The city's swing towards intensification, embodied in such recent projects as
Lippincott Living,
12 Degrees and several
Streetcar developments, continues this summer as
83 Redpath opens its doors.
Designed by
Sweeny Stirling Finlayson & Co. Architects Inc. for the Benvenuto Group (which also owns the recently condofied Benvenuto), the project replaced a 19-storey 70s slab with an 80-car surface parking lot attached into a 22-storey tower with townhouses, a condo-rental combo that more than doubles the site's coverage density, from 2.0 to 4.56, and increases the number of units on the 1.6 acres south of Eglinton and west of Mt. Pleasant from 185 to 397.
The original building also had 57 bachelor suites and 36 two-bedroom units, while the current configuration eliminates bachelors and increases the number of larger, more family-friendly suites to 60 (each of which has a den in addition to the two bedrooms).
"We actually made the street a lot more urban, a lot more interesting, a lot more pleasant," says architect Dermot Sweeny. In addition to having space for 38 visitor bicycles on the ground level as well as scores of underground spots for residents' bikes, Sweeny also points out that none of the townhouses have driveways.
"We're seeing a tremendous decline in demand for parking," Sweeny says." As the cost of living in an urban situation go up, there is a new generation that is dropping the cars, which is fabulous, and we've got to support them."
Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Dermot Sweeny
Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or renovating, even a cool new house in the neighbourhood? Please send your development news tips to [email protected].CORRECTION: This story originally stated the development would run from 185-212 Mt. Pleasant.