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The property has been the subject of redevelopment talk at various times in the past 15-plus years, but now with a development application in the hands of city planners, combined with the pub closing, it looks more certain that there will be construction happening there in the coming years.

A transportation study in Urban Capital’s development application says the project is expected to be complete in 2023.

The history of the property includes various commercial uses and auto services, but mostly local retail and professional services, according to a cultural impact report filed with the development application. The neighbourhood that includes the property started developing in the late 19th Century, the report says.

The architect on Urban Capital’s redevelopment project is Toronto’s RAW Design.

The new building would have 64 parking spaces for cars and 72 spaces for bikes in an underground garage.

The design would allow for a commercial outdoor patio.

James Street Pub, which was a Heart and Crown-run restaurant, recently closed because the property redevelopment is on the horizon. The restaurant had one of the largest outdoor commercial patios in the downtown area.

So far, the plan is for the residential part of the new building to have 55 one-bedroom units and 73 two-bedroom units. There would be about 7,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.

The planning rationale for the project identifies the current zoning for building height as 20 metres, but the project proposal calls for a building that’s 30 metres in height. On the other hand, a nine-storey building would conform with the Centretown community design plan, which calls for building heights to be a maximum of nine storeys along the edge of Bank Street.

The planning rationale describes the project as an apartment building, but it doesn’t indicate if the individual units will be rented or owned.

jwilling@postmedia.com

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