Jennifer Keesmaat’s next affordable rental project is about to break ground in midtown

As half-empty condo towers and an impending recession cast long shadows across the city, big players in the real estate industry have shifted completely to building rental units, many of them with affordability baked in. Now, former chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat’s firm, Collecdev Markee, is entering the fray with a modern sage-green 39-storey high-rise a stone’s throw from Davisville station.

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The parcel in question sits on Merton, a quiet residential street in midtown. Working with Keesmaat and CreateTO, the city consolidated 275 Merton (which it owned) with Collecdev Markee’s adjacent 267 Merton, buying the land from the developer and then leasing both plots back to the firm on a 99-year term—a move designed to unlock financing and secure long-term rent control.

The building was designed by GH3 and comes with a leafy exterior (more Nordic minimalism, less glass box). It will offer just under 500 purpose-built rentals, from studios to three-bedroom apartments, about 30 per cent of them earmarked as affordable. Future residents will have access to a two-floor wrap-around outdoor space with sweeping views—but, notably, there’s zero tenant parking and only 22 spaces reserved for visitors.

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Keesmaat, who headed city hall’s planning office from 2012 to 2017, became known for pushing the Eglinton Crosstown framework and running against John Tory for mayor in 2018. She remains a vocal advocate for rent control, bike lanes, walkability, laneway housing and gentle density across Toronto.

Early construction work like site prep, fencing and demolition of the previous building at 275 Merton has already started, with other parts of the proposal in the final stages of approval.