A $17-million project to densify a small section of the
Annex just west of Spadina Road is being completed this week, after several
rounds of
controversy with the local residents' association. The project, led by
59 Project Management for owners Hanfrow
Holdings G.P. Inc., saw the building of two rental buildings at 88 Spadina,
with a total of 91 units, and 12 townhouse condos at the corner of Bernard and
Walmer.
The project was designed by Quadrangle Architects.
The Annex Residents Association opposed the 88 Spadina
project, mostly as the result of shadows the original design would have cast on
the backyards of some Walmer Road homes. According to 59 Project Management's
Philip Marsland, the design was altered to break the building into two to allow
more light through to address the residents' concerns. "The Annex Residents
Association was quite strong and vocal against it," Marsland says. "The
developer and the architect did a very good job in accommodating the desires of
the residents and we had a very open discourse throughout the entire process."
This week, the finishing touches were put on the townhouse
condos, designed in a neo-Edwardian style and built on the former site of the original tower's parking lot, which has
been expanded and put underground. The first residents are expected to move in
at the end of the week.
Writer: Bert Archer
Source: 59 Project Management