Frequently Asked Questions

1140 Yonge is currently occupied by Staples Business Depot and a surface parking lot.

Understanding the number of units, and the type of units being proposed, is a good way to get a sense of the scale.  Currently, the proposed building includes 66 units of varying sizes, with an average unit size of roughly 2,250 square feet.  We are proposing the following mix of unit types: 

• 17% 1-bedroom units – 11 Units
• 65% 2-bedroom units – 43 Units
• 18% 3-bedroom units – 12 Units

Another way to get a sense of the scale is to look at how many units we are proposing in relation to the residential gross floor area (GFA). When we do a comparison of our building to other buildings with a similar residential GFA, they tend to have approximately 2.5 times the number of units. This means a more typical building would have nearly 150 units versus the 66 units that we’re proposing. This speaks to the fact that we are trying to create a building with larger, liveable units for a range of household and family sizes.

In addition to the proposed residential units, there will be roughly 14,000 square feet of high-quality commercial retail space, spread across the first and second floors, within the existing heritage footprint, fronting Yonge Street and the eastern portion of Marlborough Avenue. This space might include a restaurant and a couple of smaller retail storefronts. In any case, the tenants and uses will be consistent with, and supportive of, the character of the neighbourhood and contribute to a lively, high-quality public realm and pedestrian experience.

We now consider ourselves stewards of the best property in the best neighbourhood in the city. Consequently, we feel a great responsibility to realize something truly exceptional. Our principal goals are: to revitalize the existing heritage building; to reanimate the corner of Yonge and Marlborough, with high-quality, active uses at street-level; and to deliver a landmark residence, one that we hope will one day become a fully-designated heritage building.

The design and vision for the new building has been centred around celebrating and elevating the extraordinary heritage of the site. From the beginning, we were drawn to the site’s incredible history as the former Pierce Arrow car showroom.

The following points illustrate our efforts to put the buildings heritage front and centre:

• Repair the original façade along Yonge St and part of Marlborough including rebuilding the cornice line that was removed during the 1960’s
• Working with local artisans to restore and, where necessary, replace the existing grotesques
• Carrying the classical rhythm of the existing structure through the massing and proportions of the proposed design
• Reopening the high, arched windows of the former Pierce Arrow showroom to the street

The goal of this project is to be as forward thinking as Pierce Arrow was when they created their top of the line vehicles and progressive showroom to display them.  We want to employ the same ingenuity and apply it to developing a new residential building that reflects both the neighbourhood, and today’s Toronto.   

1140 Yonge is an exceptional property, worthy of an exceptional building. With our proposal, we have imagined what we believe to be the best building in the city; one that will:

• Respect and reintroduce important heritage details:
• Reintroduce the public to the building with a lively and active pedestrian experience;
• Reach for the highest sustainability standards; and
• Stand as one of Toronto’s landmark contributions to world-class design and architecture

We think that intensifying the site is the right move, and it’s necessary to realize the promise of delivering an exceptional building.  It has also been important for us to consider the context in relation to transit.  This site is incredibly well-served by transit, just a few minutes’ walk from the existing Summerhill and Rosedale Subway stations. What’s more, our doorstep will be roughly a 100 metres to the future south entrance to the Summerhill subway station. By providing new homes and retail amenities close to transit, this building will leverage higher order transit to accommodate additional density on a site that has remained relatively unchanged since the 1930’s. 

The loading area is all internalized within the building. This configuration means that the loading activities (which include garbage pickup) will be “out of sight” from residents of the building, visitors, passersby and neighbours.  Access to this covered loading area is provided off Marlborough Avenue, in a similar location to the existing access to the Staples Business Depot parking lot.  

We are also exploring the possibility of having larger vehicles exit the site to MacPherson Avenue to the south via the existing public lane. This would have the advantage of enabling larger vehicles to make use of the existing traffic lights at the intersection of Yonge and MacPherson, reducing the incidence of queuing at the corner of Yonge Street and Marlborough Avenue. 

To assess the impact the new building will have on traffic in the area, we have enlisted transportation consultants, BA Group, to perform a Transportation Impact Study.  BA Group found that the new building generated fewer vehicle trips during both weekday morning and afternoon peak hours, when compared to the current number of trips generated by Staples Business Depot. Further detailed information can be found in the Transportation Impact Study.

We understand that construction brings disruption and while we can’t eliminate it entirely, we are committed to working proactively with the community to mitigate as much of the disruption as possible. As the project nears construction, we will develop a Construction Management and Communication Plan in collaboration with the Community that places safety as the most important item. 

One of the key pillars of our vision for 1140 Yonge is to work towards achieving higher standards of building sustainability and performance. It is very important to our team that we aim to minimize and mitigate impacts our projects may have on our climate and local environment and to leverage our platform in the development industry to raise the bar.

At 1140 Yonge, in addition to exploring the use of geothermal heating and cooling and Tier 3 of The City of Toronto Green Standard, we are exploring the feasibility of becoming the first privately developed mixed-use multifamily building in the city to achieve Passive House standards. Whatever form energy and carbon reduction efforts may take, we are committed to setting an example for responsible, environmentally sensitive development.

We think that aspects of this project can create a very positive precedent in the neighbourhood; by bringing a commitment to heritage preservation, high-quality architecture and construction, livable units and engaging retail. However, there are also characteristics of this property that make it unique along this stretch of Yonge Street, between Rosedale and Summerhill.  Other properties along Yonge Street do not have the same depth as 1140 Yonge, which serves to limit their potential as redevelopment sites.  

At a depth of approximately 75 metres, 1140 Yonge is much deeper than typical lots along this stretch of Yonge, which provides greater opportunity for redevelopment and transitions to the surrounding neighbourhood. Based on our review, all of the lots on the west side of Yonge Street (both north and south of our site) have depths of approximately 40 metres or less, with many lot depths below 31 metres. In this respect, our site is unique.

We hope that, through working with the community, we can create a project that is positively received by the neighbourhood and can be pointed to as an example of thoughtful design.

It is too early to provide potential pricing for units, particularly since we are still going through the application review process.  But we can say that the cost of units in the building will be on par with the prevailing market rates in the area for similar building types.  We think that our potential future purchasers will be families currently in the neighbourhood who want to downsize, and people who want an uncompromising alternative to a single-family house in Rosedale/Summerhill.