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This edition of our Growth to Watch For series continues westward from our recent Central Scarborough instalment, exploring all of the development happening in the neighbourhoods east of the Don Valley. This region is seeing an explosion of nearly exclusively mid-rise development, mainly concentrated along major arteries such as Danforth Avenue, Gerrard Street, Kingston Road, Queen Street, and Eastern Avenue. Our route follows a winding path through a section of the city that is quietly experiencing a flurry of gentle densification, beginning in Oakridge and making our way west and south through Birch Cliff, Upper Beaches, The Beaches, Leslieville, Riverside, and The Danforth. We have compiled below a list of all projects nearing completion, all buildings currently under construction, and all developments proposed and awaiting approvals on the east side of the Don.
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We begin in the southwest corner of Scarborough in the Oakridge neighbourhood with Danforth Square, a proposal by Time Development Group at 250 Danforth Road just east of Warden Avenue. Designed by Kohn Partnership Architects, the development includes a 9-storey 190-unit mid-rise condo building with grade-level retail along Danforth Road, as well as 18 freehold townhouses and 89 stacked townhouses on the interior of the site. The project is currently in sales.
Just down the road, The Hi-Rise Group is proposing Spice Urban Towns at the corner of Danforth Road and Danforth Avenue. Designed by Kohn Partnership Architects, the 4-storey stacked townhouse project totals 116 units in a variety of configurations, and having received final approval from City Council last spring, the project is hoping to break ground soon.
Turning westward onto Danforth Avenue, a proposal for a 6-storey mid-rise was recently announced for 3359 Danforth Avenue, a site that has long been occupied by a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. Featuring a design by David Peterson Architect Studio, the proposal calls for a modest 27 units with a commercial space on the ground floor.
Continuing westward, a proposal by Kayra Holdings at 3258 Danforth Avenue was submitted late last year for an 8-storey mid-rise on the site of an existing car dealership. Designed by Sol-Arch, the building would house 30 units with retail at grade.
Continuing westward to the southeast corner of Danforth Avenue and Main Street, a pair of high-rises are proposed to join three existing high-rise rental buildings at Main Square. The slow-moving development from Talisker Corporation, first approved for rezoning in 2003 and initially submitted for site plan approval in 2006, has recently been reincarnated with a modified version submitted to the City back in December. The new proposal from Graziani + Corazza Architects would see a 15-storey rental tower constructed on the northwest corner of the site, and a 32-storey rental tower constructed on the southeast corner, totalling 512 new units on the property. Demolition of existing commercial buildings is apparently already underway.
Moving further west, Diam Developments' On the Danforth at 2359 Danforth Avenue is gearing up for construction. The Onespace Unlimited-designed mid-rise will be 10 storeys in height with 139 units and grade-level retail included. The majority of the units have now been sold, so look for the project to break ground sometime this year.
Just down the street, Canvas Condominiums is proposed by Marlin Spring Developments at 2301 Danforth Avenue, a site currently occupied by an abandoned historic (albeit, heavily altered) hotel. Designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects, the 8-storey mid-rise would add 170 new units, 14 of which will be rental, and grade-level retail to the Danforth. The project is currently seeking site plan approval at the City.
We now leave Danforth Avenue (don't worry, we'll be back later!) and turn south on Coxwell Avenue, to a new affordable housing proposal at 355 Coxwell. Headed by Innstead Co-operative Housing and designed by LGA Architectural Partners, the 6-storey co-op building at the northeast corner of Coxwell and Gerrard proposes to add 33 residential units and one grade-level retail unit to the neighbourhood, replacing an existing one-storey strip mall currently occupying the site.
Turning eastward on Gerrard Street, we head past the intersection of Gerrard and Woodbine Avenue, where Beach Hill Residences, a 6-storey 29-unit rental building by Carlyle Communities was recently completed. Featuring architecture from RAW Design, here's how the building looked in June of last year.
Further east on Gerrard, development may be coming to a large unused property known as the Runnymede Lands at 411 Victoria Park Avenue, on the northeast corner of the intersection with Gerrard. The former quarry and landfill site is divided into two segments, with Build Toronto owning the eastern portion and The Conservatory Group owning the western part. Back in 2011, The Conservatory Group proposed a pair of towers on the western portion of the site, where the lands are zoned to allow four high-rise residential buildings totalling 1,455 apartment units. Nothing has since come of this, but more recently, in September 2015, City Council approved Build Toronto's master plan for the eastern half of the site that would see retail and commercial development along Victoria Park, with medium-density residential development, mainly in the form of apartments and townhouses, in the interior of the site, which would also include a public park. At this time, there has been no concrete evidence of the advancement of either of these developments, though the potential remains for a proposal to pop up in the near future.
Just across the street from the Runnymede Lands, the Tree House, an edgy proposal from Symmetry Developments, Fortress Real Developments, and Engine Developments with Winnipeg-based 5468796 Architecture would see a former industrial property at 2535 Gerrard East redeveloped with three blocks of 3-storey stacked townhouses. A total of 37 units with a mix of two- and three-bedroom units would be housed in the boxy structures. A final report from City Planning released in January recommends the development for approval, which will be voted on by City Council in the second week of March.
Continuing eastward, adjacent to the Runnymede Lands at 168-184 Clonmore Drive, Clonmore-Queensbury Ventures Inc. is proposing a residential development with seven blocks of 4-storey stacked townhouses. Designed by KFA Architects, the project would total 118 units and includes a one-storey public amenity building at the northeast corner of the site.
Turning south on Warden and making our way down to Kingston Road, Manorgate Homes is proposing to build Birch Cliff Village Urban Towns, a 4-storey 12-unit townhouse building designed by Guthrie Muscovitch Architects at 1548 Kingston Road, just east of Warden. The proposal replaces a previous application to the City for a 4-storey 22-unit apartment building first submitted in 2013.
Heading west on Kingston Road, it has recently come to light that Core Development Group has purchased a plot of land at 1470-1494 Kingston Road, just east of Warden, and plans to redevelop the existing commercial strip into a 120-unit mid-rise condominium building with grade-level retail. An official application has yet to be submitted to the City, but the intent of the developer was confirmed by Ward 36 Councillor Gary Crawford earlier this year.
A group of new mid-rises is slated for a stretch of Kingston Road west of Warden Avenue and opposite The Toronto Hunt Club. Beginning at 1400 Kingston Road, the Upper Beach Club Condos by Mutual Development Corporation and Laurier Homes would see a 7-storey 41-unit mid-rise designed by Onespace Unlimited constructed on the site, where demolition of the existing low-rise commercial and residential buildings is already complete.
One block over, a rezoning application was submitted at the end of last year for 1376 Kingston Road to allow the construction of a 7-storey 52-unit residential building on the site of existing low-rise commercial structures. As none of the required documents have been made public yet, it is unknown who the developer or architect is and what the building will eventually look like, but stay tuned for more news on this development as it becomes available.
Continuing one block westward, Infinity Development's Residences at the Hunt Club at 1346 Kingston Road is just beginning construction, with excavation complete and the tower crane installed. Designed by Onespace Unlimited, the development will see a 9-storey 73-unit mid-rise constructed on the site, so look for the concrete frame to rise out of the ground by the end of the year.
On the opposite corner of Kingston Road and Queensbury Avenue, construction on Wilkinson Developments' Hunt Club Terrace Condos is nearing completion, with the exterior cladding finished and work continuing on the interiors. Designed by RAW Design with JH Rust Architects, the 6-storey mid-rise will add 17 new residential units to the growing neighbourhood, and will be complete soon.
Continuing westward to the next block, another mid-rise is proposed for 1316 Kingston Road, a project headed by Sunrise Gate Homes and featuring architecture from RAW Design. This is the third submission for this particular property dating back to 2014, and would see a 7-storey mid-rise constructed with 30 residential units, joining the slate of new density planned for this stretch of Kingston Road.
Moving west to the intersection of Kingston Road and Victoria Park Avenue, Kingston&Co Condominiums is currently under construction, with the project by TAS, Main and Main, and First Capital Realty adding 145 new units to the avenue. Featuring a terraced stepped-back design by Teeple Architects, construction on the 10-storey building has now reached the fifth floor, so look for the mid-rise to top off midway through this year.
Pushing further west on Kingston Road, Mitchell & Associates' Beech House is at an earlier stage of construction. The 6-storey mid-rise at 907 Kingston Road is designed by Richard Zeigler Architect and will add 93 units to the Upper Beaches neighbourhood as well as bringing an expanded YMCA location to the area. Excavation is now complete five storeys down, and the tower crane installed, so look for the building to rise above grade sometime in 2017.
Just across the Beech Avenue and another property west, a proposal at 847-853 Kingston Road by Gabriele Homes is currently making its way through the planning process. The 6-storey mid-rise which overlooks the Glen Stewart Ravine (in this case, the trees in the rendering really do surround the site), is designed by architectsAlliance and is looking to add 29 new residential units to the neighbourhood.
A block west at the southeast corner of Kingston and Winthorpe roads is the now complete Winthorpe Modern. We do not normally include completed buildings in Growth To Watch For articles, but developers Kingston Beach Inc. took an unusual route with this building and built it before its homes were sold. Potential buyers will be able to get a look inside during the weekend of March 4 and 5, and be able to inspect the eight George Popper and Andrew Pike-designed homes, without having to buy from plans.
Further west at the intersection of Kingston Road and Main Street, both phases of Streetcar Developments' The Southwood are currently under construction on either side of the road. Phase One is located at 663 Kingston Road on the southeast corner of the intersection, and will rise 6 storeys with 56 residential units and grade-level retail. The building has nearly topped off, with cladding beginning to be installed on the lower floors.
Phase Two is located at 646 Kingston Road near the northwest corner of the intersection, and will rise 6 storeys with 107 residential units and a ground floor child care centre. Construction on this building is ahead of its sister mid-rise, with the building topped off and cladding installed on most of the exterior. Both buildings ares designed by TACT Architecture.
On the north side of Kingston Road between the two phases of The Southwood, another mid-rise is making its way through the planning process at 650 Kingston Road. Proposed by Demirov Fine Homes and designed by RAW Design, the 7-storey condo building is looking to add 75 new residential units and grade-level retail to the densifying Kingston Road corridor.
Heading further west into the Upper Beaches neighbourhood, another mid-rise was submitted for rezoning late last year at 507-511 Kingston Road by Vista Nova Development. Featuring a design from architectsAlliance, the 9-storey 57-unit condo building would replace three single detached houses on the south side of the road with a tapered red brick mid-rise.
Arriving at Woodbine Avenue, we turn north, then continue our westward route via Eastwood Road, heading over to the Gerrard Street corridor, where more mid-rises are planned for the trendy Leslieville and Riverdale neighbourhoods. One property west of Leslie Street, WoodGreen Community Housing is looking to redevelop their property at 1117 Gerrard East, currently occupied by the historic former Riverdale United Church. The church will be replaced by a 5-storey apartment building designed by LGA Architectural Partners with 35 alternative housing rental units targeted for seniors and a community centre space at grade. The proposal is currently seeking rezoning and site plan approval at the City.
South on Jones Avenue between Gerrard and Dundas, One6Nine Jones Townhomes is proposed by Lifestyle Custom Homes on the site of the former St. Clements Anglican Church, which includes the conversion of the church into condos. Initially announced back in 2010, the first iteration of a mid-rise building was rejected by the City and appealed to the OMB. However, a change of ownership and a revised design earned the support of City planners, and the project was finally approved with all parties in agreement just a few weeks ago at the OMB. The proposal by Open Architects will see the conversion of the existing church into 14 residential units, while to the south, a separate stacked townhouse development will add a further 12 units to the site.
Continuing west on Gerrard, another mid-rise is slowly making its way through planning at 354 Pape, opposite Gerrard Square. Proposed by Sigma Properties and designed by ATA Architects, the 8-storey 30-unit building features an angular design with non-residential units on the ground and second floors, and is located on a site that is potentially set to profit from the future GO/SmartTrack and Relief Line transit stations proposed adjacent to this location.
Continuing west on Gerrard, a proposal was submitted at the end of last year for 794 Gerrard East, currently the Beer Store site at the corner of Gerrard and Logan Avenue. Designed by George Popper Architect and headed by Grid (Logan) Inc., the 5-storey mid-rise would add 58 new residential units with retail uses on the ground floor.
Just to the south of the intersection of Gerrard and Logan, a development at 485 Logan Avenue is proposed to replace a vacant one-storey commercial building with a 6-storey apartment and stacked townhouse mid-rise on the western edge of the site, and a 4-storey stacked townhouse building on the east side of the site. Designed by SRN Architects, the complex would total 71 new residential units with an exterior courtyard providing outdoor amenity space.
Continuing south on Logan, we hit Queen Street, the busy stretch of trendy shops stretching parallel to the beaches, where once again we find a host of new mid-rises coming to the avenue. We begin with 875 Queen East, just west of Logan, where Harhay Developments is constructing a new 7-storey 122-unit mid-rise on the former site of the Red Door Shelter. Designed by OFFICEArchitecture, the building includes the rebuilt facades of two heritage storefronts on the northeast corner, and will provide a new home for the Red Door Shelter, whose current home, a church, the demolition of which is close to complete now.
Turning eastward along Queen, demolition has cleared the site of another mid-rise at 897 Queen East. Dubbed The Logan, The Daniels Corporation is planning to construct a 6-storey condo building on a former commercial property. Designed by Giovanni A. Tassone Architects, the building comprises 69 residential units and includes grade-level retail along Queen.
At the southwest corner with Pape is 1001 Queen East. Developed and designed by 33 Developments, the 6-storey condominium with retail at ground level was recently brought to market and reportedly sold quite well.
At the northeast corner with Bertmount Avenue, a submission for a 4-storey residential building with retail at ground level was submitted to the City at the end of January for 1130 Queen East. The design is by Sedun + Kanerva Architects.
Moving eastward along Queen, Rockport Group is developing George Condos and Towns at 1331 Queen East, just west of Greenwood Avenue, which will see a 6-storey mid-rise along Queen and a 4-storey townhouse block to the south constructed on the site of existing semi-detached dwellings. Featuring architecture from RAW Design, the two structures comprise a total of 88 new units, with grade-level retail integrated along Queen.
Just on the east side of the TTC's Greenwood Yard, Loft 45 Condos is planned for the vacant site at 39 Connaught. Originally proposed by Berkshire Axis Development back in 2010 featuring a Quadrangle Architects design, recent documents submitted at the start of the new year indicate that the site has been sold and the previous proposal has been scrapped. New drawings show an architecturally different proposal designed by Guitberg Group, rising four storeys with 18 new condo units.
Continuing east into The Beaches, Marlin Spring Developments is proposing WestBeach Condominiums, a 6-storey mid-rise slated just past the northeast corner of Queen and Coxwell Avenue. Designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects, the building will add 89 units to the neighbourhood with grade-level retail along Queen.
Pushing eastward, another mid-rise is coming to Queen Street with Two Hundred The Beach, currently under construction on the northwest corner of Woodbine Avenue. Headed by The Riedel Group and designed by Richard Ziegler Architect, the 6-storey mid-rise will add 30 new condo units to the trendy Beaches neighbourhood. Look for this one to rise out of the ground this year.
Across the street, Fieldgate Homes and Hullmark are now selling suites at the mid-rise Heartwood The Beach on the northeast corner of Queen and Woodbine. Designed by Quadrangle Architects, Heartwood The Beach is slated to rise 6 storeys with 37 condo units with retail at grade.
We head south on Woodbine Avenue, continuing to follow it as it turns to the west and becomes Lake Shore Boulevard. A couple kilometres west at the southwest corner with Leslie Street, a new SportChek store is planned to join the commercial complex. Designed by Turner Fleischer Architects, the two-storey building is currently seeking site plan approval.
On the northwest corner, an interesting proposal was discovered early last year when AUDAX Architecture posted on their website a rendering of a mixed-use project for Craft Developments' existing FreshCo commercial complex at 731 Eastern Avenue. The proposal called for two or three storeys of retail at ground level, and several storeys of residential above in a pedestrian-oriented complex of mid-rises. However, there has been no development application submitted to the City, and the property is designated as Employment Lands (therefore an official plan amendment would also be required), so there is no telling yet whether this is a serious proposal or just a hopeful idea.
Moving northbound on Leslie Street past this potential redevelopment site, we turn left onto Eastern Avenue. Here, new development will have to integrate with both the residential neighbourhoods to the north, and the industrial areas to the south.
A half-dozen short blocks to the west, a new development is coming to Hollywood North with StudioCentre, a mixed-use employment district at 629 Eastern Avenue, headed by SmartCentres and designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, which aims to create a new digital media hub anchored by film production studio Revival 629. The district will also host a new hotel, new retail and food services, and a public realm design aimed at creating a neighbourhood feel. The project was approved at City Council back in 2015, but there has been no movement since.
Further west, the former Weston's Bakery at 462 Eastern Avenue is slated for an extreme makeover, with Graywood Developments and Alterra proposing to redevelop the property into a mixed-use mid-rise building. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, the proposal would add a 9-storey 308-unit condo building to the site with ground floor non-residential uses, while retaining and restoring a southern portion of the 1920s-built 4-storey bakery. The site was purchased last summer, with the documents submitted for rezoning in December 2016.
Across the street from the bakery, a new self-storage facility is planned for 459 Eastern Avenue by All Canadian Self Storage. Originally slated to be a multi-building mixed-use development, the proposal changed last year and now includes only one building with a single use. The 4-storey building is designed by Teeple Architects and is currently seeking site plan approval at the City.
We now come to the one of the most talked about and buzzworthy projects in Toronto over the past year with East Harbour, First Gulf's master plan to transform the former Unilever site, a 60-acre property located on the south side of Eastern Avenue and east of the Don Valley. The master plan, designed by renowned Dutch starchitects OMA with local firm Adamson Associates, calls for a new employment district for some 50,000 people occupying nearly 11 million square feet of office space. A host of new buildings are proposed, ranging in size from a 49-storey tower down to 4-storey mid-rises, all clustered around a central plaza. Included in the proposal is roughly 2.1 million square feet of retail space, potentially creating a new retail hub comparable in size to Yorkdale Mall. The most notable aspect of the project, however, is perhaps a new multi-model transit hub, which would link an expanded GO service, a new Relief Line subway, and a new Waterfront LRT under one roof. The proposal is still very much a concept, however, a rezoning application filed by First Gulf earlier this year represents the first step in the process of making East Harbour a reality.
West of Broadview Avenue, fronting the north side of Eastern Avenue but focused on Queen Street, another massive redevelopment of former industrial and commercial properties is underway with Riverside Square. Headed by Streetcar Developments, the project encompasses five mixed-use buildings of 20, 14, 14, 14, and 13 storeys totalling 898 new residential units, retail, a new park, and car dealerships. To be built out in phases, the first will be the 20-storey tower constructed at the centre of the site and designed by RAW Design, with further residential to follow designed by Giannone Petricone Architects. Phase One is currently underway with excavation now complete and the tower cranes soon to be installed.
Moving east half a block to the intersection of Queen and Broadview, the highly anticipated revitalization of the Broadview Hotel (former home of Jilly's) by Streetcar Developments is almost ready to open its doors. Last year we were treated to the unveiling of the restored exterior from ERA Architects, but work on the interiors is still ongoing. The long-awaited opening of the hotel is scheduled for later this year.
Just east of Queen and Broadview, a proposal at 763 Queen East has recently been revived with new renderings submitted last year as part of the rezoning application. Designed by KAVE Architects, the project would see a 5-storey 29-unit mid-rise condo building with grade-level retail constructed on the site of three existing historic storefront properties.
Moving north on Broadview Avenue, we make a quick detour to the west along Dundas to take in the construction on Grand Touring Automobiles' new dealership alongside the DVP. Progressing quickly, the 4-storey building has topped off with most of the structural system in place, so expect cladding installation to begin shortly. The sprawling complex is designed by Weis and Plaston Architect Limited.
Continuing north, a mid-rise proposal at 796-802 Broadview Avenue, near Broadview subway station just north of Danforth Avenue, is slowly making its way through the planning process. Proposed by Shaun Developments and designed by Options Architects, the 6-storey mid-rise would replace three single-family houses and add 30 new residential units with grade-level retail to the neighbourhood.
Reversing a block, we now turn eastward along Danforth Avenue for our final leg of this instalment, we pass through Greektown, soon coming to Sunday School Lofts. A redevelopment by Grid Developments of the 1925-built Temple Baptist Church at 14 Dewhurst Boulevard, it is just north of Danforth and Jones Avenues. The project would retain the facade of the church building and incorporate it into the 4-storey condo building. Designed by George Popper Architect, the development will add 32 new units to the busy Danforth corridor.
Continuing east, a rezoning application for a mid-rise development at 1030 Danforth Avenue, just east of Donlands Avenue, was approved last fall, but no redevelopment activity has been seen since, and space in the existing building is currently being advertised for rent. Designed by Bernard Watt Architect, the proposal would see an 8-storey mid-rise constructed on the property, comprising 53 residential units and grade-level retail.
Finally, we end our tour east of the Don at The Greenwood, a 9-storey mid-rise proposed for the southwest corner of Danforth and Greenwood Avenues. Headed by Sierra Building Group and Fortress Real Developments and designed by Kirkor Architects, the 102-unit condo building would replace a surface parking lot and commercial building along this busy stretch of the Danforth.
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Our next Growth to Watch For story will turn north and explore development happening in the East York and Don Mills areas of Toronto. In the meantime, make sure to check out the dataBase files and associated Forum threads for each of the projects mentioned for more information. You can tell us what you think of all the developments happening in the city by joining the discussions in the threads, or by leaving a comment in the space provided on this page!
