Location: 277 Wellington Street West
Developer: Reserve Properties, Westdale Properties and The Rockport Group
Architect: IBI Group
Toronto’s Entertainment District has been a hotspot for new condo towers over the past decade, and the 2020s will be no different. Major high-rises such as Mirvish+Gehry and 55 Mercer will soon take shape along the King Street West corridor, just minutes away from another recently proposed tower for the former site of Crocodile Rock on Adelaide Street West.
And, just before the holidays, another new tower proposal was submitted to city planners last month for Wellington Street West, not far from Spadina.
On December 23rd, 2020, a Zoning By-law Amendment application was submitted to construct a 66-storey condo at 277 Wellington Street West. The developers involved are Reserve Properties, Westdale Properties and The Rockport Group.
The development site spans approximately 14,917 square feet on the southeast corner of Wellington Street West and Blue Jays Way. A nine-storey glass and steel office building with a vacant ground-floor restaurant currently occupies the land, and would be demolished to make way for the new high-rise, the planning rationale by WND Associates explains. A public laneway adjacent to the rear property line provides access to an underground parking garage and loading areas.
A combination of residential, office and retail uses would be incorporated into the proposed tower, spanning approximately 505,849 square feet of gross floor area. A nine-storey base building constructed near the eastern lot line would contain one ground-floor retail space fronting onto Wellington Street West and 98,694 square feet of replacement office space. Separate lobbies and elevator bays would be included for the office and residential portions off of Blue Jays Way.
The vertical tower portion would rise from the ninth floor and include various structural setbacks. The 41st and 42nd floors would be reserved for the majority of the tower’s amenity space, with additional amenities included on the 10th and 40th levels.
A south-facing terrace on the 10th floor would account for the bulk of the high-rise’s communal outdoor space, which would include a children’s play area and an adjoining indoor area. Architectural drawings by IBI Group depict space for a spa, gym, games room, movie theatre, party room and co-working space from the 40th to 42nd floors.
The tower would include 645 condominium suites, broken down into 54 bachelor, 376 one-bedroom, 149 two-bedroom and 66 three-bedroom units.
A five-level underground garage, accessible via a ramp from the existing public laneway, would contain 93 parking spaces, 71 of which would be for resident use. Car share services have also been proposed for the garage, along with 687 bicycle parking spaces throughout the development.
In the neighbourhood, sales continue at Empire Maverick Condos, while registration is open at 101 Spadina.
