Paving the way for a new Four Seasons
By Robin Chubb - Spacing.ca
with files from the City of Toronto
The demolition of the old Ford dealership on Yorkville Avenue is now complete as part of site preparations for the new Four Seasons hotel/condo proposal which will stretch from the historic fire station west between Yorkville Avenue and Scollard Avenue to Bay Street.
The proposal is for two towers, one 46 storeys at the corner of Bay and Yorkville and the other of 30 storeys on Scollard adjacent to the existing recently completed mid-rise residential building.
The proposal also includes a new urban square/park to complement the one built to the east of the fire hall and Yorkville library as part of the 18 Yorkville development, along with an integrated linear connection joining the two parks behind the library and fire hall.
While the drawings certainly don’t show that the new park at this point will have the panache of the one designed by JRALA, the proposal has been given City approval, but I believe it has been challenged at the OMB by community and residents groups, with a decision still to come. More info (from the City) can be found here, OMB case details here and here.
Despite the enormous amounts of money involved in such large scale developments, it’s a sobering thought that surface parking is so profitable that it’s the first thing you do while waiting for your official go-ahead.
Four Seasons Development Application
An application has been submitted for the redevelopment of the lands on the east side of Bay Street between Yorkville Avenue and Scollard Street for a mixed-use development consisting of two buildings. One building is a 205 metre (55-storey) hotel-residential tower located at the northeast corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue. The second building is a 125 metre (30-storey) residential tower on the south side of Scollard Street east of Bay Street. Open space is proposed at the southeast corner of the site adjacent to the Fire Station on Yorkville Avenue.
The development proposal is for a mixed-use development consisting of two buildings, a 205 metre (55-storey) hotel-residential tower at the northeast corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue and a 125 metre (30-storey) residential tower on the south side of Scollard Street east of Bay Street. The floor plate for the hotel portion is 1,225 square metres and above that, the residential portion of the tower has a step back of 4.6 m along the east and west walls and a floor plate of approximately 955 square metres. The floor plate for the 30-storey building is approximately 735 square metres up to the 8th storey, stepping back to 665 square metres above that height.
The at-grade street frontages of the podium building along Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue consist of retail uses along both frontages and the hotel lobby would open onto both Bay Street and an internal courtyard. The lobby for the 30-storey building would also open onto Scollard Street. The residential lobby of the 55-storey building would also open onto the internal courtyard.
The 55-storey tower would sit atop a terraced 6-storey podium building, which would occupy the entire Bay Street frontage on the site. The two towers would be linked together with a central access courtyard at grade, as well as by a pedestrian bridge at the 6th storey level.
The 55-storey tower would comprise of a 23-storey, 265-room hotel and the remaining 32-stories above the hotel floors consist of 150-unit condo residential tower. The second to the fifth floors would accommodate ballrooms, banquet rooms and meeting rooms for the hotel. At the sixth floor level, there would be a fitness facility and a swimming pool on a rooftop terrace overlooking Scollard Street. The 30-storey tower would contain 180 units.
Vehicular access would be provided from both Yorkville Avenue and Scollard Street. The internal courtyard would provide access to drop-off areas for the hotel lobby and the two residential towers. Ramp access to a four level underground garage would be located in the northwest corner of the courtyard. The 1st level of parking will contain the limousine/taxi waiting area. Loading would be located within the podium building facing Scollard Street.
———————————————————————————
Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information
