Ontario Construction News staff writer
Construction has started on The Riv, a 37-storey purpose-built rental development that will add more than 350 units to Toronto’s downtown-east neighbourhood.
Broccolini officially broke ground on the project at River and Queen streets, bringing together city officials, consultants, trade partners and members of the project team to mark the start of construction.
The project represents a shift from Broccolini’s original plans for a condominium development. The company repositioned The Riv as a purpose-built rental project in response to changing market conditions and demand for long-term rental housing.
The development will incorporate a geothermal energy system to support building heating and cooling while improving long-term energy performance and advancing the project’s sustainability goals.
Broccolini will also deliver a new publicly accessible park as part of its broader development efforts in the neighbourhood, adding green space and helping connect the surrounding community to the growing network of parks and open spaces in the area.
“Toronto’s downtown east continues to emerge as one of the city’s most dynamic growth corridors,” said Phil Brennen, vice-president of real estate development at Broccolini. “We strongly believe in the long-term potential of this neighbourhood. Repositioning The Riv as purpose-built rental allows us to move forward with a project that responds to Toronto’s evolving housing needs while reinforcing our commitment to building in the city.”
Located at River and Queen streets, The Riv is being built in an area undergoing significant redevelopment and growth. Broccolini’s construction team is now mobilizing on site, with completion targeted for 2029.
The project adds to Toronto’s growing pipeline of purpose-built rental developments as the industry responds to continued demand for housing and efforts to increase the city’s rental supply.
