sorry my mistake, the proposal was hotel + residential, not hotel + office
I remember seeing old applications before where Fairmont (previously Canadian Pacific Properties) being related to the parcel west of 18 York (aka Block 7B) ... anyhow, I dug through the City Planning staff reports from 2002 (
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/2002/agendas/committees/to/to020129/it007a.pdf) and can confirm OPA + ZBA was approved through
By-law 548-2002 and
By-law 549-2002 to permit a mixed hotel-residential tower on Block 7B, in effect to create a similar product as Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and Shangri-La
having said that, this was their intentions in 2002, I'm not sure whats the plans are now 6 years later ... well at least it appears they are utilizing the office perimission sought for 18 York Street (aka Block 7A)