The intersection of Kennedy Road and Highway 401 has been a hotbed of development activity in recent years, with Tridel's Metrogate community adding new residential density to the Scarborough neighbourhood. Now SAMM Developments, owners of the existing Delta East Hotel on Village Green Square, are looking to get in on the action with a proposed redevelopment of their 6.9-acre site, dubbed The Kennedys, that will include three new residential towers of 35, 35, and 45 storeys, along with an expansion of the existing 14-storey hotel and conference centre, and a new 8-storey office building.

Aerial view of the proposed development looking northeast, image courtesy of SAMM Developments.

Aerial view of the proposed development looking southeast, image courtesy of SAMM Developments.

Located on the irregularly-shaped plot of land at the southeast corner of Kennedy Road and Village Green Square, the proposal is broken down into three phases. The first phase would see two 35-storey residential towers sharing a common five-storey podium constructed on the northwest corner of the site, occupying the current parking lot for the hotel and conference centre. Designed by Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects, the two towers would comprise a total of 663 dwelling units, with just over 400 square metres allocated for retail on the ground floor of the building. Three underground levels of parking are proposed, with a five-storey parking structure integrated into the base of Phase One.

Rendering of the two towers of Phase One, image courtesy of SAMM Developments.

Phase Two would include a new 45-storey residential tower located to the southeast of the Phase One towers, and an expansion and renovation of the existing Delta East Hotel and conference centre. The tower would sit atop a five-storey podium, which would link with the podium of Phase One and the hotel, connecting all of the buildings of the development together. The hotel will be expanded within the podium, replacing 78 rooms of the 371 existing rooms and adding 22 more, in addition to upgrades and renovations to the current building. The tower will contain 400 new residential units, with three levels of underground parking.

Rendering of the three residential towers, image courtesy of SAMM Developments.

Phase Three would see an 8-storey office building constructed on the northeast corner of the site connected directly to the conference centre, while the existing five-storey parking structure at the southeast corner of the hotel will be demolished and rebuilt with improved pedestrian connections. The office building will add over 10,000 square metres of new office space to the burgeoning neighbourhood.

Site plan of the proposed development, image courtesy of SAMM Developments.

The public realm is also an important component of the proposal, with a new privately-owned public space (POPS) planned centrally along the northern edge of the site. As well, the podiums of the residential towers will have green roofs, though it is not yet specified if they will be accessible to residents.

Rendering of the proposed POPS, image courtesy of SAMM Developments.

The rapid development of this area is not without reason, as this neighbourhood is at the heart of several proposed transit expansions. With the existing Agincourt GO station located just to the north, projected stations for both SmartTrack and the Sheppard East LRT are close by, while TTC buses run down Kennedy Road to the Bloor-Danforth subway line. Highway 401 is immediately adjacent to the south, giving drivers easy access across the GTA.

Diagram showing existing and proposed transit corridors, image courtesy of SAMM Developments.

Stay tuned for more updates as The Kennedys works its way through the planning process. Want to get in on the discussion? You can check out the dataBase file, linked below, and you can get in on the conversation in the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.