Residents say the new development will block sightlines of the clock tower and railway terminal.
Some residents of a tony mid-Toronto neighbourhood are worried that a new 26-storey condo development threatens the area's defining built heritage: an historic train station and clock tower.
Cobe Architects, based in Denmark, devised a modern two-tower structure of eight- and 26-storeys encompassing 182 rental units and retail outlets on an L-shaped site along Scrivener Square at Yonge and Price streets just south of the railway station – now the flagship store for the provincial liquor retailer.
Local resident and realtor Lucille Chenoweth says she worries the plans for 5 Scrivener Square will exacerbate traffic in an already congested area and overshadow the railway terminal that soldiers, such as her father, travelled through on the way to serve in the Second World War.
"That place has a lot of history and is definitely one of our main historical buildings in the City of Toronto," Ms. Chenoweth says. She notes that other new structures that have gone up around the clocktower, notably at 20 Scrivener and 25 Scrivener, have heights lower than the clock tower.
"Once they set a precedent for allowing 26-storeys in that neighbourhood – where the highest building is 12-storeys high – then there are going to be other developers who want to do the same."
In the Cobe design, the tallest portion will rise in the southeast quadrant so as not to block sightlines of the clock tower, and the podium would be set back at various heights around several historic high-end retailers on Yonge Street.
The design also calls for retail spaces off a courtyard designed by Montreal-based Claude Comier +Associés, and a possible tunnel to the Summerhill subway station. "So you could have direct access to the subway from our building," says Bob Blazevski, executive vice-president and chief operating officer of the project's developer, Diamond Corp.
Mr. Blazevski says the company met with concerned locals in November.
"Coming through from the working group, there were some alternative ideas and changes that seemed to be important to them, so we've started making some changes that are not officially filed with the city at this point.
"With the holiday coming up it's difficult to arrange a lot of meetings now, but we want to give city staff some time to digest the comments and … we'll continue to try to address concerns accordingly."