In December 2020, Mizrahi Developments submitted an addendum to increase The One’s height by adding nine storeys to the already supertall building. If approved, it would boost the Bloor and Yonge condo tower’s floor count from 85 storeys to 94 storeys.
The developer is seeking to update its original 2015 Planning and Urban Design Rationale to increase its height from 306.9 metres to 338.3 metres. The building, which is currently under construction, was already set to surpass the height of Canada’s current tallest tower, First Canadian Place, by several meters.
However, Pinnacle International’s Skytower, which is not yet under construction, set out to dethrone The One as both Toronto’s and the country’s tallest tower before it was even built. The future Skytower in the city’s South Core area is planned to be 95 storeys and 312.5 metres.
But, if Mizrahi Developments’ addendum is approved, The One will regain the title of Canada’s future tallest tower with its new 338.3-metre height.
The One’s addendum would also see the creation of 89 additional condo units, for a total of 505 suites, and add 87,015 square feet of residential gross floor area.
The application’s cover letter explains that The One’s surroundings have evolved and grown since its initial submission, in addition to new policy directives that are in place to guide development. In light of changing issues related to shadow impact, the application also notes that The One’s increased height proposal ‘no longer casts a significant shadow impact.’
“The surrounding area continues to evolve with new redevelopment and population growth over the last several years,” explains The One’s planning addendum letter from Bousfields Inc. “It is important to evaluate the revised proposal in the context of these changes since the original submission in March 2015.”
Mirvish+Gehry was also a contender in the race to be the city’s tallest tower, but has since fallen behind. Recent documents submitted to city planners in December 2020 show that the two towers on King Street West would top out at 300 and 262 metres, or 92 and 82 storeys, respectively. The height requirement for supertall status, according to the Council on Tall Building and Urban Habitat, is 300 metres in height.
In June 2020, an application was submitted to construct an 87-storey tower at 1200 Bay Street, which would reach 324 metres in height, taller than the currently approved version of The One and Pinnacle’s Skytower.
All that is to say, the race to become Toronto’s — and by extension, the country’s — tallest tower is still very fluid.
