1.6K 
High-rise development is happening all over this city, but a few major streets seem to have captured the bulk of large scale projects going on in the downtown core. One of those streets is Bay Street, with over a dozen high-rise residential and commercial projects having recently been completed, are under construction or still in the planning stages. From the north end of Bay at Davenport Road to its terminus at Queens Quay West, we take a look at the projects making Bay Street buzz with development activity.
Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences
Topped off earlier this year, the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences by Lifetime Developments, Menkes and Alcion Ventures has made a dramatic impact on the upper-downtown skyline with its 52-storey tower at the corner of Bay and Scollard.
The Pemberton Group's 55 and 44-storey towers of the U Condominiums are currently being built on former St. Michael's College/University of Toronto property at the corner of Bay and St. Mary.
Cresford Developments' 1Thousand Bay is in the pre-sale stage and will be built on the southwest corner of Bay and St. Joseph on former surface parking lot and where Bistro 990 once stood.
The Britt Condos by Lanterra Developments will be a retrofit of the old Sutton Place Hotel at the corner of Bay and Wellesley, adding 11 storeys to the original structure.
The Burano by Lanterra Developments was finished earlier this year, and straddles the block between Grosvenor and Grenville on the west side of Bay. UrbanToronto recently covered some of the art installations in the Burano's lobby.
Completed in 2010, Murano is another project by Lanterra. It sits across Bay Street from the Burano with two towers of 45 and 35 storeys each.
The 32-storey Lumiere by Lifetime Developments and Menkes was finished in 2011, and is located across the street from College Park at 770 Bay.
SickKids Research and Learning Tower
At the corner of Bay and Elm rises the 21-storey SickKids Research and Learning Tower by the Hospital for Sick Children. The 750,000 square foot will house advanced research and learning facilities when it opens in 2013.
Motion on Bay by Concert Properties is unique in the sense that its units will be all rental and not for sale as with the vast majority of developments happening in Toronto. It is scheduled to be finished this fall, and rises 29 storeys at the southwest corner of Bay and Dundas.
The Bay Adelaide Centre by Brookfield Properties is a two tower complex of 51 and 44-storeys each. The taller tower, at the norteast corner of Bay and Adelaide (Bay Adelaide Centre West), is already finished and construction on the shorter Bay Adelaide Centre East has already begun.
Trump International Hotel and Tower
One of the most popular topics of discussion in our Forum has been the Trump International Hotel and Tower by Talon International, and for good reason. Most anything the Donald does is usually a topic of discussion. The Trump Tower competes for skyline attention with its taller neighbours to the west and south.
First Canadian Place Rejuvenation
While Canada's tallest office tower has been around since the 1970s, First Canadian Place by Brookfield Properties received a much-needed facelift between 2010 and 2012 with its handsome exterior recladding. The old marble facade didn't handle Canadian weather very well and began to crumble and rain down hundreds of of feet to the corner of Bay and King below.
The busiest transportation hub in Canada is Union Station, which rests between Bay and York on the south side of Front Street. It is getting a $1 billion makeover to increase capacity and upgrade its services in a joint venture between the City of Toronto and Metrolinx.
UrbanToronto recently toured some of the penthouses in the 53-storey 33 Bay Residences by Pinnacle International at Bay and Harbour, which has already begun to be occupied.
This concludes our tour along Bay Street. Lots of development happening every step of the way. There are a few more sites on Bay still up for grabs by developers, so we'll be keeping an eye on proposals to come!
