bike-parking spots intended for complex residents.
Hariri Pontarini Architects
