TheBulletin.ca Journal of Downtown Toronto
Dennis Hanagan –
A preliminary plan for the northwest corner of Front and Spadina would see a mixed-use development of retail, office and residential space bringing about 8,000 dwellers to the site and 5,000 jobs.
It was presented April 14 to Toronto’s design review panel composed of architects, landscape architects, urban designers and engineers.
Sitting on 7.7 acres it’s the work of three developers, each specializing in either office, retail or residential design. Diamond Corp. president Stephen Diamond described it as a new community for Downtown Toronto where people can live, work, shop and play.
Called The Well, it’s bounded by Front, Spadina, Wellington and Draper streets.
Partnered in the plan—located in what the city describes as a regeneration area—with Diamond are Allied Properties REIT and RioCan REIT.
Issues city staff want to address include the project’s built form, shadows on nearby properties, a dedication of on-site parkland, connections to other streets and communities and the area’s heritage.
Draper St., dating back to the 1880s, is designated a heritage conservation district.
The project envisions six buildings with three on Wellington and three on Front, an esplanade on Wellington and a cantilevered boardwalk on Front’s south side next to the rail tracks.
Plan proponent George Dark of Urban Strategies Inc. said the buildings would be layered with retail on the bottom, office space above and residential on top. Cafés and restaurants are foreseen for the Wellington side.
Speaking of the open spaces between buildings, Dark said “we’re trying to create a strong pedestrian environment.” Wellington Place would be an open space with trees. There’d also be a Draper St. garden.
A panel discussion raised issues about tower heights, provision of cultural activities, a need for more green space and sunlight, the density being too high and a better vision for the Front St. side.
The project requires an official plan amendment and a re-zoning application.
