Make your point about Corktown point tower on April 2

By Anisa Lancione —

City staff presented a preliminary report for the most recent rezoning application to be put forward for 126 Berkeley St. at community council on March 26.

The application requests permission to build a 21-storey residential rental point tower containing 238 dwelling units, with two levels of below-grade parking and a four-storey podium containing three townhouse units.

A community consultation has been scheduled for April 2 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Little Trinity Church to discuss the application. The city’s design review panel will also review the proposal.

The site has been the subject of several contested applications in the past. An application for site plan approval to redevelop the site was first submitted in 1998, proposing 19 four-storey townhouse units. In 2006, the current applicant, Concert Properties, requested permission to build a 26-storey tower on the subject property. Subsequent applications were made in 2007 and 2008, none of which addressed concerns about height and built form in the Corktown area designated by the King-Parliament plan.

Another Corktown project getting the go-ahead at community council on March 26 was the official plan amendment and zoning application for 90 Trinity St. and 2 Eastern Ave.

Staff recommended approval of the application to amend the zoning bylaw to permit an eight-storey mixed-use building consisting of 61 residential condominiums (six bachelor units, 24 one-bedroom units, 30 one-bedroom plus den units, and one two-bedroom plus den unit) and one rental unit at-grade.

The proposal provides 32 resident parking spaces in two levels of underground parking, plus three parking spaces for visitors. The existing commercial building (formerly the Downtown Kia dealership) will be demolished.

The site had previously been approved for a six-storey building: a community consultation was held on Feb. 9 where residents expressed “general support” for the revisions, staff notes indicate.

The controversial GO Transit application for 5-7 The Esplanade was on community council’s agenda once again on March 26.

A new application has been made to permit the development of a 27-storey residential tower on top of a four-storey mixed use podium, for a total of 31 storeys that would include 259 residential units.

This proposal replaces an earlier one that had envisioned GO Transit’s corporate offices occupying the site. GO now plans to house itself in the redeveloped Union Station, according to Pam McConnell’s office. The proposal includes six levels of underground parking with a total of 528 parking spaces, 377 of which would be set aside for the residential units..

A community consultation is likely to be scheduled in April.

To attend, contact McConnell at (416) 392-7916 or e-mail councillor_mcconnell@toronto.ca.