Toronto's New Proposed "Downtown Tall Buildings Vision and Performance Standards Design Guidelines"

These Guidelines which include “performance standards” for new developments are going to City Council for adoption in July 2012 and are important for developers to be aware of. What follows is a summary of some of the information available on the City of Toronto’ website:

Background: During the past decade residential and mixed-use development in Downtown Toronto has increased dramatically, much of it through buildings which are much taller than the City’s current zoning by-law maximum height limit provisions anticipated. The style/character of tall buildings has changed over time from one with a shorter and bulkier floor-plate to taller point towers with smaller floor plates. Today, tall buildings are being sited closer to each other and to the edges of established mid and low-rise areas. The smaller lot sizes in the Downtown and the fragmented nature of lot ownership which makes land assembly more difficult; the somewhat irregular laneway system that causes challenges for servicing of multi-storey buildings and a sensitive historic context, has created special locational challenges for assessing/reviewing tall building development in Downtown Toronto. In 2006 a set of guidelines were produced that were City wide and are used in reviewing development proposals. Further consultations and studies were carried out since then to identify appropriate areas in the Downtown Toronto area for intensified growth and sites where tall buildings should be permitted.

For the complete article view the document below.