Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications have been submitted for a 25-storey mixed-use rental tower that would replace a three-storey mid-century office building in Downtown Guelph. Designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects for Fitzrovia Real Estate Inc., the development is the tallest proposal in the area surrounding Guelph Central station, sitting within the city’s Urban Growth Centre and Downtown Heritage Conservation District.

Looking northeast to 70 Fountain Street East, designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects for Fitzrovia Real Estate Inc

The site, municipally known as 70 Fountain Street East and also addressed to 75 Farquhar Street, occupies a parcel bounded by Fountain Street East to the east, Farquhar Street to the west, and Wyndham Street South to the south, just south of Neeve Street. A three-storey office building, dating to the late 1950s, currently occupies most of the property, with surface parking located at the north end of the lot. The lands sit within Downtown Guelph’s heritage core, characterized by a fine-grained street network and predominantly low- to mid-rise buildings.

Looking northwest to the current site from Wyndham Street South, image retrieved from Google Maps

The property has been the subject of prior redevelopment efforts, including an earlier 25-storey proposal that was ultimately reduced to 16 storeys through an Ontario Land Tribunal decision in 2022. That approval incorporated a minimum 1,550m² office requirement. Since then, Official Plan Amendment 106 has increased the permitted height on the lands to 24 storeys. The current application seeks to remove the earlier office requirement and related condominium conversion policy, pivoting toward a fully purpose-built rental building. Identified as a non-contributing structure on a designated gateway site, the existing mid-century office building is proposed for demolition.

Previous design by srm Architects for Skydev

The proposal envisions a 25-storey tower rising to 87.83m with a four-storey podium. The project would achieve a total Gross Floor Area of 33,830m², representing a Floor Space Index of 14.85 times coverage of the 2,130m² parcel. Residential floor area accounts for 31,189m² of the total GFA, complemented by approximately 440m² of ground-floor commercial space fronting Wyndham Street South to animate the public realm. 

Looking north to the podium, designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects for Fitzrovia Real Estate Inc

In total, 424 purpose-built rental units are proposed, comprising 205 studios, 69 one-bedroom units, 85 two-bedroom units, 60 three-bedroom units, and five townhouse-style units as part of the podium. The mix skews toward smaller units while retaining a share of larger family-oriented layouts. Amenity space would be distributed between the podium and rooftop levels, with 545m² of indoor and 940m² of outdoor amenities. Vertical circulation would be served by four elevators, equating to one elevator per 106 units, requiring high speed motors to avoid long waits.

Site plan, designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects for Fitzrovia Real Estate Inc

Parking would be accommodated within a single level of underground garage space and structured parking within the podium, for a total of 95 vehicular spaces. Vehicular access to the underground level is proposed from Fountain Street East, while access from Farquhar Street would serve podium parking and loading functions. A total of 320 bicycle parking spaces are proposed, with 288 long-term and 30 short-term residential spaces, alongside one long-term and one short-term space dedicated to the retail component.

Ground floor plan, designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects for Fitzrovia Real Estate Inc

The site is approximately 250m, or about a four-minute walk, from Guelph Central station, serving GO Transit rail and bus services alongside VIA Rail and Guelph Transit routes. Bus stops are located about 75m from the property along Wyndham Street at Fountain Street, while additional routes are accessible at the station. The surrounding street network supports active transportation, with dedicated bike lanes along Wyndham Street between Carden and Wellington, buffered lanes along Gordon Street south of Wellington, and nearby off-road cycling routes.

An axonometric view looking northwest to the current site and surrounding area, image from submission to City of Guelph

The proposal would join high-rise projects along the eastern edge of Downtown Guelph. To the northwest, 26–40 Carden Street is planned at 14 storeys, while the Baker District redevelopment further west envisions buildings of 17 and 19 storeys. Southeast of the site, 58 Wellington Street East is proposed at 23 storeys. 

UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you’d like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

* * *

UrbanToronto’s research and data service, UTPro, provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe—from proposal through to completion. Other services include Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.​