The huge Toronto Star parking lot at the base of One Yonge Street looked even bigger this week when sketches
leaked showing an as-of-yet undiscussed 30-storey tower. The sketches show a
major ground-level retail component across Queens Quay to form the bulk of the development land, for which the developer purportedly paid more than
a quarter of a billion dolllars.
The sketches, by
Hariri Pontarini for
Pinnacle Interntional, show a crystal-shaped glass tower with what looks like three storeys of ground-level retail. Given the site's proximity to several major Waterfront Toronto developments, as well as a large
Loblaws and one of the city's two biggest
LCBO outlets, the addition of this much retail could significantly increase the amount of traffic, both pedestrian and automotive, to the currently quiet section of town.
According to a member of Councillor Pam McConnell’s office, who was not authorized to speak on the record, the sketches are very preliminary and can’t even be considered until the
Lower Yonge Precinct Study is complete, which won’t be for at east six months.
The staff member expressed the hope that the new proposal would be informed by that study, which is expected to prioritize office space in any major development in the area, which abuts the Waterfront Toronto revitalization area to the east.
Sarah Henstock, a senior planner with the city, confirms that there has been no formal application from Pinnacle, and regarding the precinct study, she says "We would hope that it would inform their application. It’s really up to a property owner what they want to apply for and how they want to work through a process." But, she adds, "Some property owners do work with us, and some, not so much."
The sketches, which may turn into the official proposal, feature five towers, the highest of which is 98 storeys, which would make it the tallest residential or office building in the country, beating the current record-holder, First Canadian Place, by 26 storeys. Tom Yim, the spokesman for Pinnacle's Toronto office, says they'll probably be waiting for the study to be released before going ahead with their final plans and proposal.
The Toronto Star building itself is expected to remain the same.
Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Pam McConnell
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