Downtown Yonge: Condo plan would save landmark clock

Dennis Hanagan—

A landmark clocktower on Yonge St. north of College would be saved as part of a new condo proposed for the southwest corner of Grosvenor and Yonge.

The 143-year-old clocktower used to be part of Old Fire Hall No. 3 which later became the site of gay-bar St. Charles Tavern. The 45-storey condo at 480-494 Yonge by Kingsett Capital calls for 423 residential units including 26 that are rental replacements.

It would have a 3-storey commercial base, four levels of underground parking with 131 spaces and access to the site from St. Luke Lane on its west side.

The city’s planning department has scheduled a meeting for April 21 at the local YMCA to hear the community’s thoughts.

The proposal requires a zoning by-law amendment for an increase in density and height, breaching the angular plane and other development standards that require site-specific zoning.

Among issues that need to be resolved, says the planning department, are height and density, shadows, implementation of Downtown Yonge BIA’s streetscaping initiatives, and unit sizes and mix.

The proposal calls for 27 bachelors, 272 1-bedrooms, 83 2-bedrooms and 41 3-plus bedrooms.