Vaughan 7028 Yonge | 218.75m | 65s | Gupta | Arcadis

[isaidso]

I doubt people in Vaughan have vastly different ideas from Torontonians about what a downtown looks like. Vaughan said they wanted to build a proper downtown and proposals like this and their new subway station (a nice one at that) suggest they're heading in the right direction. I wish them the best of luck.

 

[innsertnamehere]

This nowhere near their downtown though. It's basically an extreme end of north York centre.

 

[cd concept]

This project might look like it's too huge for this area. But I can see Centerpoint Mall being developed like Dufferin and Dupont Malls. Creating a new community center. Tying it all together with North York downtown area!

 

[sunnyraytoronto]

This project might look like it's too huge for this area. But I can see Centerpoint Mall being developed like Dufferin and Dupont Malls. Creating a new community center. Tying it all together with North York downtown area!

Not likely to happen when City Planning has Yonge Street North Secondary Plan draft ready in their back pocket.

Here's a built out model of the Yonge Street North Secondary Plan,..... first image looking from Yonge & Finch towards Steeles (Xerox office buildings and other existing buildings (darker) at Yonge & Finch are 100m height)

Second image shows Yonge & Steeles looking south towards North York Center Secondary Plan area,....

I've seen more aggressive City Planning model showing 6 towers at that southwest Yonge & Steeles corner (CentrePoint Mall),.... towers are generally 100m for about 30-storey with taller 40-storey towers (similar to HullmarkCentre, EmeraldPark, GibsonSquare size) at the corner. Nothing near the 65-storey being proposed here north of Steeles - where Toronto holds "Trump Card".

Note: When compared to Avondale's original 9 condo towers & Concord Adex original 21 Park Place condo towers; I believe CentrePoint mall land can host about 15 condo towers based on land area.

Note: Yonge Street North Secondary Plan model also shows extension of Beecroft Road up to Steeles and nothing for Doris Ave extension north of Finch Hydro Corridor.

 

[cd concept]

Nice photos proposing a masterplan idea, but you never know developers always tweek things around !

 

[maestro]

This project might look like it's too huge for this area. But I can see Centerpoint Mall being developed like Dufferin and Dupont Malls. Creating a new community center. Tying it all together with North York downtown area!

It is too huge. A dozen 30 to 60 storey residential towers replacing Centrepoint Mall wouldn't make things better. It's the wrong place for these densities. The Yonge Street North Secondary Plan is reasonable however contingent on a Yonge Line extension which, IMHO, should not be a transit priority. Twinning the southern end of the Yonge Line should be higher than extending it into York Region.

 

[cd concept]

Steeles Ave is a major arterial road that crosses the metro area like Eglinton and Sheppard Avenue.With the future subway extention on Yonge st. It's possible in the future LRT system to run through Steeles Ave supporting high rise like this. I can see the Uptown area Skyline of North York extending from the 401 to the 407 connecting it with Richmond Hills future downtown core like Vaughn is starting to build today.

 

[sunnyraytoronto]

Steeles Ave is a major arterial road that crosses the metro area like Eglinton and Sheppard Avenue.With the future subway extention on Yonge st. It's possible in the future LRT system to run through Steeles Ave supporting high rise like this. I can see the Uptown area Skyline of North York extending from the 401 to the 407 connecting it with Richmond Hills future downtown core like Vaughn is starting to build today.

The problem is what's inside those towers that make up that high-density skyline?

What's the last office tower built in North York Centre? 22-storey office tower at 5000 Yonge just south of Mel Lastman Square about 15 years ago. Since amalgamation 20 years ago, North York Centre Secondary Plan area has seen 60 new condo towers built but only 1 office tower! North York Centre is a Vertical Sleeping Community - becoming more and more of a Vertical Sleeping Community since Census data shows it's gains 2,000 new residents per year while losing 500 local jobs.

The token office space we've seen in North York Centre like Tridel HullmarkCentre are office-condo that remains 2/3 empty as they're sold to oversea investors with no intention of opening office or even renting the space out. Thus, token office-condo space at EllieCondo stalling that project and 4050 Yonge are hard sell,...
https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threa...p-kirkor-architects.9715/page-13#post-1272235
https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threa...-7s-gupta-ibi-group.12571/page-7#post-1380893

Since there's no market for office space here, what do you think your high-density "Uptown area Skyline of North York extending from the 401 to the 407 connecting it with Richmond Hills future downtown core" will function as? A Vertical Sleeping Community,.... just like North York Centre today! Which means you'll have even more folks packing onto the Yonge Subway Line 1 to commute to work downtown or where-ever everyday.


BTW, when Eglinton Crosstown finally opens, we'll see how much extra subway passengers it brings onto Yonge Subway line,.... there's a reason why Finch West LRT from Humber College only goes as far as Keele (Spadina subway Line) without connecting to Yonge Subway Line - they didn't want to jam up the Yonge Subway Line further!

 

[maestro]

Steeles Ave is a major arterial road that crosses the metro area like Eglinton and Sheppard Avenue.With the future subway extention on Yonge st. It's possible in the future LRT system to run through Steeles Ave supporting high rise like this. I can see the Uptown area Skyline of North York extending from the 401 to the 407 connecting it with Richmond Hills future downtown core like Vaughn is starting to build today.

Build the subway first before considering allowing 1800(?) units on one corner of the Yonge & Steeles intersection. We've seen an outright reversal on spending from this government which has erased ambitious subway plans in the past. It sounds impressive to have a 10 kilometre linear skyline of high density skyscrapers along a future extended Yonge Line but, there is cause for concern on whether the Yonge Line could support it. I agree that Eglinton won't be a positive impact on alleviating crowding along the line. Yonge is only a single set of tracks. That's inefficient for the backbone of many systems around the world.

 

[cd concept]

Yes the downtown core are in vogue for office buildings at this point. And maybe some of that will trickel down in this area later on. But not everyone works in a office building. And subways are one of the quickest ways to get around. So where ever a subway stop is or is going to be . They usually intensify that area ! Hariri Pontarini Architects do a great job in creating a new vibrant community out of these old mall areas , and I love to see it happen here !

 

[TJ O'Pootertoot]

I doubt people in Vaughan have vastly different ideas from Torontonians about what a downtown looks like. Vaughan said they wanted to build a proper downtown and proposals like this and their new subway station (a nice one at that) suggest they're heading in the right direction. I wish them the best of luck.

Interesting tidbit, since there were a lot of "the new subway ends in a field!" news articles a few months ago: Vaughan already has enough approved development to exceed its 2031 residential targets for VMC and is almost at its employment targets too. We'll see how many other UGCs outside Toronto pull that off.

Surprisingly, Liberty's other project Wish Condo has done shoring ...
I thought it wouldn't happen because too many projects cancelled in Scarborough. But it's happening.

And they have another one coming in VMC in the near future. Guess their financing stabilized.

BTW - this is the Yonge-Steeles Secondary Plan which, I think, is part of the Vaughan OP that's still chugging through the OMB, 7 years later. Note that this development site is marked for office use, not mixed use. More telling is that the adjacent sites have an FSI of 6 and a height limit of 36 (possibly the site includes some lands in that designation?). Obviously this proposal - which would be the first under the Secondary Plan - crushes those numbers. It looks like the Mizrahi portion will be in the 3.5/22-designated portion. I'd be shocked if they come in below 10 and 40. Let us all toast Vaughan's planning staff for they will have busy days ahead.

 

[Transportfan]

Steeles Ave is a major arterial road that crosses the metro area like Eglinton and Sheppard Avenue. With the future subway extention on Yonge st. It's possible in the future LRT system to run through Steeles Ave supporting high rise like this. I can see the Uptown area Skyline of North York extending from the 401 to the 407 connecting it with Richmond Hills future downtown core like Vaughn is starting to build today.

Sheppard doesn't even come close to crossing the metro area. It only goes as far west as Weston Road. Also, there's no way Yonge will be continuously lined with highrises up to the 407, as they would have to bulldoze old Thornhill.

 

[TJ O'Pootertoot]

Toronto Star has a story about it...
https://www.thestar.com/business/20...ndos-proposing-another-project-in-vaughan.htm


As for the big picture here - York Region (Markham/Vaughan) and Toronto all want that corner intensified in the long term and they both want max height/density at that corner (the massing showing 6 towers cited above is less about the number of towers than projected density). Buuut they're not ready yet, largely because of the subway, and that's part of why Toronto held off on the Secondary Plan approval. (And, as I mentioned above, Vaughan wants to see employment uses there rather than just straight condos.)

But this project shows that we're going to be seeing developers who don't care that they're not ready and it's going to create some real tension, both in terms of politics and infrastructure. Even if Vaughan gets these guys down to 3 x 45-storey towers, it's going to be a challenging development if the subway hasn't advanced.

 

[Neutrino]

Indeed, Centre Point Mall can probably host a dozen condos comfortably.

 

[cd concept]

It makes sense to put skyscrapers up at that intersection. Steeles Ave is a street that boarders two regions. And Yonge St ad Steeles is the best place for three municipalities to show off their skyscrapers. I can see Yonge street not only being the longest street in the world. But also known for the longest stretch of midrises, highrises, skyscrapers and super talls . From the downtown area all the way up to the moraine !