Surrounding the Burger King at the southwest corner of Lawrence Avenue East and Midland Avenue in Scarborough are three 70s slab-style rental apartment buildings accompanied by plenty of vacant green space around them. Now, landowners Arsandco are advancing a Quadrangle-designed proposal to intensify development the of property. The plan for 1380 Midland Avenue aims to fill in the blanks in the "tower-in-the-park" urban landscape here by inserting seven new buildings—six towers and a mid-rise—among the existing apartment buildings on the site. According to documentation submitted to the City, the proposal supports the City's efforts of intensification of under-utilized sites that are well-served by municipal infrastructure.

View of the subject site's location, image retrieved via submission to the City of Toronto

The mixed-use proposal will bring new uses to the site, with plans for residential, retail, recreational, and office space included. The development is parcelled into four blocks mixed in and around the three existing 16-storey residential towers. The proposal outlines high-rise towers with heights ranging from 21 to 27 storeys fronting Midland and Lawrence, and an 8-storey mid-rise building. Office and retail space is planned for two of the three buildings on Midland, and both buildings on Lawrence. In addition, the proposal includes privately owned public spaces for communal use and improvements to the public park in the southwest corner of the site. 

View of the street front along Lawrence East, image retrieved via submission to the City of Toronto

In 2016, an initial rezoning application was submitted to the city. Following a community consultation and municipal review, numerous revisions were made including reconfiguration to the built form for reasons of aesthetics, practicality, and integration into the local context. Some key changes were made to building proportions to address massing concerns, such as dropping the podium heights from 8 storeys to 6. Additionally, the resubmitted proposal includes redesigned outdoor space to optimize pedestrian accessibility and enjoyment. Changes also include a reduction in paved area and surface parking, a greater variety of unit sizes and types, and revised plans for the public spaces on the site. 

At-grade view of commercial space, image retrieved via submission to the City of Toronto

1380 Midland Avenue upon completion would 147,048 m² of gross floor area, of which 1,733 m² would be dedicated to retail space, 8,125 m² for office space and over 137,000 m² in residential space comprising 1,644 new condominium dwellings. The breakdown of the proposal’s residential component is as follows: 965 one-bedrooms, 482 two-bedrooms, 97 three-bedrooms, and 27 townhomes. Vehicles of residents and visitors would be accommodated in 1,751 total parking spots, of which there are only 9 surface parking spaces and 1,742 below grade spaces. In addition, there would be over 1,400 bicycle parking spots to meet the needs of site users. All buildings would include their own indoor amenity spaces, in addition to plenty of outdoor amenity space throughout the site, plus landscaped open green space. 

Northwest facing view from Prudential Drive, image retrieved via submission to the City of Toronto

As the proposal becomes more detailed regarding individual buildings, we will return with more information. In the meantime, additional details and images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.