Ultra-skinny 63-storey skyscraper would tower over popular Toronto restaurant

Toronto's housing market may be in freefall, but even amid all the constant doom and gloom reports, ambitious residential development proposals continue to land on the desks of city planners.

A new proposal aims to replace an office building east of the Financial District with a sky-scraping tower boasting a unique design.

Developer Premium Group has filed plans to reimagine the site at 59-65 Adelaide St. E., just west of Church St., into a new landmark featuring a one-of-a-kind design from architects BDP Quadrangle.

Goldberg Group

The proposal site, immediately east of the heritage building housing popular Italian restaurant Terroni, includes an existing six-storey commercial building at 59-65 Adelaide St. E., constructed in the 1950s and currently home to GEOS Languages Plus Toronto.

Goldberg Group

With a proposed height of 227.5 metres, the tower's stature would be more akin to the heights seen in the nearby Financial District than those in the surrounding area — which sit within the 145-to-155-metre range. 

In fact, if completed today, the tower would rank as the 16th-tallest building in Toronto.

BDP Quadrangle

However, the site's position within new Protected Major Transit Station Areas — provincially-established areas near higher-order transit where taller development is encouraged — has paved the way for increased density in this pocket of the city.

Other nearby proposals also exceed the existing precedent, such as an 88-storey proposal a short distance away at 23 Toronto St.

And it's not just the height that makes this proposal stand out from the pack. The design's signature feature is a proposed cantilever above the 14th floor where the tower's massing would jut out towards the front lot line.

Aside from its striking design, the tower would boost residential density in the area with the introduction of 357 new residential units, planned in a mix of 203 one-bedrooms, 91 two-bedrooms, and 63 three-bedroom layouts.

The proposal is one of a growing collection opting for no vehicular parking and instead plans a single-level underground floor and mezzanine level with 342 bicycle parking spaces, including 228 for residents and 97 for visitors.

While it would add to Toronto's housing stock, the proposal is planned for a site that was destined to become a Na-Me-Res Indigenous shelter.

Goldberg Group

The shift to market-rate residential (potentially even luxury residential) could prove controversial as the plan works its way through the planning and approvals process.