Two huge condo towers proposed to rise above quiet Toronto cul-de-sac

A new condo complex could dramatically alter the landscape of a quiet Toronto cul-de-sac, proposed to replace eight single-family homes with a pair of high-flying condo towers.

Developer Osmington Gerofsky has filed plans with the City for a proposed condo complex just southwest of Glencairn subway station.

The proposal would see a group of four houses at 253 through 263 Viewmount Avenue, and another four houses at 12 through 18 Romar Crescent, a quiet cul-de-sac one block to the south, all levelled to make way for a pair of 39- and 35-storey condo towers.

Romar Crescent. Google Street View.

Designed by Wallman Architects, the proposed buildings read as vertical extrusions of the slab-style apartment blocks prevalent in the blocks to the south. Though at approximate heights of 126 and 114 metres, these towers would be far taller than those that exist in the area today.

However, while two huge condo towers in this location may raise alarm bells for locals, there is a pretty solid argument for high-density development on this site, thanks to the adjacent Glencairn subway station on the TTC's Line 1.

The station's Viewmount Avenue entrance is just a quick 100-metre hop from the proposal site, providing access to a transit link that could easily support much more density. Glencairn Station was ranked the 9th-lowest in ridership for Line 1 stations in 2022, recording an average daily ridership of just 16,118 passenger trips.

There is also a proposed improvement that would benefit the wider community in the form of a planned parkland dedication that would extend the existing Benner Park by approximately 565 square metres.

This park extension and a proposed mid-block connection further west linking Romar Crescent and Viewmount Avenue would give locals a quicker path to and from the subway station.

The two entirely residential towers are proposed to contain 1,055 condominium units, with no retail or commercial space included in the plan.

Aside from the height, one sticking point for area residents may be traffic concerns over the plan to include over 220 parking spaces in a two-level underground garage as well as spaces for over 1,150 bicycles.