COVID-19 may still be in full swing, but that hasn’t stopped hotel and condo builders in the Toronto area from planning for the future.
On the condo front, several tall builds have been started in downtown Toronto, and more are to follow.
Despite the pandemic, there is a revitalization of sorts going on east of Toronto Pearson International Airport. Construction of two new hotels is underway, and four more are proposed. A $20-million renovation to the 528-room Crowne Plaza Toronto Airport, meanwhile, was recently completed.
Here’s a brief rundown on each:
Regal Paza Corporate Centre
Work on the $104-million, 335,650-square-foot mixed-use development is underway at Dixon and Martin Grove roads east of Pearson airport.
Toronto-based SAMM Developments is building the complex, which will have an 11-storey Staybridge Suites Hotel with 193 rooms and two underground parking levels. Completion is slated for spring 2023.
The hotel will step back, starting at the eighth-storey level on both the eastern and western sides, creating a pyramid-shaped roofline. A glass atrium will connect it with an existing five-storey Holiday Inn-Toronto Airport East hotel.
The ground floor will have a cafe and retail shops, while levels two through four will house nearly 65,000 square feet of commercial condos.
avid Hotel
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has started work on its first avid hotel in Canada, just minutes from Pearson airport, on property owned by Pl Cap in Vaughan. The hotel will have 119 rooms across six floors and is expected to open in spring 2022.
“This property marks our first venture into the hospitality industry, and we are excited to partner with IHG to introduce the avid brand to Canadian consumers,” said Sandeep Ahuja, co-owner of Pl Cap. “We look forward to welcoming our first guests at this new property soon.”
Larco Hospitality
The Vancouver-based hotel management company has proposed a four-building hotel campus on the surface parking lot of the existing Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre on Dixon Road at Skyway Avenue.
The development will include four eight-storey hotels. Meanwhile, renovations will be made to the lobby and restaurant of the existing eight-storey Sheraton.
A Moxy Hotel will front Dixon Road at the western edge of the property, while a Marriott will be north of the existing Sheraton. The two other hotels—a Homewood and AC Suites—are proposed for the property’s southeast corner.
The complex also will have banquet spaces, an outdoor pool and gardens, three restaurants, and a two-level underground parking garage.
The building envelope of each structure will consist of a curtain wall and precast panels with green roofs.
Cadillac Fairview
A 46-storey office tower is slowly beginning to rise at 160 Front St. W. in the heart of Toronto’s financial district. Chicago’s AS+GG Architecture designed the project in concert with Toronto-based B+H Architects. The developer is Cadillac Fairview.
Work began in early 2019 with site clearing and excavation of the foundation for four underground parking levels. The tower will feature a curved profile on all four exterior walls and will incorporate the masonry of a 70-year-old, six-storey heritage building previously located on the site.
Upon completion, the tower will be 240 metres tall with 1.2-million square feet of office space and more than 12,000 square feet of retail space.
Smart technology is being integrated into the building, and it is designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification. The completion date is fall 2022.
Bloor Yorkville Residences
MOD Developments Inc. is building a 48-storey condo tower, known as 55C Bloor Yorkville Residences, on Charles Street East in the heart of Toronto.
The project will have 551 condo units in a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom suites, along with two floors of amenities panning 20,000 square feet. The completion date for the project is fall 2023.
The building was designed by architects—Alliance and will be defined by its “building block” pattern of balconies, clad in stone, glass and stainless steel. While newer buildings in the area are primarily glass with white balconies, the architect has integrated a dark-colour palette for the facade and balconies on 55C.
1200 Bay Street
An 87-storey mixed-use tower with 332 condo units is being proposed at Bay and Bloor streets by Kroonenburg Toronto B.V. and ProWinko. At 324 metres in height, it will be the tallest building in Canada.
The building will have 1,097 square metres of retail space and 9,516 square metres of office space.
There is an existing 12-storey commercial office building on the site that will need to be demolished.
The developers are seeking to rezone the property to allow for the build.
The building has been designed by Herzog & de Meuron, and the local architect for the project is Quadrangle.
Canada Square
Oxford Properties is planning to redevelop a 3.7-hectare block at the southwest corner of Yonge and Eglington with a five-tower mixed-use development.
Once completed, the project will have more than 60,000 square metres of office space and 2,700 condo units. Plans for the first stage of the development include a 60-storey, 255-metre-tall tower with 60,000 square metres of office space and 420 condos. In the future, four residential rental towers ranging in height between 45 and 70 storeys will also be built.
Presently, there are a two-level parking garage and three commercial office buildings on the site. A rezoning application has been submitted to the city.
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