A look at how developers want to transform the intersection of King and Dufferin
What it is: A complete reinvention of the intersection of King Street West and Dufferin Street. The proposal is for two condo buildings with retail at ground level. One, on the northeast corner of the intersection, would have 21 floors and 448 residential units. The other building, on the southwest corner, would have 19 floors and 301 units. The existing BMO branch on the southwest corner would stay where it is.
Pedigree: Lifetime Developments had a hand in another neighbourhood-defining project: the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences in Yorkville. The designer, Core Architects, is responsible for glass boxes all over town, including one on the former site of Frank Gehry’s grandmother’s house.
Most promising feature: Unless you want an Egg McMuffin or a haircut, there’s not much for you to do or eat at King and Dufferin. This development would bring almost 58,000 square feet of spanking new retail space to the intersection, giving Liberty Villagers a much-needed respite from all the dog poop and mac and cheese debris.
Risk factor: This would be a dramatic, attention-grabbing change to an important intersection. The extra scrutiny could force the developers to make more compromises than usual.
Likely opposition: Roti fans? The development would force out Island Foods, a Caribbean restaurant with four stars on Yelp. Residents of neighbouring Parkdale may object to the everything-all-at-once nature of the proposal, which totals 40 storeys between the two buildings.
The odds: Clearly, something needs to happen on this corner. Some version of this will probably end up being built.
