Toronto's Yonge and Eglinton area is bursting at the seams with new development, as property owners scramble to maximize residentially-zoned land with added density, some of it on properties which previously had single family homes, and some of it infill on Tower-in-the-Park sites.

The latest project to begin construction here is Shiplake Management Company's Lillian Park, a pair of 25 and 26-storey rental apartment towers designed by Rafael + Bigauskas Architects. Addressed to 45 Dunfield Avenue on a site bounded by Soudan to the south, Lillian Street to the east, a 1967-built 28-storey rental apartment rises to the north, with a recently-built retirement residence appended to it. The two new towers will rise to the south on land formerly used for parking and green space.

North view across the Lillian Park site, image by Forum contributor Fidlefadle

Views of the site captured this week show that shoring work has been completed along the east and south ends of the site, with excavation now progressing for an expansion of the complex's existing underground parking garage. To the right side of the photo below, the future point of connection with the existing tower is now evident.

Northwest view across the Lillian Park site, image by Forum contributor Fidlefadle

With site activity now in full swing, a collection of supporting documents were recently submitted to the City as part of the project's Site Plan Approval application. Details in the documents include shaded elevation diagrams, and a list of materials that will be used on the towers' exterior. The main exterior finish will be white brick patterned precast panels into which will be set windows with aluminum frames. Glass spandrel panels will be interspersed between vision glass where the layouts call for exterior walls. The angled supporting columns lat ground level will be finished in a cement panel cladding, while a perforated metal screen will be used to finish each of the towers' mechanical penthouses.

Elevations for Lillian Park, image retrieved from submission to City of Toronto

A total of 564 residential rental units will be built in the new towers, coming in a mix of 24 bachelor units at an average size of 38.6 m², 398 one-bedroom units at an average size of 46.45 m², and 142 two-bedroom units at an average size of 74.3 m². This addition of residential density will be accompanied by an indoor pool housed in a single-storey structure in the middle of the site, plus a new childcare facility in the base of the south tower, adding an important amenity for the growing population of young families in the neighbourhood.