Latest submission taller than earlier versions
By Tanya Ielyseieva
BBB Architects have come back to the community with a new plan for 350 Davenport Rd., near Dupont. Originally submitted in 2015 at 7 storeys (24.2 meters) this project has had multiple re-submissions. The most recent, made in April 2020, is for a mid-rise, mixed-use building with luxury boutique condos at 8 storeys (30 meters).
The project, which has yet to be approved, would include ground floor retail with a mezzanine that will have an overall gross floor area (GFA) of 117 square meters. Total GFA in the building is 1275 square meters.
When the project was first submitted in 2015, it was too big and tall for the Davenport Triangle, which had a height limit of 5 storeys. “The applicant was asked to reduce it to set an appropriate precedent for other new projects on the block and nearby,” said Sipo Maphangoh, senior planner for the City of Toronto.
However, since that time, the maximum height for buildings in the Davenport Triangle has increased, following a community consultation that led to the adoption, in 2018, of guiding principles to inform development in the area. At the time, the Triangle was facing unprecedented levels of development pressure, with taller applications for developments at 314-326 Davenport (8-27 storeys), 342-346 Davenport (9 storeys), as well as a proposal for a smaller office building of 5 storeys at 115 Dupont.
All were eventually approved by settlement at the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). An OMB appeal is underway for the developments at 314-326 Davenport. A 27 storey apartment development at 250 Davenport has already been approved by City Council, so such height in the area would not be without precedent.
“The project [at 350 Davenport Rd.] is slightly taller and bigger since the first submission. The relationship of the building to the lane has improved by providing setbacks that allow clear sight lines for vehicles travelling along Designer’s Walk,” explained Maphangoh. “The separation distance has increased significantly on all levels to mitigate overlook and loss of privacy impacts into the residential properties at the rear and the stacked parking spaces are recessed to allow space for queuing in the lane.”
Eight stories of residential space is proposed for the condominium with a total of 6 high-end units, consisting of a one-bedroom unit, four two-bedroom units, and a three-bedroom unit. Three units are proposed to have two storeys, and three units will take up an entire floor. There will be no affordable units.
“The stepping back of each floor will allow an outdoor terrace with green landscape for each unit, to soften the overall landscape of the building. At the roof level, it will be constructed as a green roof to satisfy the Toronto Green Standard,” said Martin Sun in the application, Project Director at BBB Architects.
Eight parking spaces are proposed and will operate using mechanical lift systems. The parking will be serviced on the back of the building through the Design Walk laneway. The development plans to provide bicycle racks at the lower level to accommodate up to eight bicycles.