Plan to transform Toronto office building into huge tower slapped down by City

An ambitious plan to plop a tower on top of an existing office building has been slapped down by planners.

The late 2021 proposal from Slate Asset Management, seeking to add new levels above the Modernist-style 1968-built Padulo Building at 1 St. Clair W., has hit a snag. A new report recommends that City Council refuse the proposed 49-storey development, throwing a wrench in the Gensler-designed development.

And the impending refusal actually has nothing to do with height.

First tabled in December 2021, the plan calls for the current 12-storey office building to be retained, expanded, and modernized, while two neighbouring low-rises at 11 and 13 St. Clair W. — home to Shenanigans Pub and a Pizzaiolo location — would be razed to make way for the new building.

The office building would be renovated and expanded, while the two retail properties on the right would be torn down. Image via Google Street View.

However, a Nov. 10 report recommending refusal of the project cuts the plan down to size, arguing that "The proposal has not demonstrated how a tall building can be accommodated on this site."

"The proposal has not adequately addressed issues including wind conditions,
servicing capacity, vehicle access and loading, or an acceptable relationship with the
designated heritage building," reads the report, adding that "Staff are of the opinion that the proposal does not conform with the Official Plan."

While the report argues that the requirements for a tall building have not been met in this plan, the tower's proposed height of almost 166 metres was one of the few things planners didn't take issue with about the development.

Noting many other planned and approved developments of the area of similar or greater height, the report notes that the proposed height for this site "is acceptable given the site and area context."

Looking southwest to 1 St. Clair. W., showing the retained window pattern of the Padulo Building's existing exterior. 

However, the report goes on to claim that "the size of the site is insufficient to accommodate the setbacks required for a tall building," adding that "the proposed building massing is not acceptable" under current planning policies.

Among the issues cited are projecting balconies encroaching on a reveal section meant to visually separate the new tower from he heritage-designated office building below.

The report also notes that neither a Heritage Permit application nor a Heritage Impact Assessment has been submitted to City planning staff. 

Lacking these unfiled documents, the report notes that "Heritage Planning staff has insufficient information to determine if the proposed Zoning By-law Amendment conserves the cultural heritage values and attributes of the heritage property, consistent with the policy framework."

The report also notes issues with wind identified early in the planning process that have still not been resolved. A late 2021 wind study identified two "uncomfortable" locations in the public realm below the tower that remain outstanding in 2025.

"The wind impacts resulting from the proposal are unacceptable and appropriate mitigation measures have not been identified," the report reads.

In the event that Slate moves to appeal the expected refusal to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT), the report recommends that City Council authorize staff to appear before the OLT in support of City Council's decision to refuse the plan.