A gorgeous proposal to construct a rental tower in Toronto's Liberty Village neighbourhood was given the green light by city council earlier this month despite backlash from the community.

In October 2023, developers Collecdev (since rebranded Collecdev-Markee Developments following a merger) and Shiplake proposed a 43-storey rental tower incorporated into the base of the almost-century-old Liberty Storage Warehouse building at 80 Lynn Williams Street.

While the project aims to bring new affordable housing options to Liberty Village, residents of the neighbourhood — already populated predominantly by high-rises — have campaigned against another high-rise being built at the site.

A petition seeking to stop the development states that "Liberty Village is known for its unique blend of residential and commercial spaces nestled within historic buildings. However, the current density in Liberty Village has reached its limit."

Toronto neighbourhood full of high-rises trying to stop another high-rise https://t.co/HYvqwylMmH

— blogTO (@blogTO) February 23, 2024

Those residents seemed to get their way when the City refused the project in April 2024, though this decision was immediately appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

Following negotiations between the project team and City that resulted in revised plans for the site, including the addition of over a dozen affordable housing units, a settlement offer was tabled in mid-August and approved by City Council during its September 5 session.

The resulting plan features a striking tower rising 44 storeys with a design from architects gh3. With an approved height of just over 149 metres, the tower is poised to become the tallest building in the Liberty Village neighbourhood.

The tower will sprout from a six-storey podium containing over 450 square metres of retail space, which has been almost halved from the initial proposal to accommodate space for a new ground-floor daycare facility that will be owned and operated by the City.

Despite the increased height and an extra storey, the updated plan has actually slashed its unit count by a whopping 68 units, now proposing 520 rentals, including 13 affordable units with a guarantee that they will remain affordable for a staggering 99-year minimum.

A reduction in units may partially alleviate concerns of locals, but it's the reduction in parking that may further ease some residents' worries. The current plan includes a two-level underground garage with 90 parking spaces, just under half the number proposed in the 2023 version.

Building residents, visitors, and employees would instead be expected to make use of over 580 bicycle parking spaces planned on-site, or the growing range of transit options in the neighbourhood that will soon include new stops on the Ontario Line and GO Kitchener line.

Unlike condominium proposals, which must go through a lengthy sales and marketing process and sell most units in order to secure construction loans, rental towers face fewer financing hurdles and often dive head-first into the construction process shortly after approval is granted.

Even before the project was greenlit, the developer prepared for this outcome with the filing of alteration and demolition applications for the existing heritage building on site earlier this summer.