As the new Four Seasons towers on Bay Street get the first of their glass cladding, the old Four Seasons on Avenue is finally on the verge of sliding into history.
On May 18, the
Ontario Municipal Board ruled that developer
Menkes current plan, for two residential towers, one 133 metres, the other 127 metres, on an 18 metre podium for two storeys of retail space, can go ahead.
There had been some controversy about the height, with opposition both from the city and the provincial government due to the effect towers of this high here would have on the north-looking view of the Ontario Legislature. The city had
proposed a slightly lower plan, of 116 metres for the south tower and 99 metres for the north, but it was rejected.
According to the city's planning department, the next step in the process is for Menkes, which is building the new Four Seasons as well, to get what's known as a site plan approval, which involves plans on how garbage will be collected, where fire hydrants are going to go, landscaping, etc. "They're also required to submit a construction mitigation plan," says Louis Tinker with the city's planning office, though he says with the OMB's decision, the rest is just figuring out the details.
There's no word yet on when demolition and construction might begin.
Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Louis Tinker
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