The City of Toronto just approved an enormous 76-storey skyscraper, which, if completed today, would rank as the second-tallest building in the entire country.

On Thursday, city council adopted official plan and zoning by-law amendments that formally greenlit a planned 76-storey condo tower from developer KingSett Capital at 645 Yonge Street.

The tower would replace several existing low-rise commercial and mixed-use buildings at the northeast corner of Yonge and Isabella with a new landmark by Chicago-based Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architects featuring a sculptural form, and topped by a stunning atrium with panoramic views of the city.

Toronto is getting a spectacular curved atrium atop a new downtown skyscraper https://t.co/rk40lpDWfp #Toronto

— blogTO (@blogTO) October 25, 2022

At a height of 280 metres, the only taller building that currently exists in Toronto (or anywhere else in Canada) is First Canadian Place. While 645 Yonge would claim second place on this ranking if completed today, it will never actually achieve this honour.

Even taller buildings buildings are already planned and under construction in the city which will reduce this project's significance on the skyline.

The Sky Tower, The One and Concord Sky buildings, all currently under construction, will become the country's tallest buildings upon completion, while the upcoming west tower of the Frank Gehry-designed Forma project will likely become the city's fourth "supertall" skyscraper exceeding 300 metres before the 645 Yonge project is realized.

The project's approval may not be welcome news for local pub The Artful Dodger, which took issue with the proposal and sought to have the development scheme stopped, claiming the new tower would "loom" over their property.

Toronto pub is trying to stop a 76-storey tower claiming it will 'loom over' property https://t.co/WdPEgE2TbE

— blogTO (@blogTO) May 9, 2024

The project will introduce 789 condominium units to the area, along with almost 800 square metres of new retail space.