A 32-storey condo building may be coming to the Distillery District

After years of wrangling, a new condo project envisioned for the historic Distillery District could be about to change the neighbourhood.

On July 8, 2020, an application was submitted to the City of Toronto for a 32-storey mixed-use building with retail and privately-owned public space on the ground floor. The proposal for 33 and 37 Parliament St. was brought forward by Graywood Developments with the design by architectsAlliance. It calls for 485 residential units and 213 parking spaces in three levels of underground parking. The residential units would be comprised of 48 studio units, 226 one-bedroom units and 61 three-bedroom units. It would be set upon a 10-storey podium.

The site was initially pegged for redevelopment three years ago. On Aug, 21, 2017, a numbered company (2547575 Ontario Inc.) submitted a zoning by-law amendment application to the city to facilitate development of the property. The proposal called for 15- and 39-storey mixed-use buildings containing 622 residential units, 1248 square metres of retail space and a three-level underground parking garage.

A December 2017 report from city staff recommended that council refuse the application on the grounds it represented an over-development of the area, did not adhere to the official plan or King-Parliament Secondary plan and did not take appropriate measures to conserve the heritage of the Distillery District.

In February of 2018, the applicant appealed the city’s refusal to make a decision on the application to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

A rendering of the development via the City of Toronto

On May 21, 2020, the OMB, now known as the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) approved the official plan and zoning by-law amendments in principle after the City of Toronto and the applicant came to a settlement, but withheld the final order until certain conditions were met.

Now, the city has received its latest iteration of the plan.

The project also comes amidst other proposals for change in the area, as another Toronto developer is currently seeking permission to build a 31-story hotel in the area at 60 Mill St.