Toronto Rental Tower Aims for 50% Family-Sized Units
A newly proposed 40-storey rental tower in Toronto’s west end would see about half its units built as larger, multi-bedroom homes.
Plans for 736 Bathurst St. in Mirvish Village include 386 market-rate rental homes, with roughly 50 per cent of those designed to be two- or three-bedroom units, according to a development application by MOD Developments and Montez Corporation.
The tower would include 158 one-bedroom, 153 two-bedroom and 39 three-bedroom units as well as 36 studio apartments.
“We believe there are the markets in that area that people will want to rent units of those sizes,” said MOD Developments CEO Gary Switzer.
Switzer said the building aims to support families but is also near the University of Toronto St. George campus, where students will be looking for affordable homes for during the school year.
The proposal is a shift from what’s been built in the last decade, as developers focused on “micro-condos” or smaller condo units aimed at investors. But with the condo crash, experts say the pivot to more purpose-built rentals could bring larger units the city is desperately needs.
The tower’s percentage of family-sized units is higher than Toronto’s average among units in the development pipeline, according to the city. Last year, more than 62 per cent of proposed units in Toronto citywide were studio and one-bedroom units, according to the city’s development activity bulletin from 2025, with family-sized units, considered two- and three-bedroom units, accounting for 38 per cent.
City spokesperson Frédérique Mazerolle said the percentage of larger units in the pipeline has remained constant in recent years.
The new tower will be less than a five-minute walk from Bathurst Station, making it an ideal spot for new rentals, said Switzer.
The site is currently home to the former Bathurst Methodist Church, built in 1888, and a former Sunday school that’s currently being used by the performing arts centre Randolph Theatre.
The school will be mostly demolished for the rental tower, but the church will be preserved at the base of the rental tower.
“That also adds appeal for people,” Switzer said. “They’re moving into a piece of history.”
There is no timeline yet for when the units will become available to rent, said Switzer, as they wait for their application to move forward.
“We could start construction as soon as we have approval.”
In a market focused on expensive condos, building more purpose-built rentals fills a need for families and students looking for rentals near campus, and creates more affordable options for tenants who can share larger units and split the rent, said Tyeshia Redden, an assistant professor of urban planning at the University of Toronto.
Before the condo crash, she said it was not uncommon for multiple students to squeeze into “shoebox condos,” making the space unlivable. She’s heard stories of her students cramming multiple roommates into a single one-bedroom unit.
“It’s been a wake-up call for developers to stick to housing (models) that are sustainable,” she said. “Purpose-built rentals are where they need to be focusing their attention.”
Builders and developers are now focused on what the market demands, amid an ongoing condo crash and affordability crisis, said John Pasalis, president of Realosophy Realty, a Toronto real estate brokerage.
“Not everyone has the down payment or the income to afford to buy a townhome or semi-detached home.”
It’s been decades since Toronto’s developers have prioritized family-sized units, instead favouring “micro-condos,” said Pasalis.
With the lack of affordable housing in the 736 Bathurst St. project, Pasalis said it will be up to future landlords to ensure the rent is set at a reasonable price.
“We’ve effectively been shutting families out by only building 500-square-foot condos,” said Pasalis. “This is a positive step to bringing families back into the city.”
This article was first reported by The Star
