Condo tower to replace tiny homes in fast-changing Toronto neighbourhood

A quiet cul-de-sac in Midtown Toronto is the latest target of that neighbourhood's ongoing condo boom.

Developer Madison Group has filed an application seeking approval for a new condo tower to replace a group of houses at 21-35 Henning Avenue, just northwest of the Yonge and Eglinton intersection and steps from the future intersection of the TTC's Lines 1 and 5.

The application proposes a 34-storey condo tower in place of the current group of four pairs of semi-detached houses dating back to the 1920s, on the east side of the short cul-de-sac street.

The Turner Fleischer-designed tower is proposed to rise 119 metres above Henning Avenue, featuring a curved roofline that would stand as a unique departure from the current rectilinear area skyline.

A total of 390 condominium units are proposed in place of the eight current dwellings, planned in a mix of 29 studios, 217 one-bedrooms, 14 two-bedrooms, and 40 three-bedroom suites.

The building could prove a haven for cyclists, offering a ground-floor bicycle parking room with 124 spaces (including 53 for e-bikes) and a bike repair station.

The ground floor would also offer a pet spa for dog owners to keep their furry friends clean, which would double in helping to minimize maintenance fees associated with tracked mud.

A tall tower on a site currently occupied by low-density housing may dredge up concern among locals, however, there is a pretty decent argument for density here when you step back for wider context.

The block of Eglinton to the immediate south of the site will soon be built out with similarly-sized towers, while even taller heights are approved to the east at the corner of Duplex and Eglinton.

Such plans, while likely to ruffle feathers on surrounding blocks, are only likely to become more common once the long-overdue Eglinton Crosstown comes online and transit service improves in the area.

For now, development may have slowed somewhat from its peak in the 2010s, but the Yonge and Eglinton area is still primed for some of the most sweeping changes on tap for any neighbourhood in the city.

The area's major streets are quickly filling with tall towers, and now, even quiet blocks of single-family homes are on the chopping block as Yonge and Eglinton's vertical growth spurt spreads deeper into the neighbourhood.