Toronto 10 Abitibi | 171.2m | 50s | Amdev | Hariri Pontarini

N

Northern Light

Superstar
Member Bio
Joined
May 20, 2007
Messages
32,456
Reaction score
91,593
Location
Toronto/EY
If you're not from @sunnyraytoronto land you may never have heard of this tiny street, running east from Yonge, 2 blocks south of Steeles.

But you'll all know it well enough with time.

This new application to the AIC seeks to replace SFH at 10-18 Abitibi with a new 50s tower by HP. This is the second 50s tower proposed on/adjacent to this street with one proposed just to the west, fronting Yonge.

Site as is, per Streetview, looking west from 18 Abitibi:

1689255218973.png


You can see 'The Bay' of Centerpoint Mall on the opposite side of Yonge at the terminal view here.

The App:

1689255333093.png


app.toronto.ca

Application Details

app.toronto.ca app.toronto.ca

From the Docs:

1689255443809.png


1689255480175.png


1689255507640.png


1689255533036.png


1689255559150.png


1689255605145.png


* note that full-height images of the tower had to be reduced to 40% to screenshot

Site Plan:

1689255669345.png


Ground Floor Plan:

1689255705141.png


Elevator Ratio: 0.93 elevators per 100 units

Parking Ratio: (68 residential spaces) 0.13

FSI: 16.2

***

Some Context:

1689256005248.png



Comments: Height ask is in line w/the area but high and seems to line up with the Yonge proposal, precedent on the latter will inform the former, but I'd expect a modest haircut here.

Elevator and Parking ratios are good.

Architecture is decent as one might expect from HP, but I actually don't like the asymmetrical expression at-grade.
 
Last edited:
yrt+viva=1system said:
I’ve now lost track of what number of recent proposals we’re at for this area lol.
Click to expand...

The context shot above shows us 9 proposals (many more towers), south of Steeles, but there are also several in Markham and Vaughan.
 
Sometimes when you take a step back, what we are doing in this city is kind of bananas. Are there other cities planning several 25 to 50-tower forests in single family home suburbia? Maybe in China and some of the Asian megacities this is not unusual, but I doubt there are many/any cities in the west doing this kind of thing. Perhaps Vancouver on a smaller scale around Skytrain stations.
 
afransen said:
Sometimes when you take a step back, what we are doing in this city is kind of bananas. Are there other cities planning several 25 to 50-tower forests in single family home suburbia? Maybe in China and some of the Asian megacities this is not unusual, but I doubt there are many/any cities in the west doing this kind of thing. Perhaps Vancouver on a smaller scale around Skytrain stations.
Click to expand...

I concur, though will add, this is the Steeles Station MTSA on the YNSE, so intensification should be expected here; but there is somewhere that could land between the extant 1-2s form and 50s.
 
And all of a sudden the yellowbelt is easy to assemble and redevelop. Let's get going on the Steeles BRT. Gonna need the Yonge bike lanes up to here as well.

yrt+viva=1system said:
If the heights are anywhere near what is proposed, this might be the “tiny street that could.”

I’ve now lost track of what number of recent proposals we’re at for this area lol.
Click to expand...
Over 20,000 units proposed I believe.
 
Hmm, this one to me is the opposite of "good from afar, but far from good". Lots of really nice detailing going on in the closeups, but from a distance the whole thing looks kind of jumbled and haphazard. You've got individual balconies on a large portion of the building, but then one quadrant with wraparounds which is especially jarring.

I'm sure it will go through many changes and refinements by the time something is built though, and HPA has done some of my favourite work in the city as of late, so I remain hopeful.
 
afransen said:
Sometimes when you take a step back, what we are doing in this city is kind of bananas. Are there other cities planning several 25 to 50-tower forests in single family home suburbia? Maybe in China and some of the Asian megacities this is not unusual, but I doubt there are many/any cities in the west doing this kind of thing. Perhaps Vancouver on a smaller scale around Skytrain stations.
Click to expand...

Northern Light said:
I concur, though will add, this is the Steeles Station MTSA on the YNSE, so intensification should be expected here; but there is somewhere that could land between the extant 1-2s form and 50s.
Click to expand...

I'm definitely in support of tower density where there is a brownfield/mall/big box space next to a subway station, but I can definitely sympathize with residents of Abitibi and nearby blocks, given the sheer scale of the development.

Ideally, this type of development never should have happened, but we're in a housing crisis that will need big (and tall) solutions.
 
Northern Light said:
I concur, though will add, this is the Steeles Station MTSA on the YNSE, so intensification should be expected here; but there is somewhere that could land between the extant 1-2s form and 50s.
Click to expand...

If I could though why did the North York planning Department all of a sudden decide to blow up these single-family areas when for over a decade it has fought harder than any other district to prevent density along existing subways like Sheppard avenue and the North York Center.

Something is seriously up with this area...is the city afraid Vaughan will capture all of the YNSE capacity? and through it development charges/taxes?
 
realpolytics said:
If I could though why did the North York planning Department all of a sudden decide to blow up these single-family areas when for over a decade it has fought harder than any other district to prevent density along existing subways like Sheppard avenue and the North York Center.

Something is seriously up with this area...is the city afraid Vaughan will capture all of the YNSE capacity? and through it development charges/taxes?
Click to expand...

Beyond what I've said so far, I don't know that I could offer any meaningful insight. Sunnyray likely could; and @ProjectEnd might be able to add to that, I don't know.
 
realpolytics said:
If I could though why did the North York planning Department all of a sudden decide to blow up these single-family areas when for over a decade it has fought harder than any other district to prevent density along existing subways like Sheppard avenue and the North York Center.

Something is seriously up with this area...is the city afraid Vaughan will capture all of the YNSE capacity? and through it development charges/taxes?
Click to expand...
To answer you more directly, the "North York planning Department did not all of a sudden decide to blow up these single family areas." All of the municipalities in the area are being forced to accept much higher densities around transit stations as provincial law has changed; it now requires municipalities to take much higher densities than they did before within 800m of a station.

42
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top