A 'Tower-in-the-Park' rental apartment site at 765 Steeles Avenue West on Toronto's northern edge is proposed to be intensified by owner Starlight Investments. Two new apartment buildings are proposed to be added to the property east of the corner of Steeles and Bathurst in the city's Newtonbrook neighbourhood. The site is currently home to a lone 21 storey-apartment building containing 167 units, surrounded by surface parking and underused lawns, with a relatively low overall lot coverage. One new tower is proposed to be placed to the north and the other to the south of the existing building.

Aerial view of site with property lines, submission via First Base Solutions

Applications for rezoning and site plan approval were recently submitted to the City of Toronto by MHBC on behalf of the owner. The two IBI Group-designed towers proposed would contribute significant new residential density to the site with 209 new units. The north building is proposed to rise 10 storeys and is set to include 129 units with a total gross floor area of 11,164 m² while the south building is proposed to rise 8 storeys and add 75 units plus 5 ground level townhomes for a total of 80 units and 6,982 m² of gross floor area.

View from Steeles Avenue West, submission via City of Toronto

Renderings show bricked exteriors with off-white precast concrete accent panels on the street-facing sides of the new buildings. The townhome units at the base of the south building face south onto part of the property adjacent to Greenwin Village Road that is proposed to be dedicated to the City as parkland.

View from Greenwin Village Road, submission via City of Toronto

All together, the suites in the two buildings are opposed in a mix of 91 one bedrooms, 81 two bedrooms, and 37 three bedrooms. A total of 320 parking spots are proposed for the 209 new suites and 167 existing suites. Within walking distance of the site are bus stops for five TTC bus routes and a YRT bus route. The site is 2 km west of the Steeles station on the proposed the Yonge North Subway Extension, while the existing Finch subway station is a short bus ride away.

Map of TTC and YRT bus routes serving site, submission via City of Toronto

Overall, this proposal would bring increased residential density to the Steeles corridor and aid in creating a more urban feel in what is currently a resolutely suburban area. Several other neighbouring Tower-in-the-Park site intensification proposals are working their way through the planning process in the area around the intersection of Bathurst and Steeles.

Looking northwest to 765 Steeles Avenue West, image retrieved from Google Earth

Additional information 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 threads, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.

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