Stunning Toronto tower proposal is 4 times as tall as last plan for same site

A long-dead proposal to redevelop a heritage church property in Toronto has resurfaced, only much larger than what was planned for the site just four years earlier.

The major redevelopment scheme would see a breathtaking tower sprout from the 1887-built St Luke's United Church at the corner of Sherbourne and Carlton, planned to rise 48 storeys and reshape the local skyline in the process.

Positioned at the junction of two busy TTC routes, the site is primed for intensification, though the scale being sought might raise some eyebrows in the community.

Developer Kindred Works' application for 353-355 Sherbourne Street features a design from KPMB Architects, incorporating heritage retention work from ERA Architects, which would feature a dramatic mid-section between the tower and heritage base, boasting sweeping arches that create a dialogue between the old and new volumes.

The current plan would preserve the original 1887 church and the attached 1912-built Sunday School, and demolition of the later 1929 and 1962 additions.

 1890s archival photo of the church. Toronto Public Library.

While the design has undergone a shift that promises to introduce a new landmark to the neighbourhood, locals may be less enthusiastic about the sheer scale of the proposal. The current plan for 353-355 Sherbourne is four times the floor count of the previous 12-storey residential proposal that would have wrapped around the heritage property.

12-storey plan proposed in 2021.

At almost 173 metres in height, the updated plan for the site is an enormous increase over what was sought by planners in 2021.

This massive height increase comes with a correspondingly huge leap in the proposed unit count, increasing from 100 residences in 2021 to the currently proposed 440 rental units. A significant share of these units — 132 of the total — would be designated as affordable rentals, increasing from the just 30 affordable units contemplated years earlier.

Neighbourhood amenities, including a flexible event space, an event hall, and a street-fronting cafe, would account for over 1,450 square metres of the building. However, despite the 4x increase in height and units, the proposed community uses have been slashed in half from the over 3,000 square metres proposed in 2021.

A planned privately-owned publicly-accessible space along the church frontage has also been scaled back in size by approximately 24 square metres compared to the earlier plan, and is now proposed to offer just 226 square metres of space.

With ample transit options in the surrounding area, the plan calls for a minimal parking component of just 39 spaces for residents and visitors, housed in a two-level underground garage, an increase from the previously planned zero-parking version.

Cycling infrastructure will absorb much of the anticipated transportation needs, with the plan increasing from the 148 spaces planned in 2021 to the current 484 bicycle parking spaces proposed.

The proposal landed with the City in early September, and further details about community response to the plan will emerge during the neighbourhood consultation stage in the months to come.