35-storey apartment tower proposed for Richmond and Oxford intersection

Andrew Lupton · CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

A developer known for stylish rental buildings successful larger markets similar Toronto and Montreal is making its archetypal foray into London, proposing a 35-storey operation astatine the country of Richmond and Oxford streets. 

Fitzrovia Real Estate has submitted a improvement exertion to regenerate the existing — and mostly empty — two-storey commercialized gathering astatine the engaged intersection's southwest country with a tower of 512 apartments. 

The gathering volition cater chiefly to students and young professionals with on-site attractions specified arsenic a gym, rooftop resort-style excavation and a java store that by night, converts into a cocktail bar. 

"We consciousness that London has a blase municipality cloth which deserves large architecture and design," said Fitzrovia CEO Adrian Rocca, who studied concern astatine Western University and knows the metropolis well. 

Rocca said different buildings the institution owns, specified arsenic The Waverly connected Spadina Ave. adjacent Queen's Park successful Toronto, pull tenants with extras specified arsenic on-staff lawsuit co-ordinators who program everything from tenant barbecues to velocity dating events. 

• Studio apartments, each astir 400 quadrate feet successful size
• One-bedroom apartments, about 550 quadrate feet
• Two-bedroom apartments, astir 750 quadrate feet
• Three-bedroom apartments up to 1,110 quadrate feet 

The bottommost 2 floors volition besides big commercialized space. 

Rocca said the marketplace volition find the rental rates erstwhile the gathering is implicit but estimated that a workplace portion astatine today's rates would apt rent for astir $1,700 a month. 

Not each nonmigratory volition person parking

Most of the residents won't person a parking spot.

The developer is proposing 3 levels of underground parking, with 77 conveyance spaces for the building's 512 units. That's successful keeping with changes to metropolis rules that reduced the fig of parking spaces developers are required to supply successful caller buildings. The developer is readying 270 motorcycle parking spaces. 

If approved arsenic submitted, the gathering volition add rental banal to a metropolis mired successful a lodging crisis, but it volition besides person to archetypal wide immoderate readying hurdles.

The tract volition payment from caller metropolis rules that let buildings of up to 16 storeys if they're located on transit corridors specified arsenic Richmond and Oxford streets. However, the projected operation for 743 Richmond St. would inactive transcend the enhanced 30-storey tallness limit, which would necessitate a council-approved, site-specific amendment to the city's authoritative plan.

Coun. David Ferreira said though the connection does correspond a important alteration to the area, wide it stands to adhd residential units and density wherever some are needed: On a downtown batch and located adjacent to transit. 

"I'm looking into the aboriginal and I expect, arsenic we're seeing, you're going to person these high-rise buildings popular up," helium said. "It volition acceptable into the higher discourse of however London is evolving." 

Ferreira said he's met with Fitzrovia staff and said helium expressed to them the value of making definite the gathering fits esthetically on a country that serves arsenic a gateway from the northbound into Richmond Row and downtown London. 

"It's being built in a mode that it's going to plug into that transit corridor," said Ferreira.

Rocca said though determination was immoderate nonmigratory pushback connected a akin gathering projected for the adjacent country of St. George and Ann Street, helium believes it's the benignant of improvement that that assembly tin get behind. 

"You request to enactment density successful strategical areas that person semipermanent infrastructure," helium said. "We would accidental that it's accordant with the authoritative program and the city's views connected density. 

More accusation astir the task is located present connected the city's website. 

The task volition travel earlier council's readying committee successful a nationalist information gathering scheduled for June 10.