Developer Madison Group has filed plans to increase the height of its planned two-tower condo complex at 50 Eglinton Ave. W., from previously approved heights of 33 and 35 storeys, respectively, to a significantly taller plan calling for 46- and 58-storey towers.
The dual skyscrapers will rise from a podium featuring restored facades of a heritage-designed Toronto Hydro substation building.
As of 2024, plans for high-rise development at this site have been evolving for over a dozen years, first as two separate projects before being folded into one. The height sought for this site has almost doubled in the years since first proposed, and it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise for anyone tracking development in this part of the city.
Early 2024 design for 50 Eglinton West before current height increase request.
Building on a 2023 approval for towers of 33 and 35 storeys, the developer filed an updated application at the start of 2024 seeking a slight height increase to 35 and 37 storeys.
Only a few months later, the latest update submitted with city planners this April reflects the changing landscape in the surrounding midtown area, where tower heights and density allotments have skyrocketed in recent years in advance of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
April 2024 vision for 50 Eglinton Avenue West.
The current design from Audax Architecture is a vertical extrusion of the previous plan that maintains all details, including stepbacks and material details.
That updated design introduced in January responds to an agreement that allows the developer to incorporate office space replacement required under the neighbourhood plan to a nearby development site at 90-110 Eglinton East.
According to a letter filed with the City, “As a result of the removal of the on-site office replacement, which altered the design and size of the podium, and to improve the heritage preservation approach to the former Toronto Hydro substation building… Madison engaged Audax Architecture and Turner Fleischer Architects to reimagine the architectural style and expression of the project.”
A total of 1,206 condominium units are proposed in the current version of the plan, with over 98 per cent of the total floor space allocated to residential space. Of that total, 553 units are planned for the shorter west tower, with 653 in the taller east tower.
A sizeable retail component of over 1,300 square metres would animate the base of the complex at Duplex and Eglinton.
The complex would be served by a three-level underground parking garage housing 216 spots for residents and visitors. Most residents would be expected to make use of the Eglinton Line 1 and future Line 5 stations across the street to the southeast for longer-haul commutes.
HALIFAX – A village of tiny homes is set to open next month in a Halifax suburb, the latest project by the provincial government to address homelessness.
Located in Lower Sackville, N.S., the tiny home community will house up to 34 people when the first 26 units open Nov. 4.
Another 35 people are scheduled to move in when construction on another 29 units should be complete in December, under a partnership between the province, the Halifax Regional Municipality, United Way Halifax, The Shaw Group and Dexter Construction.
The province invested $9.4 million to build the village and will contribute $935,000 annually for operating costs.
Residents have been chosen from a list of people experiencing homelessness maintained by the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia.
They will pay rent that is tied to their income for a unit that is fully furnished with a private bathroom, shower and a kitchen equipped with a cooktop, small fridge and microwave.
The Atlantic Community Shelters Society will also provide support to residents, ranging from counselling and mental health supports to employment and educational services.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.
Housing affordability is a key issue in the provincial election campaign in British Columbia, particularly in major centres.
Here are some statistics about housing in B.C. from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s 2024 Rental Market Report, issued in January, and the B.C. Real Estate Association’s August 2024 report.
Average residential home price in B.C.: $938,500
Average price in greater Vancouver (2024 year to date): $1,304,438
Average price in greater Victoria (2024 year to date): $979,103
Average price in the Okanagan (2024 year to date): $748,015
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Vancouver: $2,181
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Victoria: $1,839
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Canada: $1,359
Rental vacancy rate in Vancouver: 0.9 per cent
How much more do new renters in Vancouver pay compared with renters who have occupied their home for at least a year: 27 per cent
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Voters along the south coast of British Columbia who have not cast their ballots yet will have to contend with heavy rain and high winds from an incoming atmospheric river weather system on election day.
Environment Canada says the weather system will bring prolonged heavy rain to Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, Whistler and Vancouver Island starting Friday.
The agency says strong winds with gusts up to 80 kilometres an hour will also develop on Saturday — the day thousands are expected to go to the polls across B.C. — in parts of Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver.
Wednesday was the last day for advance voting, which started on Oct. 10.
More than 180,000 voters cast their votes Wednesday — the most ever on an advance voting day in B.C., beating the record set just days earlier on Oct. 10 of more than 170,000 votes.
Environment Canada says voters in the area of the atmospheric river can expect around 70 millimetres of precipitation generally and up to 100 millimetres along the coastal mountains, while parts of Vancouver Island could see as much as 200 millimetres of rainfall for the weekend.
An atmospheric river system in November 2021 created severe flooding and landslides that at one point severed most rail links between Vancouver’s port and the rest of Canada while inundating communities in the Fraser Valley and B.C. Interior.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
