Big office towers planned across from Union Station

Major office towers could be coming to an area already plagued by overlong construction and heavy traffic near Union Station.

The project, which is in preliminary zoning review stages by Hines Interests Limited Partnership, could bring at least one 48-storey office tower to the hub of Toronto commuting at 45 Bay St. and the block to the north across from Union Station.

Renderings of the plans, which have since been removed from the Hines website along with a page dedicated to the project, show a three-tower development across Bay from the Air Canada Centre, where a parking lot now stands. The tallest tower, which appears to be higher than the TD Canada Trust Tower, soars up from the current GO bus terminal and is linked to a 48-storey tower at the Bay Street lot by a retail podium above the Union Station train tracks. A third smaller tower is built up from the roof of the Dominion Public Building at Yonge Street.

Zoning review applications were filed on Aug. 8 for 45 Bay and 141 Bay, but have yet to be reviewed by city staff.

Hines spokesperson Allison Kimmell would not elaborate on the plans when contacted by the Star. We havent made a public announcement about this yet, so at this time were not commenting on it, she said. She would not explain why the project page was removed from the company website, a move noted by forum users at UrbanToronto.ca. It is not clear whether Hines is the only development manager involved with the massive three-tower design.

In 2012, lot owners Ivanhoe Cambridge confirmed to the Star that a 50-storey office tower was planned for the space, but would not elaborate. The company now confirms that Metrolinx and Ivanhoe Cambridge are working together for a new development of mixed-use office space that integrates transportation and a bus terminal, said vice-president of communications Michele Meier.

Anne Marie Aikins with Metrolinx also confirmed this, but noted retail is not part of 45 Bay. She did not say whether that means retail is not a part of the adjacent developments, which the plans reviewed by the Star suggest.

Aikins couldnt say when the project will begin construction as it is still in the very early stages, but assures that it wont start while Union Station is in its current chaotic state.

We would certainly assure that this would be as painless as possible. Before our shovels even run in the ground, Union Station will be finished, she said. Things are moving. I know right now it looks like mayhem.

While no proposal has been submitted to the Toronto planning department for the project, the publicly available zoning review applications outline some of the plans. One application, which proposes structures for a park above the railway, suggests rooftop green space is planned for the retail area connecting the two main towers above the train tracks.

See more here:
Big office towers planned across from Union Station